Geneva: New Humanity and the “Dialogue of cultures and religions on the dignity of every person”

It took place the last 3rd of July, in occasion of the Human Rights Council, the side-event about “Dialogue of cultures and religions on the dignity of every person”. The meeting, was organized by promoted by the Permanents Missions of the Holy See, Morocco, Greece and Malta, by the Forum of Geneva Catholic inspired NGOs (N-. H. is a member of it) and by the Centre Catholique d’Etudes de Géneve and benefited of a question/ intervention of Mr. Jorge Ferreira New Humanity’s Main representant in Geneva.

«My question is about strategies and concrete actions to develop, in order to support the dialogue between cultures and religions.» Resuming the main theme of the meeting, Dr. Jorge Ferreira, introduced with this worlds his intervention.

Addressed to the whole group of rapporteurs, he continued: «Do you find a good idea the promotion of formal meetings – like today – but above all of informal meetings, in order to promote in the different Counties, between believers of different religions, the development between them of a deeper knowledge, genuine relationships and mutual estimation? Could be this strategy a good way to promote a real and efficent interreligious dialogue, characterized by fraternity and aimed at achieving a global unity’s growth with the deep respect if the dignity of each human being?

The last year, with this goal, we lived in Geneva a “good practices”  linked exactly to this theme. With some “Theological Cafes”, promoted by eminent Jewish, Muslims ans christian exponents, more than 50 youth believer of this three different religions, discovered the mutual esteem and the inter-religious dialogue between them.»

Rapporteurs’s answer was – of course – affirmative. By the worlds of Msg. Charles Morerod, Bishop of the Diocese of Geneva, Lausanne and Freiburg and emeritus Secretary of the International Theological Commission, they reaffirmed the importance of building fraternal relationships between actors of different cultures and religions in order to promote concretely the human being dignity. Indeed, that is possible only with a deep and reciprocal knowledge.

Beyond Msg. Morerod, the other main rapporteurs that animated the conference, also his excellency Lord Slimane Chikh, Permanent Observer of the Muslim Organization of Cooperation at the genevan International Organizations and Mrs. Natalia Narochnitskaïa, ancient Duma’s member, Historian and President of the Democracy and Cooperation Institute.
Coordinator of the seminar was Msg. Silvano Tomasi, Apostolic Nuncio and Permanent Observer for the Holy See at the genevan UN’s Organizations.

A strong appeal to the urgency and the necessity to promote events and concrete actions in order to develop a constructive and genuine dialogue between different cultures and religions was launched by all the rapporteurs and was identified as the main requirement to duly respect the human dignity.
Also for this reason, Dr. Ferreira’s appeal to “good practices” proposed during his short intervention, was really appropriate.

Dialogue des Cultures et des religions sur la dignité de chaque personne – Brochure