DECLARATION OF RELIGIOUS COMMUNITIES IN ALBANIA
JOINT ENGAGEMENT FOR INTERFAITH DIALOGUE
3 may 2018
We, the Muslim Community of Albania, Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania, Catholic Church of Albania, The Bektashi World Headquarters and Evangelical Brotherhood of Albania thank God for the history of interfaith coexistence and harmony in Albania for centuries.
Understanding and religious coexistence within our country has created a beautiful mosaic of diversity over the years. We are convinced that this mosaic should not be taken for granted and we are committed to take care of it by keeping its parts together, in order to preserve and present with dignity this wealth inside and outside the country.
We are aware and we accept that our religious communities have their own identity and that each one remains faithful to the principles of his faith. However, our religious differences do not prevent us from engaging in mutual respect, cooperation in social fields and active dialogue between our communities and the whole society in order to preserve and promote moral, ethical and cultural values.
We appreciate communication as a tool to get closer to each other, to build mutual respect and to avoid prejudices. For this reason we are committed to the following:
- To develop a dialogue of life, by encouraging members of our communities and society in general to live in peace and good neighborliness, sharing the joy and sadness, the challenges and the hopes with each other.
- To develop joint activities for the good of society, engaging in initiatives, ventures and projects to improve the quality of life and development of Albanian society and through these engagements at the same time to nurture harmony, tolerance, coexistence, justice and peace in our communities.
- To build the dialogue platform at the academic level, getting acquainted with each other’s spiritual values, mutual history and common points, in order to promote the spirit of dialogue and fraternity within our communities, avoiding everything that can incite hatred and interfaith misconceptions.
- To develop common educational and educational strategies to promote and nurture the young generation with the values of coexistence and interreligious dialogue, to prevent any form of manipulation and instrumentalization of religion in the service of non-religious interests.
- To promote in the international arena, by all means, the value of coexistence and interfaith harmony in Albania, as a useful example for the entire world society, which constantly faces the challenges of intolerance and various forms of conflict
With our good wish and hope, that the Lord will give us the energy and the sustainability to continue on our path of coexistence, harmony, tolerance and dialogue, we representatives of Albanian religious communities sign today (03.05.2018) the above statement.
The Muslim Community of Albania
H. Skender Brucaj
Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Albania
His Beatitude, Anastas Janullatos
Catholic Church
Catholic Episcopal Conference of Albania
Mons. George Frendo
The Bektashi World Headquarters
H.Ded Edmond Brahimaj
The Evangelical Brotherhood of Albania
Pastor Ylli Doçi
