From Bishops-Ulama Conference to Mindanao Religious Leaders Conference: A new spring of hope
(Conference statement and photo: https://www.facebook.com/cbcp.ecid19 )
With great joy, the Silsilah Dialogue Movement welcomes the gathering in Davao City held on October 7-10, 2024 to share the need to restart the experience of the Bishops-Ulama Conference in a new format and according to the needs and aspirations that guide your assembly in the mission of dialogue and peace.
Silsilah Dialogue Movement has been on the front line since the beginning of this experience through Fr. Sebastiano D’Ambra, PIME as executive secretary of the CBCP’s Episcopal Commission for Interreligious Dialogue, supporting in many ways Archbishop Fernando Capalla since the beginning of the Bishops-Ulama Forum, renamed, after a few years, as Bishops-Ulama Conference.
With great joy, we remembered the time when together all the leaders of the Bishops-Ulama Conference endorsed the Harmony Prayer prepared by Silsilah. Now the Harmony Prayer and the Harmony Song are spread around the world.
Silsilah Dialogue Movement this year is celebrating its 40th Anniversary promoting good relations among all cultures and religions. We are committed to continuing this mission in this time of history with emerging divisions and conflicts in the Philippines and the world.
We hope and pray that this new beginning can help to reaffirm and promote dialogue and peace among all of us in respect of our different beliefs, but all united in God who is our creator. Indeed, we need to reaffirm the universal brotherhood and sisterhood in the spirit of the document of ” Human Fraternity” signed by Pope Francis with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, in Abu Dhabi, on February 4, 2019.
The signs of war around the world, the increasing division among political groups and cultural groups in Mindanao, the increasing poverty, and the reality of the climate emergency remind us that the mission that you are starting now is very important and Silsilah is with you, especially in continuing the mission of formation and solidarity with those in need. We are inspired by the spiritual understanding of dialogue and peace guided by the inspiration that ” Dialogue starts from God and brings people back to God.” This inspiration has guided us to live and promote the culture of dialogue path to peace focusing on dialogue with God, self, others and creation.
We present here the conference statement:
We are Peacemakers:
Peace that is Based on Justice is our Duty and Obligation
Affirming, that we, the members of the Mindanao Religious Leaders Conference do convene as an Assembly on October 8-9, 2024 at Blue Lotus Hotel, Davao City, Philippines to re-affirm our commitment to work for peace and sustainable development:
Declaring, that our commitment for peace and sustainable development is guided by the values of love, justice, harmony, respect, integrity, unity, reconciliation, spirituality. and humanity;
Declaring further, that our commitment is concretely manifested in the revitalization of our role in peacebuilding through our organizational platform to be known as the Mindanao Religious Leaders Conference (MiRLeC);
Remembering, that we, the religious leaders, having the moral obligations, binding unto ourselves to be a very dynamic and progressive peace movement, are one in the efforts to translate its advocacy for meaningful inclusivity, governance and peace in the Bangsamoro, Mindanao and the whole country;
Believing, that interfaith-based peacebuilding remains an imperative to sustain the gains of the peace process and for the Muslims, Christians and Indigenous Peoples to enjoy meaningful peace and development;
Reiterating, that the key religious leaders have always declared its sincere commitment in forging interfaith cooperation in the spirit of solidarity;
Recognizing, that our peacebuilding efforts do experience persistent and emerging challenges such as the implementation of peace agreements, exclusion of Sulu, environmental injustice, extremism and terrorism;
Agreeing, there is a need to do a more consolidated peace engagements such as cascading peace dialogues and conversations, consolidating of peace constituency, dialogue with the political and other leaders, and advocacy for women, youth, Indigenous People’s empowerment;
Finally, we, have the following calls and prayers:
- For our Peace Stakeholders and Duty Bearers to safeguard the gains of the peace process, most especially the re-inclusion of Sulu in the BARMM;
- For our political leaders to observe sobriety, honesty and peaceful campaign endeavors as they engage our communities and electorates; and
- For our peace institutions and organizations to consolidate their efforts in building social cohesion among our communities and the people of goodwill…