The World Council of Religious Leaders Condemns the Attacks on the Faithful in New Zealand

NEW YORK, March 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Secretary-General of the World Council of Religious Leaders, today issues the following statement:

"Leaders of all religions, creeds and civilizations condemn this horrific attack in New Zealand in the strongest possible terms. It is a crime against people of faith and people of decency and tolerance everywhere in the world.

"Places of worship are sacred gathering areas where people should be able to practice their faith without fearing for their safety.

"There is no place in the civilized world for the violence we saw today. This senseless killing stands in contrast to everything the religious leaders representing Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and other faiths that I work with are trying to foster. Our goals must always be education, tolerance, diversity, and coexistence.

"Addressing this level of extremism requires not just faith-based organization, but also leaders from government, business, media, finance, technology, and other organizations around the world to work together to encourage tolerance overall.

"In partnership with the Muslim World League, which represents the world's 1.8 billion people of Islamic faith, we have recently created the Centre for Responsible Leadership (CRL), to encourage those in a position of power anywhere in the world to commit to a common set of principles that guide their actions and restore responsible decision-making.  We call on leaders from all faiths and backgrounds to join us at the United Nations for the Responsible Leaders Summit on May 1 to directly address religious intolerance and how to unite the faithful, among other pressing issues. And it starts with combatting and preventing the types of terrible violence we witnessed today in New Zealand.

"The World Council of Religious Leaders expresses its deepest condolences to the families, friends and communities of the victims."

SOURCE The World Council of Religious Leaders