His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel, Reverend Kosho Niwano, Rabbi David Rosen and Dr. Mohammad al-Sammak participated in the symposium “Ethics in Action for Sustainable and Integral Development of Peace”, organized by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and which took place from 2-3 February at the Casina Pio IV in the Vatican Gardens. The five religious leaders are members of KAICIID’s Board of Directors.

Religious leaders, theologians, academics, ambassadors, development practitioners and activists participated in the meeting that aimed to analyse the state of peace today. The symposium also aimed to promote peaceful and global societies for sustainable development, to provide access to justice for all, and to build effective, accountable and global institutions. The positive contribution of religious communities in peacebuilding across the world was highlighted by participants who shared numerous grassroots inter-religious initiatives that contribute to peace within religiously and ethnically divided communities.  Participants discussed, in particular, how to promote integral human development as an answer to Pope Francis' Encyclical Laudato Si’ ("Praise be to You- On Care For Our Common Home "), how to build bridges among people and how to overcome intra-community violence.

The leaders issued the “Ethics in Action Peace” statement of their commitment, "We aim to mobilize the scientific, academic, and international community to spread the message that religion should not be instrumentalized and manipulated in the name of political agendas. Rather, the religious leaders are committed to reducing the fear in their communities, combating the lies that accompany the drumbeats of war, and actively promoting the virtues of positive peace and the institutions in their communities that embody and enact these virtues. This must include tackling the spread of hatred and violence via the internet and social media." [the full text can be found here]