Executive Committee of the European Council of Religious Leader makes a statement on blasphemous cartoons

A session of the Executive Committee of the European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) was held in Oslo on 6 February 2006. Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad, Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate and ECRL co-moderator was represented by Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, DECR MP Deputy Chairman.

The participants in the meeting reviewed ECRL work and outlined plans for future. They decided to consolidate secretariat of the Council. The Executive Committee adopted a special statement on the situation over cartoons depicting the founder of Islam.

The document reads: ‘we urge responsible leaders of all religions to spare no effort in order to stop the acts of violence and terror being committed in the name of God. We condemn the abuse of freedom used to blaspheme things holy for the believers. All religions have certain symbols and facts of faith, which are holy and arose special feelings. All people irrespective of their religious views should respect these feelings’.

The statement calls to bar provokers from using blasphemous acts to undermine inter-religious dialogues and cooperation. The ECRL declared its willingness to cooperate with state and public institutions that ‘support human rights and protect religious convictions and symbols’.

The participants in the meeting had dinner with Mr. Raimond Johansen, State-Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway.