Religious policy pursued in Belarus is the key to civil peace, Lukashenko says

MINSK, 9 November (BelTA) – The religious policy pursued in Belarus is the key to civil peace and consent in the society, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with representatives of various religious confessions, who are participating in the international conference, Christian-Judaic dialogue: religious values as the foundation for mutual respect in a civil society during the global economic crisis.

Today it is important not to stir up inter-confessional animosity but to promote a fruitful dialogue, the head of state noted. “You, the leaders of religious movements, show the example of good neighborliness not to only to the believers but also to the politicians and to all people of good will,” Alexander Lukashenko said.

The President of Belarus has expressed his confidence that the conference will help people understand each other better. It gives an opportunity to talk about various religious cultures and to show the readiness for the dialogue. “Belarus’ experience in building up equal friendly relations between representatives of various religions will be interesting and useful for other countries. We are always open for you. You are always welcome on our soil. I sincerely hope that you will have the most pleasant memories of the warmth and hospitality of the Belarusian people.”

The international scientific conference, Christian-Jewish dialogue: religious values as the foundation for mutual respect in the civil society amid the global economic crisis, is held in Minsk on 9-11 November. The conference is important for Belarus as the Christianity, which is represented in Belarus by all confessions, as well as other religions have rich historical and cultural traditions in Belarus. The conference is intended to help establish contacts between Christian and Jewish theologists, between representatives of the scientific communities of the two religions and also between Christian theologists of different confessions and secular researchers who specialize in the dialogue between Christians and Jews and in the history of Judaism.

The conference has been initiated by the Belarusian Orthodox Church. It has been organized by the institute of religious dialogue and inter-confessional communications at the Synod of the Belarusian Orthodox Church and the international public association, Sts Methodius and Cyril Christian educational center. This is the seventh conference organized by these two organizations. The goal of the conference is to cultivate positive inter-religious dialogue skills in the society.