Addressing the growth of nationalism and xenophobia in Southeast Europe

Participants and guests from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Germany, Great Britain and Switzerland gathered together in in Lužnica. Among them, Muslims and Christians, including Imams, Serbian Orthodox priests and pastors of various denominations, took part.

At the end of the talks and discussions, all attendees agreed on a common declaration stating that "any justification of xenophobia and nationalism by faith arguments or religious traditions is profoundly wrong and unacceptable".

The team of organizers was made up of Christians and Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia, who have been working tirelessly since 2006 to reduce religious, ethnic, and political tensions - in keeping with their motto: "By building peace we glorify God". Since 2013 more than 200 people have signed the "Believers for Peace" declaration with the aim of strengthening the bonds between people's personal faith life, active involvement in the praxis of nonviolence, and methods of social action, thereby strengthening the peacemaking potential of the various faith traditions.

This was the fourth conference in the region, at which "Believers for Peace" aimed to empower people from the Abrahamitic traditions in Southeast Europe/Western Balkans to build a more just and peaceful society through nonviolence. As the declaration says: “The basic message of our faiths is expressed in God’s exhortation: ‘Do not be afraid’. Staying true to that calling we appeal to the hierarchies and the faith leaders of religious communities and churches to stay away from any attempt to connect faith and religion to nationalist intolerance, hatred or fear of others”.

Church and Peace is the ecumenical peace church network, of communities, training centres, peace organisations and peace service agencies in Europe.