Religious attacks by the media must be rejected, say officials
(March 03,2010) Anti-religious commentary distributed by media outlets can create
tensions and incite violence and therefore must be rejected, said Vatican and Muslim
representatives. Attacking religion in the mass media especially via satellite television
channels must be opposed considering the dangerous effect that these broadcasts
can have on social cohesion and on peace between religious communities.The remarks
were made in a statement issued after the annual meeting of officials from the Pontifical
Council for Interreligious Dialogue and from al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
The Vatican released a copy of the statement to journalists on Tuesday.(March 2) The
Feb. 23-24 meeting in Cairo focused on the role religions can play in either causing
or preventing religious violence. The al-Azhar meeting was chaired by Cardinal Jean-Louis
Tauran, president of the pontifical council, and by Sheik Mohammed Abd al-Aziz Wasil,
president of al-Azhar's permanent committee for dialogue with the monotheistic religions.
The meeting's final statement said greater attention must be paid to the fact that
manipulating religion or religious beliefs for political or other interests can lead
to violence. It called for ending discrimination on the basis of religious identity
and said that if laws are to be just, they should guarantee the fundamental equality
of all people regardless of religious affiliation. Members of the dialogue group
also called on preachers, teachers and the writers of school textbooks, to be respectful
of other religions and not make statements or references to historical events that
directly or indirectly can arouse a violent attitude among followers of the different
religions.