{"id":9298,"date":"2023-11-02T22:18:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-02T13:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/?p=9298"},"modified":"2025-11-03T00:00:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T15:00:59","slug":"at-romes-colosseum-faith-leaders-call-for-peace-in-a-world-torn-by-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/sdgs-2\/at-romes-colosseum-faith-leaders-call-for-peace-in-a-world-torn-by-war\/","title":{"rendered":"At Rome\u2019s Colosseum, Faith Leaders Call for Peace in a World Torn by War"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Katsuhiro Asagiri<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Colosseo
Colosseo Credit: Katsuhiro Asagiri, INPS Japan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

ROME\/Tokyo (IPS)<\/strong> \u2013 Under the shadow of the Colosseum, a monument once associated with the violence of empire, faith leaders from around the world gathered to make a united plea for peace in a time of renewed global conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closing ceremony of the \u201cDare Peace\u201d International Meeting for Peace: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue<\/em>, organized by the Community of Sant\u2019Egidio<\/a>, brought together more than 300 representatives of different religions and cultures for three days of prayer, dialogue, and debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presiding over the final ceremony on October 28, Pope Leo XIV<\/a> issued a moral appeal that resonated beyond the ancient stones of Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWar is never holy,\u201d he said. \u201cOnly peace is holy, because it is willed by God.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Faith Leaders Confront the \u201cArrogance of Power\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Pope\u2019s remarks came at a time when wars continue to devastate lives from Eastern Europe to the Middle East, and when millions of people have been displaced by violence and persecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Standing beneath the Arch of Constantine, the Pontiff condemned \u201cthe arrogance of power\u201d and the growing indifference toward human suffering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThe world thirsts for peace,\u201d he declared. \u201cWe cannot allow people to grow accustomed to war as a normal part of human history. Enough \u2014 this is the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Candles flickered around the Colosseum as religious representatives from Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and other traditions prayed together for reconciliation. Among them was Hirotsugu Terasaki, Vice President of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), a Buddhist organization known for its global advocacy for peace and human dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Hirotsugu
Hirotsugu Terasaki, vice president of the Soka Gakkai International, greeting with Pope Leo XIV. Credit: Vatican News<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

A Call for Political Responsibility<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pope Leo XIV also emphasized the responsibility of political leaders to seek peaceful solutions, warning that peace must not remain a rhetorical ideal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPeace must be the priority of every policy,\u201d he said. \u201cGod will call to account those who failed to seek peace or who fomented tensions and conflicts \u2014 for all the days, months, and years of war.\u201d<\/em><\/sup><\/sub><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The speech reflected the Vatican\u2019s growing concern that escalating conflicts and arms races are eroding the moral and legal frameworks designed to prevent war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n
\n
\"Pope
Pope John Paul II Credit: Gregorini Demetrio, CC BY-SA 3.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Continuing the Spirit of Assisi<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Dare Peace<\/em> meeting marked nearly four decades since Pope John Paul II\u2019s historic 1986 gathering of world religions in Assisi, a milestone in modern interfaith cooperation. The Community of Sant\u2019Egidio<\/a> has carried forward that \u201cSpirit of Assisi,\u201d creating an enduring space for faith-based diplomacy and grassroots dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe have dared to speak of peace in a world dominated by polarization and the language of war,\u201d said Marco Impagliazzo, President of the Sant\u2019Egidio Community. \u201cTo close the paths of dialogue is madness. As Pope Francis said, the world suffocates without dialogue.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The ceremony concluded with the lighting of a Candelabrum of Peace<\/em> by faith representatives and a haunting trumpet solo performed by Italian musician Paolo Fresu<\/a>, which echoed through the ancient arena as the crowd held a moment of silence for victims of all wars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forum Highlights the Dignity of Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Earlier in the day, SGI participated in Forum 22<\/em>, titled \u201cJustice Does Not Kill: Abolishing the Death Penalty,\u201d<\/em> held at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Rome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor Enza Pellecchia, from the University of Pisa and coordinator of the Italian Universities Network for Peace, represented SGI at the event. She highlighted the philosophical and moral foundations of the Buddhist organization\u2019s long-standing campaign to end the death penalty, drawing from the writings of SGI founder Daisaku Ikeda<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cThe State has no right to take a human life,\u201d she said, quoting Ikeda. \u201cTo deny dignity even to those who have erred is to diminish the value of all life. It is a tendency that ultimately devalues humanity itself.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Professor Pellecchia noted the alignment between Ikeda\u2019s humanistic philosophy and Pope Leo XIV\u2019s pro-life stance, expressed in his recent declaration that \u201cone cannot truly call oneself pro-life while accepting the death penalty or any form of violence that prevents life from flourishing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Professor
Professor Enza Pellecchia of the University of Pisa, representing the Soka Gakkai, delivering her speech during the Forum titled \u201cJustice Does Not Kill: Abolishing the Death Penalty,\u201d held at the Austrian Cultural Forum. Credit: Seikyo Shimbun<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

She recalled the historical collaboration between SGI and the Sant\u2019Egidio Community in promoting a UN moratorium on the death penalty, which gathered nearly one million signatures across Italy in 1999.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThat experience showed that cooperation among different spiritual traditions can generate extraordinary moral power,\u201d she said. \u201cToday, more than ever, we need that same energy of dialogue and mutual trust.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Religion as a Voice for Peace<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Over the decades, the Colosseum has become a stage for interfaith appeals against violence. Yet participants said this year\u2019s gathering carried a deeper urgency, reflecting the rising tide of global conflict, displacement, and authoritarianism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPeace begins with the transformation of the human heart,\u201d said SGI\u2019s Hirotsugu Terasaki. \u201cInterfaith cooperation is not symbolic \u2014 it is a method for changing history.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

His words echoed the central message of the meeting: that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of moral courage, compassion, and dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Plea That Still Echoes<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As the evening drew to a close, children from across the world stepped forward to present a Peace Appeal to diplomats and government officials, a gesture meant to remind the adults in power that the next generation will inherit the consequences of their choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his final words, spoken softly before the Colosseum fell silent, Pope Leo XIV said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cGod wants a world without war. He will free us from this evil.\u201d<\/sup><\/sub><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

As the crowd dispersed into the night, the candles continued to burn \u2014 a fragile constellation of light among the ruins of empire, a quiet act of hope and resistance in a world still learning to dare peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

INPS Japan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Katsuhiro Asagiri ROME\/Tokyo (IPS) \u2013 Under the shadow of the Colosseum, a monument once associated with the violence of empire, faith leaders from around the world gathered to make a united plea for peace in a time of renewed global conflict. The closing ceremony of the \u201cDare Peace\u201d International Meeting for Peace: Religions and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9284,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,42,13,16,32,3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9298","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-culture-art-religion","8":"category-europe","9":"category-goal10","10":"category-news","11":"category-regions","12":"category-sdgs-2"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9298"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9302,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9298\/revisions\/9302"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}