This article is not meant to endorse presidential aspirant and former Defense Sec. Norberto Gonzales, nor do I intend to endorse him or anyone among the presidential candidates. At least, not right now.
The only reason I mention his name here is in reference to what he declared: that he would promote inter-faith understanding and cooperation in addressing social concerns in Mindanao, including Muslim insurgencies, if he wins in May.
According to Gonzales, one of the major concerns in Mindanao is to prevent Muslim insurgencies from “turning into a religious conflict between Christians and Muslims.”
To my knowledge, much foreign policy attention has focused on the role of religion as a driving factor in dissensions all over the world.
In many fragile states, like Myanmar, Congo and Sri Lanka, religious partitions do intensify conflict, even if at the bottom of the conflict, religion is not really the root cause. Religion, however, has played a very significant role in peace-making and conflict prevention and resolution.
Here in our City, the religious sector has been very active and visible in the social and political landscapes. Examples are during elections and a recent example is when we Dumaguetnons were asserting our rights and fighting against the destruction of the environment and people’s lives when the City leadership was very adamant about the 174-hectare reclamation issue.
I am not saying this because I am active in the religious sector. This is a fact. Religion and interfaith discourse have been potent forces against conflict and against anything that would diminish our dignity as humans.
But why is this the case? How does interfaith dialogues and secular initiatives connect with peace?
Religion connects with peace in four huge ways:
First, the concepts of human dignity and the common humanity of all, stemming from the idea that all are created in the image of God, are groundworks to true and lasting peace. Religious perceptions of recovery and compassion reinforce major post-conflict reconciliation initiatives, providing resources to help societies patch up the cataclysmic costs of war and other types of strife.
Second, interfaith demonstrations usually focus attention on peaceful forms of struggle to repression and wrongdoing. An example, is the series of silent protests and peaceful marches initiated by the religious groups of the City at the height of the 174-hectare reclamation issue.
Third, religion represents influential civil society communities and institutions, habitually seen as expressive of unifying principles that rise above disputed issues. They are often among the most stable, most trusted entities in crisis venues, capable of contributing to mediating disputes.
Globally, I can think of the achievements of groups like the Community of Sant ‘Egidio’ among whose triumphs include the successful brokering of the 1992 peace agreement in Mozambique after 30 years of civil war. Other examples are interfaith reconciliation efforts in South Africa, Muslim-Christian coalitions in the aftermath of the Balkan conflicts, and ecumenical Christian efforts in Colombia.
Fourth, local and international religious entities play a large and but usually unacknowledged role in fostering education, delivering health care services and addressing poverty, all of which create conditions of hope, support to the needy and stability; conditions without which peace cannot flourish.
Recent example here in our city and the province was the robust effort of the Diocese of Dumaguete in providing assistance to those who have been afflicted with the CoViD-19 virus and those victims of the super typhoon Odette.
As of Feb. 9, more than 36,000 families affected by the typhoon were served by the diocese in the form food assistance, sacks of rice, boxes of assorted goods, gallons of water, and construction materials in the total amount of P6.0 million.
The religious groups didn’t just provide material aid to those who needed it but they likewise provided, and continues to do so, enlightenment and hope through public discourses done in non-violent ways.
In almost every conflict region in the world, interfaith efforts have played colossal roles in resolving or avoiding disputes, as well as improving the conditions of millions caught up in social and political quagmires.
However, there are limitations to the achievements, effect, or regularity of these interfaith actions. Too often, their voices are sunk by the wildness of fighting and ideological dissension and cannot gain political traction.
Despite these limitations, it is often the very existence of interfaith groups that stirs and emboldens people to move in the direction of peace, mutual cooperation and reconciliation.
Interfaith dialogues and religion have been, and will continue to be, commanding pivotal factors in war, in political conflicts or even in social problems that cause social upheavals. It is therefore essential to include religion and religious actors in diplomatic efforts.
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