Zagreb, January 25, 2002 (IKA) — In the Church of St. Francis of Assisi in Zagreb, an inter-religious prayer meeting for peace was held on Thursday, January 24, at which the participants included representatives from the Jewish community, Orthodox Church, Evangelical-Lutheran Church, Reformed Church, Baptist Church, Evangelical Church, Catholic Church and the Islamic community.
At the beginning of the prayer meeting for peace in the whole world, those present were greeted by Auxiliary Bishop Vlado Kosic of Zagreb, who noted that with this prayer we wish to demonstrate the common responsibility and concern that we all share for peace in the world. “To confess faith in God means to honor and love people, regardless of their differences, as our brothers and sisters. God, whatever we call Him and however we imagine Him, cannot and must not be a reason for our divisions and conflicts, but must unite us. To be a believer, regardless of whether I am a Christian, Jew or Muslim, means to respect life, of which God is the author and creator, and this means to respect our neighbors,” stated Bishop Kosic. On behalf of the Jewish community, Mihael Montiljo expressed his greetings, emphasizing that it is beautiful to live together like brothers and sisters and that we must all persevere in cultivating co-existence and tolerance toward one another. “One God created us in His image. God is love and we must have love, respect and tolerance for one another in order to fulfill His will,” said the Rev. Milenko Popovic, archpriest and archregent of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The Rev. Andras Luksa, acting bishop of the Evangelical Church, quoted the words of the Gospel according to Matthew: “Blessed are the poor, because they shall be called the sons of God,” adding that all had assembled in the Franciscan church after a vigil by young people, because St. Francis addressed all people and creatures. In these regions, we are still experiencing the repercussions of the war, tensions, intolerance and hatred that can even come out prior to prayers for peace. Therefore, Bishop Luksa invited all Christians to form closer mutual bonds, and cultivate dialogue with the Islamic and Jewish communities. On behalf of the Reformed Church, the Rev. Branimir Bucanovic delivered his greetings, saying that this meeting was a good example of how to meet in peace and dialogue with others who are so close to us, while different than us. Such a meeting can only be used for building peace and dialogue. The president of the Federation of Baptist Churches in Croatia, Dr. Branko Lovrec, pointed out that peace must first be established with God and only then is it possible to build peace through God among people. The Rev. Daniel Berkovic on behalf of the Evangelical Church asked everyone to think about those who are coming after us, not to pray only for peace today but for times to come. In the name of the Islamic religious community, Muftija Sefko Omerbasic greeted everyone, saying that all had gathered to pray for peace and attempt to promote peace, among ourselves and around us so that true coexistence, understanding and tolerance can prevail in the fullest sense. Muftija Omerbasic also added that peace has never been in greater jeopardy than today, but that believers had never been more united in prayer for peace, which raises hopes that we shall succeed in promoting peace in the entire world.
All the religious communities expressed their prayers for peace in their own ways, joined as one and praying for peace, tolerance, justice and respect for every person on earth. The inter-religious prayer meeting for peace in the world was concluded by Bishop Kosic, thanking everyone who had participated in this event, which was truly significant for the whole world. (j01446hr/ms/kj).