PRESIDENT CAPASSO MET CARDINAL ONAIYEKAN

Baku | 19 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

The president Michele Capasso met the Cardinal John Onaiyekan, Arcibishop of Abuja (Nigeria).
The meeting was occasion to face the problems concerning Christians and Catholics and the need of political interventions which could put an end to the slaughters of innocent in name of intolerance and religions.

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FONDAZIONE MEDITERRANEO JOINS THE 3° FORUM ABOUT INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE

Baku | 18 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

“Culture and sustainable development” as tools to contrast violence and wars which are spreading phenomenons.This is the goal of Fondazione Mediterraneo, which for 25 years is engaged in the promotion of intercultural dialogue and peace. The Fondazione joined the Italian delegation – among its exponents were Pl. Min Enrico Granara, Italian Ambassador in Baku Giampaolo Cutillo, MIBAC General Secretary Emilio Cabasino – in the Third Edition of the Forum for intercultural dialogue which gathered in the Azeri capital of Baku high profile exponents during the 18/19 May 2015. Among the sponsor of the event, of which the first edition was held in 2008, we can mention UNESCO, United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, World Tourism Organization and the Council of Europe: the event got the patronage of the President of Azerbaijan. During this meeting the reached goal had been faced as well as strategies to increase the dialogue between cultures and nations. In the opening speech the president Ilham Aliyev highlighted the importance of Azerbaijan as an example of Caucasian cultural melting pot in which ethnic and religious coexistence are an important topic of discussion. “Exponents from more than 100 countries. It is so important that so many people gathered here to share their ideas. Today this world is plenty of territories in war. Too much violence. Too many bloody conflicts. Our Country is a solid island in the region”, affirmed the President Aliyev. The most important topics faced were security issue and the struggle to all forms of extremism. As the French senator Nathalie Goulet pointed out important steps has been taken on these issues. “It is an important result to see gathered at the same table rabbi, exponents of Gulf Country, coming from countries in war which don’t speak one with the other. We need better education for a brighter future. We need to share common values. And these values need to be acted. It is time to stop with theory. I’m aware it is long and difficult process”, declared Goulet. The world is not safe. There is so much violence compared to 10 years ago”.
Another issue to be discussed is the problem of how contrast the Nigerian Islamic State in Western Africa. Without taking in account the advance of integralist of ISIL. “In my country Boko Haram represents a little group of terrorist and fanatical Muslims. The other Muslims in Nigeria are for the peace between populations. There will be also this division until when the divisions between different religions will come to an end. We cannot think to find resolution everywhere. We have the same problems also with Christians, we are not that close” as the Archbishop of Abuja, John Onaiyekan pointed out. The Forum for intercultural dialogue is a biennial event organized in collaboration with UNESCO. And the general director Irina Bokova – which recently visited Fondazione Mediterraneo – showed which strategies can be used in order to avoid worse situations: “The situation is day by day more problematic, the number of conflicts is increasing.” We are becoming day by day more intolerant. We don’t pay attention to culture, our cultural heritage and diversity”. We don’t pay attention to education programs. We need to focus about the contents of school books. We need to know our culture and that one of other populations.”
“We need dialogue, tolerance and competence”. This is the message launched by the Forum of Baku by the president Michele Capasso which highlighted the role of Italy – with its organs which since years are working about dialogue and solidarity : “We need to be able to share differences, we need to learn to live together without killing ourselves. This is our hope, this is the involvement of Italy: a big Country, natural step of Europe in the Mediterranean, which in our recent history showed the right characteristics , giving value to the examples of good practice in order to let us live together. Diversity and mutual comprehension between nations and populations are the pillars to build a peace future.”

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HOLY SEE: TO KILL IN NAME OF GOD IS A BLASFEMY

Baku | 18 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

Baku, Azerbaijan, hosted the third world Forum about intercultural dialogue, sponsored by ONU and European Council, under patronage of Azeri president Aliyev. The forum is an occasion to discuss about the goals reached until today for what concerns the intercultural dialogue and to promote the mutual comprehension between civilisations and nations. The topic of this year Forum is “Culture and sustainable development in the agenda for the period after 2015. Also Monsignor mons. Melchor Sanchez de Toca y Alameda, undersecretary for the Vatican Conseil of Culture. As follows this is what the monsignor declared to Patricia Ynestroza:

R. – This is the third of a series of meeting which gave birth to the so called “Baku spirit” in order to foster the dialogue in an area which is particularly sensitive. Obviously this should be done in cooperation with United Nations and several initiatives for intercultural dialogue. The object of this international forums is close to the spirit of Pontifical Council for Culture: the idea of culture as meeting point, in which is possible to meet. If sometimes, about dogmatic question, is difficult to find an agreement, at least it is possible to do so in the field of culture. Let’s think about the great universal languages: which are cultural phenomenons and thanks to them the populations can understand each other: the music, the sport, the science and the beauty which are universal languages able to link the populations one to another. At the same time can also be reason of struggle: and we are aware of this...

D. – What is the position of the Holy See in the Forum?

R. –The delegation of Holy See is strong about some questions: in primis cultures should not be isolated, because even though the safeguard of national identity should be protected we should not forget to isolate the culture and avoid any contact. As a second step we should remember that in the core of every culture and intercultural dialogue there are some questions which dunk their roots in the religion, because they concern the sense of existence, of the world, the origin and the destiny of the universe and the problems of sufference and evil. So it is not possible to divide the intercultural dialogue by inter religious dialogue. And we should remember to the governs that the dialogue between religions is important in this times of struggles to religious freedom in several places of the world, should be driven by believers and not by governs which should not replace individual believers. We should remember that Pope Francis said several times that “killing in the name of God is a blasphemy”.And this was also reported that without hypocrisy that freedom of expression has always a limit, as was recognized by all the civil systems: the right to freedom of expression doesn’t allow the right to say every thing of anyone. Also religious beliefs of people should be safeguarded in front of excess and public blasphemy

During a meeting with the delegates from Holy See the president Capasso shared the president Capasso finding them coincident with those of Fondazione Mediterraneo.

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2° WORLD FORUM OF MINISTRIES OF CULTURE AND TOURISM

Baku | 18 May 2015
Parent Category: Iniziative (EN) - Category: Maison de la Paix (EN)

The 2° World Forum of Ministries of Culture and Tourism took place in Baku and was presented by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism for Azerbaijian prof. Abulfas Garayev.
Among the topics faced were“Culture and substainable development  2015” and “The Role of Cultural Heritage in International Relations”.
The Italian ambassador in Baku Giampaolo Cutillo and Dott. Emilio Cabasino, General Secretary for the I Office of the Ministery of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism joined the forum as exponents for the italian delegation.
The president Capasso joined the work session.

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