HM the King's Insightful Leadership in Interfaith Dialogue Lauded at UN

12 mai 2020 Printable Version

New York - Several religious leaders and senior officials of the United Nations have lauded the insightful leadership of HM King Mohammed VI concerning the intercultural and inter-faith dialogue, on the occasion of a high-level virtual conference, organized Tuesday by Morocco at the UN, on "The role of religious leaders to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic".

Speaking at this meeting, held on the initiative of Ambassador Omar Hilale, Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Rabin Arthur Schneier, Chief Rabbi of the Park East synagogue in New York and president of the "Appeal of Conscience Foundation", paid tribute to HM the King for his leadership and pioneering role in promoting the values of dialogue between religions and different cultures, as well as in matters of mutual respect, unity and human dignity.

"We are grateful to Morocco and to HM the King for having brought us together during this difficult period in the history of mankind," said Rabin Schneier at this conference marked by the participation of eminent religious leaders representing the three celestial monotheistic religions.

For his part, His Eminence Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, Bishop of the Catholic Church, President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue of the Vatican, recalled the speech delivered by HM the King on the occasion of the official welcome of His Holiness Pope Francis in Morocco last year.

"I am happy to recall what HM King Mohammed VI said on March 30, 2019 during the visit of the Sovereign Pontiff to Morocco: Spirituality is not an end in itself. Our Faith is mirrored in concrete actions. It teaches us to love our neighbor. It teaches us to help him," said Cardinal Ayuso Guixot, making the connection between these words and the current pandemic situation in the world which requires mutual aid and solidarity between peoples and nations.

The High Representative of the UN Alliance of Civilizations Miguel Angel Moratinos lauded Morocco for the work accomplished, under the leadership of HM the King, in matters of moderation of religious discourse, and the promoting of interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence.

Moratinos noted, in this regard, that the rich and diverse composition of the Moroccan society on the cultural and religious levels "cannot be ignored" and must be taken as an example.

For his part, the United Nations Secretary General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng also paid tribute to HM King Mohammed VI for his "continuous support for the strengthening of principles and values which represent the very foundations of the United Nations."

Dieng welcomed in this regard the adoption of two extremely important documents "thanks to the support and leadership of HM the King who has demonstrated his continued attachment to intercultural and interfaith dialogue". They are the Rabat Action Plan on the prohibition of any appeal to national, racial or religious hatred which constitutes an incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence, and the Marrakech Declaration on the rights of religious minorities in the Muslim world.