Department for External Church Relations
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G20 Interfaith Forum concludes in Italy
On September 14, 2021, the G20 Interfaith Forum on the theme “Time to Heal: Peace among Cultures, Understanding between Religions” has completed its work in Bologna, Italy.
Several topical sessions took place on the last day, including the session dedicated to the interreligious situation in Eurasia, speaking at which among the others were Sheikh ul-Islam Allashukur Pashazade, the chairman of the Caucasian Muslim Board, and Shafig A. Pshikhachev, a member of the Interreligious Council of Russia from the Coordinating Council of the Muslims of the North Caucasus.
The closing ceremony took place in the evening. Final reports were presented by Mr. Mario Draghi, the Prime Minster of Italy and the term president of the G20 summit in 2021; Cardinal Matteo Zuppi; Mr. Romano Prodi, the tenth president of the European Commission; Prof. Alberto Melloni, secretary of the Foundation of Religious Studies (FSCIRE), and other persons. HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, who has been promoting interreligious dialogue during many decades, delivered a video address.
According to the organizers of the forum, taking part in it were three hundred and seventy people, including fifty religious leaders, ninety politicians and diplomats, about one hundred scholars, experts and guests from fifty countries of the world. One hundred and sixty speakers addressed thirty-two forum sessions.
Taking part in the forum with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia was a delegation of the Russian Orthodox Church consisting of Archbishop Leonid of Vladikavkaz and Alania, deputy chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Department for External Church Relations (DECR), and Rev. Dimitry Safonov, DECR secretary for interreligious relations. At the opening ceremony, Archbishop Leonid read out an address of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill to the participants, and on the second day of the forum he presented a report at the focus session on ”Theological Nature of a Dialogue.”
The forum being over, members of the delegation were invited by Bishop Amvrosy of Bogorodsk to visit his parish at which he cares for the Moldavian Orthodox community. The guests saw the church of the Nativity of the Holy Virgin (the former Catholic church Santa Maria di Gesso) and the church of St. Luka, Archbishop of Simferopol and the Crimea. Bishop Amvrosy told the guests about the life of his parish.
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