World Religions for the World’s Children

As we celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the World Summit for Children, the World Religions come together again for the Worlds Children and rededicate ourselves to uphold our obligations—to speak up for the well-being and protection of children during this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Today, we are in the midst of a global battle against a virus that is taking a heavy toll on human lives, disrupting economies and the livelihoods of millions, straining health care resources, deepening inequalities, and causing unspeakable suffering to the most vulnerable among us. It has interrupted the lives and learning environment of our children and made them more susceptible to disease, exploitation, and violence.

We acknowledge the multidimensional impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the lives of our 1.4 billion children. We remind ourselves and those in leadership roles of our:

• Ethical imperative to uphold the dignity of every child across the world
• Religious obligation to truth-speaking in a Pandemic
• Moral call to care for children in our homes and in our communities so that the gains we have made in child survival, protection and development are not reversed

Our ability, as a global community, to respond effectively to the threats of this pandemic depends on how well we unite around truth and implement policies based on facts. Medical science, with its well-established methods of empirical evidence gathering, testing and safety checks, is our most reliable source of truth in our efforts to understand this virus and to prevent its spread. We have no alternative source of truth in this matter. The consequences of ignoring truth are suffering and death.

Unfortunately, in many parts of our world, scientific facts that save lives are recklessly denied and dangerous death-dealing misinformation promulgated. Sadly, sometimes, many of these untruths are irresponsibly disseminated by religious leaders and authorities with indifference to human well-being. Such religious leaders ignore the teachings, shared across our traditions, about the value and sanctity of human lives, our moral obligations to protect our fellow human beings from harm and to positively promote their health and safety. They flout social distancing recommendations, argue against the benefits of masks, and deny the efficacy of vaccines. This rejection of life-saving scientific truths occurs because of wrong interpretations of religious teaching.  It also occurs when the greed for political power and economic profit is given precedence over human well-being and our religious leaders succumb also to these temptations.

The world’s religions are among the earliest communities in our world to care for the sick and suffering, and to establish hospitals.  They partnered productively with science in developing and administering therapies and medicines to heal and cure. They welcomed science as an ally, and not an adversary, in caring for the most vulnerable among us.

There are numerous inspiring examples of such fruitful cooperation. Today, we witness extraordinary efforts by religious communities to care for the victims of COVID-19 and their families and to ensure that many of their essential needs are met. They are on the frontlines of caring and serving in the finest tradition of uniting compassion with medical expertise. We wholeheartedly commend and express our gratitude and support for this work.

All the religious traditions of our world value truth above untruth and knowledge over ignorance. Sacred texts and traditions are rich in teachings commending truth speaking and condemning falsehood. This shared value for truth in our traditions attests to the fact that the consequences of untruth are negative and far-reaching.  Untruth harms human beings and undermines the common good. Untruth causes mistrust and division in communities. Untruth impedes our ability to unite in the face to major threats.

In the midst of the dire and wide-ranging consequences of a global pandemic, our religious traditions must, together, with common voice, commit to the health and well-being of human beings. We must do so by using our moral authority and influence to firmly reject untruths that harm and cost lives and by proclaiming and disseminating the truths of medical science that protect lives and heal.

Our children are among the most vulnerable in our communities, and we have a very special moral obligation to them to cooperate interreligiously to highlight the impact of COVID-19 on their lives and ensure their health and healthy development. The way we care for our children will determine how we build back a better post COVID-19 world.