Cardinal Parolin, in UN meetings, highlights role of religious leaders in fighting extremism
September 21, 2016
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, spoke on the responsibility of religious leaders to combat intolerance, and to provide education against extremism, in two separate September 20 talks to UN audiences.
Speaking in a conference on the prevention of genocide, Cardinal Parolin denounced the exploitation of religion by purveyors of violence, and said that ideologues mask “the real cause of these despicable actions by attributing the cause to religion.”
At another meeting, dedicated to the fight against extremism, the Italian cardinal emphasized the important role played by religious leaders because of their “privileged position of being embedded within society.” He went on to observe: “If faith-based communities are to be effective in combating radicalization and extremism, they must be open to dialogue with one another and the broader society.”
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