In this blog, we'll look at how men and women at serving Jesus Christ both at home and abroad. We'll focus on how God is using their work to transform the lives of people all over the world.
Monday, September 8, 2025
WCC FEATURE: Building peace together - a promise of dignity which requires sacrifices
What does interfaith mean, why does it matter, and how can it make a difference in building peace? Under the theme: ”Building Peace Together,” keynote speaker Prof. Azza Karam shared an in-depth reflection during an interfaith gathering at the Ecumenical Week in Stockholm.
21 August 2025, Stockholm, Sweden: Prof. Azza Karam delivers a keynote speech at an interfaith gathering in the Engelbrekt Church on the theme “Building Peace Together”, Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC
8 September 2025
Introducing herself as a ”Muslim, North African, Arab woman,” Karam immediately set her own appearance in front of a predominantly Christian audience into an interfaith perspective.
”Why interfaith?” she asked the audience, while at the same time pointing out that no interfaith gathering so far has prevented the deep injustices deliberately undertaken every day to kill thousands of people in different parts of the world. “Ecumenism is important, but not sufficient enough. People of all faiths need each other and every single one of us must work together. We have an obligation to serve one another. It is incredibly valuable to celebrate our respective faith traditions, but our very Earth is screaming to us to do a great deal more. It is time for us to take action together to save lives and to save this planet, which is all we’ve got,” Karam explained. Describing interfaith as ”a promise of dignity,” she went on to elaborate on the sacrifices needed to fulfil that promise:
The interfaith gathering in the Engelbrekt Church took place 100 years after the historical Stockholm conference of 1925; representatives of churches from around the globe gathered again in Stockholm, hosted by the Christian Council of Sweden for a week of ecumenical anniversary celebrations on 18-24 August 2025, Photo: Albin Hillert/WCC
”Firstly, people of different faiths must see each other as God’s equal creatures. If we continue to see other’s faith traditions as somehow less deserving of our presence and engagement, we will continue to commit atrocities. If we persist to believe that there is one message of truth – and one only – we will let atrocities happen. If we fail to see the Divine, the Creator, the Lord in the eyes of the other, then we go to our graves having missed the very function for which we were brought to this earth. We are born diverse for a reason and we do have an obligation to show respect for one another, not only in words but in deeds.”
”Dignity,” Karam continued, ”will only be possible with human rights, which is the common value to all faiths.” She underscored that violations of human rights continue to happen because we allow them to. Religion is used to justify wars. When we lose human rights, we lose dignity. ”Human rights will only be possible when faith traditions are respected. We have dishonored our religious traditions by cherrypicking and prioritizing certain lives,” Karam said.
The second sacrifice to fulfil the promise of dignity is to realize that no one has the keys to the Kingdom; we hold them together. Again, Karam urged all peoples of faith to come together and walk the path together, in the spirit of Rev. Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
”We have to save life in order to nurture life. Peace does not come on its own terms and not immediately. The promise of interface is a long journey that demands action and sacrifice,” Karam concluded.
*Prof. Dr Azza Karam is an Egyptian scholar and leader in the field of international development and interfaith dialogue. She has worked extensively with various international organizations, including the United Nations, focusing on issues such as human rights, gender equality, and sustainable development. Karam is known for her efforts to promote peace and understanding among different religious and cultural groups. Karam is also ambassador for the global campaign Thursdays in Black.
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.
Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches
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