The Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue, which believes in the importance of civilisational dialogue, welcomes Pope Leo XIV’s first foreign trip to Turkey and Lebanon.
A key moment of the trip took place in the Turkish town of Iznik, the site of an ancient city of Nicaea. Pope Leo and leaders of other Christian traditions gathered to mark the anniversary of an ancient council that took place there 1,700 years ago.
In AD 325, among other key decisions, over 200 bishops at the council affirmed their belief in the incarnation of Jesus. This eventually led to what is known as the Nicene Creed, which is used by Catholics and Orthodox churches to this day.
The trip is significant in the context of the brutal Zionist war, which has devastated Gaza and killed over 65,000 thousand Palestinians, and resulted in the constant bombardment of Lebanon. This has made the so-called ceasefire and peace initiative by the United States lacking in substance.
In his speech in Ankara, the Pope raised a significant moral point by stating that ambitions and choices that trample on justice and peace were destabilising the world.
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We concur with his statement that hegemonic ambitions and choices by the US and Israel have created endless war in West Asia.
Unless the voice of peace and justice becomes stronger by adhering to its principles, the people of the region will continue to suffer – leading to more poverty, extremism and terrorism in the region.
The Pope has chosen Turkey and Lebanon – Muslim-majority countries with a substantive Christian history – for his first visit. This is his way of building bridges and creating a counter-narrative to hegemony and dominance.
Dialogue that hears the pain of the other will create conditions for peace and harmony in the region.
Hopefully, a new vision and counter-narrative can be revived in West Asia. This could then a harbinger of peace and prosperity to the region. Like-minded nations in the region can also play a critical role in building momentum through fraternity and dialogue that are opposed to hegemony and war. – Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
