Faith leaders must work harder to prevent religiously motivated violence, says Jerry White, deputy assistant Secretary of State in the U.S. government’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations. White was in Rome recently to promote a “Global Covenant of World Religions.” White believes that faith leaders have a crucial role in combating the alarming increase in religiously-motivated violence.
“Religion is a vocabulary that is being used… to justify violence,” White said. “Religion has to be part of the solution—and that’s why a conversation about a new covenant, an interreligious peace treaty…” is needed.
“We have to actually go beyond photo opportunities, beyond interfaith conferences, and say: What would our agreement look like in terms of an interreligious fatwa against violence,” he said.
White believes that Rome is so important because it is an address to which people are looking for leadership in reaching out to both sides. “Rome, more than ever before, [has] that type of neutral brokerage, a third side… We are seeing hopeful signs of people reaching out, courageous stands for peace and renunciation of violence…”
Increasingly, Rome is being look to for solutions to the rise of violence rooted in religious extremism. Charismatic Pope Francis is greatly respected and sought after for geopolitical and religious solutions. Not long ago Shimon Peres, the former prime minister of Israel suggested to the pope that there be an organization of United Religions which the pope would head. Now another government, the United States is calling for something similar.
“All the world wondered after the beast.” Revelation 13:3
Source Reference