CP church & ministry
by Stoyan Zaimov
The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, has warned that pretending that all faiths are the same or united is "dishonest," and may be helping to fuel religious extremism.
Welby, who leads the Anglican Communion, said that some faith leaders hide behind "bland" and "anaemic" statements about unity and ignore the fact that there are "profound differences" between faiths, according to The Telegraph.
Welby,
who was speaking before the Board of Deputies of British Jews in
London, told Jewish, Muslim, and Christian leaders that the rise of
persecution and religious violence around the world, particularly in the
Middle East and Africa, is a "generational" threat that needs to be
tackled with an "alternate vision."
"If we don't do that we leave
all the good arguments in the hands of the radicals and that is the
great challenge I face, and I believe we all face," the Archbishop of
Canterbury said.
"If we're going to do that we have to come
together and we have to have the difficult conversations in safe spaces
and that's a very, very difficult thing up do."
Welby continued:
"We need to move beyond inter-religious interaction in which we the
usual suspects issue bland statements of anaemic intent with which you
could paper the walls of Lambeth Palace – and much good would it do you –
all desperate to agree with one another so that the very worst outcome
could possibly be that we end up acknowledging our differences."
The
Anglican Communion leader warned that not enough is being done in the
face of the dangers religious people face in this day and age, and
repeated that it is "disingenuous and ultimately dishonest" to disregard
the "profound differences" between faiths.
"True friendships and
relationships can withstand honesty about differences in values,
opinions and religious understandings and a common commitment to mutual
flourishing in diversity," he said.
Still, Welby has made
strengthening relationships between Anglicans and Catholics an important
part of his ministry, and earlier this week received the English Catholic Cardinal Vincent Nichols at the Royal Albert Hall.
Welby
has also met with Pope Francis several times since the latter was
elected as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, with the two promising
to work on continuing to mend relationships between the two Christian
traditions.
Welby has faced division within
the Anglican Communion itself, however, with more conservative Anglican
leaders voicing their opposition to recent changes in doctrine, such as
the Church of England voting to allow women to become bishops.
Back in December 2014 Welby warned that the Anglican Communion may experience schism due to the debates on social issues.
"I
think, realistically, we've got to say that despite all efforts there
is a possibility that we will not hold together, or not hold together
for a while," the Archbishop of Canterbury said.
"I could see
circumstances in which there could be people moving apart and then
coming back together, depending on what else happens."
