Islamic Revolution Reminded Society of Religion’s Role: ICRO Chief
Hojat-ol-Islam Mehdi Imanipour made the remark in an address to the 10th round of interfaith dialogue between Iran and the World Council of Churches, which kicked off in Geneva, Switzerland, on Monday.
In his speech, delivered under the title of “Future of the World and Role of Religions”, he said religion has the capacity to provide answer to the needs of humanity today.
Pointing to the phobia of religions, Hojat-ol-Islam Imanipour said it has existed in different forms in various eras in history.
He said Islamophobia has grown in intensity since the 1979 victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
This was predictable because in a period when there had been no role perceived for religion, the Islamic Revolution highlighted the role of faith in society once again.
He also referred to the harms to religious centers and the role of faith leaders to counter them, saying that in today’s world, cooperation and interaction among faith leaders is a necessity.
The ICRO chief underlined the need for pragmatic approach in interfaith dialogue, saying that holding dialogue without commitment to practical measures would not yield results.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Hojat-ol-Islam Imanipour lauded the stances of the World Council of Churches’ president in condemnation of insults to Islam’s Holy Prophet (PBUH).
The 10th round of talks started in the Swiss city with the participation of delegations from the Center for Interfaith Dialogue affiliated with ICRO as well as the World Council of Churches.
This round of the meetings is being held under the theme “studying more than 25 years of dialogue; a look into past, present, and future perspective.”
Ioan Sauca, acting general secretary of the World Council of Churches, and Jerry Pillay, the newly-elected secretary general of the Christian body are also participating in the sessions.
The Iranian delegation, headed by Hojat-ol-Islam Imanipour, also includes a host of university professors who are experts in the field of interfaith dialogue.
Since the first round of interfaith dialogue some 25 years ago between the two bodies, nine rounds of talks have been held in Tehran and Geneva.
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