At the "Critical Moment in Inter-religious Dialogue" conference, sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC), in Geneva yesterday morning, some 130 participants from ten world religions expressed their common concern "to solve the pressing problems of the world".
After the opening remarks by the WCC General Secretary Rev Samuel Kobia and the WCC Central Committee Moderator Catholicos Aram I, some other speakers gave presentations for the plenary sessions.
In response to the call of Catholicos Aram I on world religions for a common action to influence the broken world, Professor Dr Wande Abimbola from Nigeria, Chief of African religion, urged for a dialogue oriented "to solve the pressing problems of the world".
During the conference, many participants in fact acknowledged the positive impact of the inter-religious dialogue over the past few decades in terms of improving the living conditions of women and children as well as helping to overcome economic and political exploitation, which are all highlighted global issues.
However, delegates to the conference criticised that the current inter-religious dialogue is just restricted to the religious leaders, and does not really reach the "ordinary people" in religious communities.
Abimbola, Chief of African religion, added that the dialogue must be "all-inclusive and all-embracing" with all the religions being "accepted at the table on an equal basis". He said that "rarely have these dialogues included the primal religions of the world, such as the indigenous religions of Africa and the Americas".
Dr Heba Rauouf Ezzat, Muslim political scientist, lecturer, emphasised that inter-religious dialogue should keep away from the "conversion mentality". Ezzat said that religions have the right to invite people to share their beliefs but they should not try to convert all the nations of the world to their own values.
