RfP Co-President, Archbishop Antje Jackelén, hosts ECRL-RfP for Inter-religious Conference on Religion and Migration
February 20, 2020
(Malmö, Sweden) Archbishop Antje Jackelén [Archbishop, Church of Sweden; Co-President, Religions for Peace (RfP)] launched the initiative A World of Neighbours aimed at strengthening inter-religious relations between faith-based actors working with and for “people on the move” – migrants and refugees – in Europe.
The initiative seeks to build the capacity of multi-stakeholder actors working on behalf of migrants and refugees by making their work more visible and fostering networks and connections between them. The initiative also allows the inter-religious community to voice its ethical, moral and humanitarian concern for refugees in Europe. A World of Neighbours is an initiative of the Church of Sweden which wishes to “to defend democratic values, promote social and existential sustainability and nurture peaceful coexistence in Europe.”
Archbishop Antje Jackelén stated in an interview regarding the initiative that, “It is an important vision for us as human beings. If we do not live in a world where we have a certain confidence, then we become a world of enemies.”
A recent conference, entitled, “Keeping our humanity – for we were strangers once” was part of the larger initiative and included 70 Europeans from 15 countries with experience in all aspects of the migration issue, including RfP’s regional body, the European Council of Religious Leaders’ (ECRL-RfP) Rev. Dr. Thomas Wipf [President, ECRL-RfP].
Rev. Dr. Wipf noted that he is pleased to see an initiative affirming RfP’s message and efforts for 50 years and is “interested in thinking about how the approach of A World of Neighbours could be linked to the work of the existing national, regional and global networks of Religions for Peace.”
Participants in the conference agreed on several principles, including “a realistic vision” for a stronger civil society, which is inclusive of the rich strategies diverse public actors are capable of.
We invite you to learn more about the agreed upon principles and ways forward here.
*Image from Archbishop Antje Jackelén’s Twitter account, @BiskopAntje