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The moderator of the World Council of Churches' (WCC) Central Committee, His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, has called for "dialogue, relations and collaboration with other religions" to have a "high priority" in the Council's ecumenical witness.
Speaking on Tuesday, the first day of the week-long Central Committee meeting in Geneva, the moderator argued that the WCC should become an "efficient instrument of networking and advocacy" on issues of inter-religious concern, strengthening and supporting inter-religious dialogue at global, regional and national levels. However, this dialogue must have "its own integrity, agenda and methodology," and should not be a last resort in emergency situations.
In his report, Aram spoke of the ambivalent role played by religion in today's world. He said, "In a society torn apart by brokenness and hopelessness, people are looking for hope and meaning in religion." However, he added, "In some countries, religion is exploited for political ends, and in others it is used to advocate false ideologies and perpetuate unjust structures." He also spoke of the new challenges of globalisation, which is "drawing people together irrespective of religion, race or culture," and said, "In the 'global village', we must all live together."
Arguing for "a culture of mutual trust", he went on to say that while religion provides a profound sense of identity and belonging, an exclusive self-understanding can also lead to isolationism, hatred and violence. "More and more, globalisation will create a profound crisis of identity. The only force strong enough to stand up to this threat and protect identity is religion. Through dialogue, people of faith must come to see their identity within one household of God and as part of one common identity in God."
Acknowledging the difficulties of setting acceptable boundaries of dialogue, Aram stressed that dialogue is more than simply exchanging views. Rather, it is "the experience of living together, reflecting together and working together." As such, dialogue must be contextualised, since different churches are faced with different issues; each situation has its own agenda.
However, dialogue does not compromise the faith of believers. "The aim of dialogue is not negotiation; its aim is mutual empowerment and deepening mutual trust," Aram said. Dialogue is "the only way for religions to become pro-active," to articulate "their common voice," and to "participate actively in the transformation of society". There is no alternative to a dialogue that challenges all religions "to go beyond their institutional and dogmatic boundaries," he affirmed.
However, according to the moderator, a proper theological perspective is vital. Rather than believing that all religions outside Christ are devoid of truth, we should accept that "Religious plurality is God's gift." As such, "An inclusive understanding of God's salvific act will lead the church to consider other religions as part of God's plan of salvation and not as mere 'mission fields'."
The author of "Orthodox Perspectives on Mission", Aram suggested that the implication for missionary strategy is that, particularly in pluralistic environments, it is inappropriate to attempt to add new members. Instead, "we should seek to identify the 'Christic values in other religions', and 'awaken the Christ who sleeps in the night of the religions'," Aram said, quoting the Orthodox theologian Georges Khodr, metropolitan of Mount-Lebanon.
According to the WCC moderator, inter-religious collaboration is "indispensable" in three areas. Religious education must be re-shaped to become "relevant and contextual", geared towards building pluralistic communities; religions must act as agents of healing and reconciliation, helping each other to defuse conflicts in situations of ethnic and political tension; and religions must move towards an active prophetic role, "engaging in spiritual combat against evil forces" - for example religious fundamentalism - "the greatest enemy of religion and the most dangerous force of our times".
Recognising that "most of our churches are unprepared to engage in inter-religious dialogue," Aram advocated the role of the Council in resourcing them to give guidance to their members. "Let us, as Christians, engage ourselves with people of living faiths in this journey of discovery and rediscovery of our common roots, common truths and common calling," he concluded.
The WCC Central Committee is the principal decision-making body of the Council between assemblies. Meeting every 12-18 months, it comprises 150 members. The agenda of this Central Committee includes, among other important decisions, the election of a new general secretary, and the selection of a theme for the next assembly in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in the year 2006.
The full text of the WCC moderator's report to Central Committee is available on our website at:
www2.wcc-coe.org/ccdocuments2003.nsf
A high-resolution photograph of the moderator is available for use with this release: