ANKARA: Fener Greek Orthodox Patriarch: Peace Should Be Everybody´s Target

May 13 2004
MARDIN - Peace should be everybody's target, Fener Greek Orthodox
Patriarch Bartholomew said on Thursday.
A symposium on religions and peace in the light of Prophet Abraham
was held in southeastern Mardin province by Turkish Intercultural
Dialogue Platform.
Speaking in the symposium, Bartholomew said that human beings had to
be honest, fair and pacifist.
Bartholomew noted that they could see a few pacifists in today's world.
Stating that terrorists killed people insolently, Bartholomew said,
''where are pacifists among all these agonies? We don't have any
other remedy than working for peace. Let peace be our target.''
Ishak Haleva, the Chief Rabbi in Turkey, said that not only
similarities, but also differences among cultures should be underlined
and thus, everybody should protect all those features.
Haleva stated that thus, they should be an example for forthcoming
generations.
Mesrob Mutafian, the Patriarch of Armenians in Turkey, sent a message
to the symposium in which he wished that that meeting would contribute
to efforts to end wars and overcome violence.
Representatives of three monotheist religions sang hymns in the
symposium. Many religious personalities and 40 guests from 17 countries
attended the meeting.
Religious representatives later freed a pigeon.