Olketa Religion Hipap Long Assisi for Luk Aotem Peace

“No eni raf fasin moa! No eni war moa! No eni terrorism moa! Long nem bilong God, letem evri religion mekem justice and peace, wei for forgive and laef, and love kamap long earth!”​—Pope John Paul II.

ASSISI, ITALY, January 24, 2002—Pipol wea stand for olketa religion bilong world hipap for prea for peace, peace wea terrorism, wei for no acceptim pipol, and fasin wea no followim justice hem spoelem. Pope nao hem announcem disfala meeting tufala month bihaen Twin Towers long New York City hem foldaon. Planti leader bilong religion hapi for acceptim disfala invitation bilong Vatican.

Tufala taem bifor—wantaem long 1986 and narataem long 1993—pope arrangem wanfala day bilong prea long datfala sem taon bilong Italy.a Winim wan thousand niusman from evriwea long world kam for lukluk long datfala meeting wea kamap long 2002. Planti religion nao kam for talem olketa prea for peace—olketa bilong Christendom (Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican, Orthodox, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal, Mennonite, Quaker, and olketa narawan), Islam, Hindu, Confucian, Sikh, Jain, Tenrikyo, Buddhist, Jew, olketa kastom religion bilong Africa, Shinto, and Zoroastrian. Samfala bilong olketa nara religion, and tu, man wea stand for World Council of Churches, long there.

Olketa Toktok for Saedem Peace

Day hem start long 8:40 a.m., taem “peace train” hem lusim smol station bilong Vatican. Diswan hem wanfala train wea garem sevenfala naesfala rail car, and tufala helicopter nao go witim for protectim. Bihaen tu hour wea pope and olketa leader bilong religion travel olketa kasem Assisi. Olketa barava strongim security long there—samting olsem wan thousand policeman stanbae.

Olketa leader bilong religion hipap long wanfala oldfala open area wea olketa kavarem witim bigfala tent. Insaed, olketa hia sidaon long wanfala big stage wea olketa paintim red and sheip bilong hem olsem leta V, and chair bilong pope nao long midol. Long saed bilong datfala stage hem wanfala olive tree—wea piksarem peace. Long front bilong stage winim 2,000 guest wea olketa chusim gud nao olketa sidaon. Samfala bigman bilong Italy sidaon long olketa chair long front. Olketa bigfala choir singim olketa hymn bilong peace bihaen wanfala tok hem finis and bifor narawan hem start. Long olketa nara part bilong taon, planti thousand pipol, main wan olketa young pipol, showim enikaen saen for againstim war wea olketa raetem long tu-thri difren languis and olketa singim olketa song abaotem peace. Planti karem olketa branch bilong olive tree.

Bihaen hem go sidaon long chair midol long stage, pope welkamim olketa member bilong olketa difren religion wea kam. Then, bihaen olketa singim wanfala hymn long Latin languis wea kam from Isaiah 2:4—wea talem profesi abaotem wanfala taem wea “nation bae no iusim sword againstim nation”—twelvfala long olketa bigman wea attend, talem samfala important toktok for saedem peace, and each wan werem kaleko bilong religion bilong hem. Samfala toktok hia nao long daon.

“Long disfala important taem long history, olketa man need for lukim trufala akson bilong peace and for herem olketa toktok wea givim hope.”​—Cardinal François Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân.

God hem “no God bilong war and raoa bat hem God bilong peace.”​—Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeus I.

“Wei for garem difren religion hem shud no leadim [pipol] for ting nating, or heitim tu, olketa wea difren.”​—Dr. Setri Nyomi, World Alliance of Reformed Churches.

“Justice and love midolwan olketa brata olsem tufala important post bilong tru peace midolwan long pipol.”​—Chief Amadou Gasseto, man wea stand for olketa kastom religion bilong Africa.

“Peace nomoa hem holy, war hem nating holy!”​—Andrea Riccardi, Catholic Church.

Samfala wea attend talemaot hao religion hem garem bigfala blame for wei wea war and fasin for no acceptim nara pipol kamap big tumas. Man wea stand for Lutheran World Federation sei “strongfala heit wea kamap from wei for strong for followim olketa biliv bilong religion barava sekem” world. Wanfala man wea stand for Jew religion sei: “Olketa religion saportim and mekem big planti barava nogud war wea planti pipol dae.” Wanfala Hindu woman wea attend sei: “History hem showimaot hao planti taem pipol wea sei olketa seleva nao saviour iusim religion for kontrolem pipol and kosim wei for divaed.”

Bihaen olketa talem toktok againstim terrorism and war, each wan go bak long ples wea olketa markem olketa for sidaon, and prea seleva for peace long god bilong olketa.

Olketa Prea for Peace

Olketa wea stand for olketa religion bilong Christendom prea tugeta long Basilica of St. Francis long daon, klosap long grev wea olketa nemem datfala church followim. Datwan hem start taem pope and thrifala narawan “askem help bilong Trinity.” Olketa talem prea then singim olketa hymn and toktok wea mekhae long peace and tu duim reading insaed Bible abaotem peace. Toktok bilong wanfala prea ask for startim “wanfala faith wea no divaed.” For finisim datfala ceremony, evriwan singim Our Father prea long Latin languis, wea kam from Matthew chapter 6, verse 9 go kasem 13.

Long semtaem, olketa bilong nara religion go ahed for prea long olketa difren ples. Long wanfala hall wea front bilong hem point go long Mecca, olketa Muslim nildaon long olketa carpet, and prea go long Allah. Olketa Zoroastrian, wea prea klosap long olketa Jain and Confucian, laetem wanfala holy fire. Olketa wea stand for olketa kastom religion bilong Africa prea go long spirit bilong laen dadi bilong olketa. Olketa Hindu ask for peace from olketa god bilong olketa. Evriwan duim prea bilong olketa seleva for askem olketa god bilong olketa.

Wanfala Promis wea Evriwan Agree Long Hem for Kasem Peace

Olketa hia hipap moa anda long datfala big tent for finisim disfala ceremony. Olketa monk givim olketa hia olketa lamp wea laet, wea piksarem hope bilong peace. Evri samting hia luk naes. Then olketa difren member readim wanfala promis for kasem peace wea evriwan agree long hem, each wan talem difren toktok.

“Wei for buildim peace minim for lovem neiba.”​—Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomeus I.

“Raf fasin and terrorism no fitim trufala spirit bilong religion.”​—Dr. Konrad Raiser, wea stand for World Council of Churches.

“Mifala talem promis for teachim pipol for respectim and tinghae long each other.”​—Bhai Sahibji Mohinder Singh, man wea stand for Sikh religion.

“Peace wea no eni justice stap hem no trufala peace.”​—Orthodox Bishop Vasilios.

Last samting, pope hem readim toktok wea stap long introduction bilong disfala article. Disfala meeting wea olketa religion join tugeta hem finis taem olketa holem each other for showimaot peace. Olketa stael toktok wea olketa redyim gud join witim bigfala ceremony. Bat, hao nao pipol ting long disfala bigfala ceremony?

‘Sapos Akson Followim Toktok’

Olketa niuspepa and television praisem disfala samting wea pope hem duim. Samfala kolem pope “man for toktok for Christendom.” Niuspepa bilong Vatican L’Osservatore Romano storyim datfala day long Assisi olsem wanfala “barava important samting long road for buildim community bilong peace.” Long front page bilong niuspepa Corriere dell’Umbria hem disfala heding “Assisi Givim Laet Long Peace.”

No evriwan hapi olsem. Samfala pipol talem daot bilong olketa bikos nomata olketa garem olketa day for prea for peace long 1986 and 1993, olketa man still go ahed for faet long nem bilong religion. Wei for heitim nara religion hem go ahed for kosim bigfala wei for killkill long Uganda, Yugoslavia bifor, Indonesia, Pakistan, Middle East, and Northern Ireland.

Niuspepa bilong Italy La Repubblica sei samfala man talem hao datfala meeting hem “olsem wanfala show nomoa.” Wanfala member bilong European Parliament sei for apim peace, pipol bilong religion shud “duim samting wea Gospel talem”—hem nao for followim disfala toktok “lovem olketa enemy bilong iu, tanem narasaed bilong feis.” Long tingting bilong hem, datwan nao samting wea “no eniwan hem duim.”

President bilong Italian Jewish Communities sei “bae hem interesting for lukim samting wea bae happen, hem nao, sapos olketa bae duim samting wea olketa talem.” Woman wea stand for olketa Buddhist bilong Italy talem semkaen toktok taem hem sei olketa shud “mek sure toktok for peace hem no just go ahed for olsem olketa gudfala goal nomoa.” Wanfala niusman wea raet for magasin bilong Italy L’Espresso, sei meeting long Assisi hem duim nara samting for olketa religion bilong Christendom wea stap long there. Hem kolem diswan “wanfala sekson wea waka tugeta for stopem wei wea pipol no satisfae, no obeyim, and no bilivim olketa teaching bilong church,” and tu, samting for faet againstim “wei wea church no garem paoa long community” wea kamap big long Europe nomata olketa Christian for longtaem finis.”

Samfala wea barava tok strong againstim disfala ceremony hem sekson wea strong tumas for followim Catholic religion, from olketa fraet nogud olketa teaching bilong church change for mekem pipol no againstim olketa. Long wanfala interview wea hem duim long television, Vittorio Messori, wanfala Catholic man for raet wea planti pipol savve long hem, sei datfala ceremony wea kamap long Assisi hem mekem danger kamap for no luksavve gud long wei wea olketa religion difren. Bat, olketa bigman bilong church mek sure for no mekem hem luk olsem olketa mixim olketa religion tugeta. Pope seleva talem wanfala toktok for denyim datwan. Nomata olsem, planti pipol talem hao disfala ceremony showimaot hao olketa difren religion stand for olketa difren wei for go long sem god.

Religion and Peace

Bat, wanem nao olketa religion savve duim for mekem peace kamap? Samfala pipol konfius long datfala kwestin, from luk olsem olketa religion nao duim moa samting for kosim olketa war winim wei for stopem. Olketa man wea raetem history storyim planti taem, hao olketa gavman iusim religion for apim war. Nomata olsem, kwestin wea kamap hem olsem: Why nao religion letem olketa hia for iusim olketa?

Olketa religion bilong Christendom garem wanfala holy law wea savve helpem olketa for missim wei for guilty for join insaed war. Jesus sei olketa follower bilong hem bae “no part bilong world.” (John 15:19; 17:16) Sapos olketa religion bilong Christendom duim samting followim toktok hia, olketa bae no join witim olketa bilong politik for appruvim and blessim olketa army and war.

For tok stret, sapos olketa want for duim samting followim gudfala toktok wea olketa talem long Assisi, olketa leader bilong religion mas stap difren from olketa bilong politik. And tu, olketa mas teachim olketa wei bilong peace long pipol wea stap anda long olketa. Bat, pipol wea raetem history sei insaed sekson wea duim raf samting hem planti wea biliv long God—or wea sei olketa biliv. Wanfala niuspepa no longtaem go nomoa sei olsem: “No longtaem bihaen Sept. 11, samwan raetem trufala toktok hia long wanfala wall long Washington, D.C.: ‘Dear God, sevem mifala from pipol wea biliv long iu.’ ”

Bigfala ceremony long Assisi hem mekem samfala hard kwestin kamap wea no kasem ansa. Bat, maet no eni kwestin hem moa important—or givim moa reason for wari—long planti pipol bilong religion winim diswan: Kam kasem distaem, why nao God hem no want for ansarem olketa prea for peace wea olketa religion bilong world talem?

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Olketa wea attend holem lamp wea laet​—wea stand for datfala hope for peace

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AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito

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AP Photo/Pier Paolo Cito