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Strengthening Families and Communities in Argentina
Written by Miguel Werner, Secretary General, UPF-Argentina
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Buenos Aires, Argentina - “Strong families and communities will make a strong nation,” said Dr. Charles S. Yang, chairman of UPF International, during a meeting with Ambassadors for Peace in Buenos Aires. The meeting took place on June 11, 2014, at the Peace Embassy in Argentina as part of his visits to chapters in South America along with Rev. Dong-mo Shin, Chair of UPF-Latin America.
Dr. Yang sought to convey the vision and legacy of the late UPF founder Dr. Sun Myung Moon, whom he assisted for 20 years and represented on countless occasions worldwide. He said that Dr. Moon told him to focus on two areas: the Middle East (especially after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US) and Northeast Asia. In both regions, UPF's peace initiatives address religious and ideological conflicts.
“Religions pursue peace, but there are wars with a religious background," he said, regarding the Middle East. "None of the leaders of the Abrahamic traditions (Moses, Jesus and Mohammad) approved violence ... but there are conflicts which have a religious origin…. We are all descendants from the same 'father of faith' (Abraham) …. There is only one God.” He gave insights into the conflict in the Middle East, which he has visited more than 40 times during interfaith pilgrimages and other peace trips.
“The UPF’s mission is to create peace,” continued Dr. Yang, who then showed photographs of some of their most recent activities: the international conference in Vladivostok, Russia on “Towards a Road Map for Peace and Development in Northeast Asia: From Conflict to Dialogue on the Korean Peninsula” (May 30); the annual conference in Canada on “Peace, Order, and Good Government: The Quest for True Canadian Values” along with the Women’s Federation for World Peace-WFWP (May 30); various activities in Israel during the tenth anniversary of the “Mother’s Heart for Peace” along with WFWP (May 12-16); the celebration of the Africa Day in New York along with the African Union (May 23); and the International Day of Families 2014, which was celebrated in more than 30 countries around the world. He also talked about the World Summit 2014, which will take place in Seoul Aug. 9-13, 2014, on the theme “Peace, Security, and Development.”
A nation's force is not in its “military and economic power, but in morals and ethics. If we have strong families and strong communities, we can have a strong nation…. So, the Ambassadors for Peace have a very important mission, which is to improve and uplift their nation,” he said. Afterwards, he compared his own country, Korea, with Argentina. “Korea is 30 times smaller than this nation. Much of its surface is mountainous and it does not have many natural resources, but it is one of the biggest economic powers of this time,” he said, attributing its power to the people's way of thinking and a vision centered on God. This is why “Father Moon emphasized three points, 'love God, love the nation and love humanity,' as a guide for living."
“There is a great foundation in this country, and the Holy Father is from this nation,” said Dr. Yang, in an atmosphere of closeness with the guests, speaking in English which was translated into Spanish by Rosetta Conti, president of the Women's Federation for World Peace in Argentina. “This is a great opportunity for Argentina to resurrect,” he declared, while encouraging the Ambassadors for Peace to be protagonists of the peace vision of the UPF. “You can be great mentors,” he concluded.
After the speech, he had the opportunity to talk with the distinguished guests over refreshments and to take countless photos.
Translation: Yamila Gómez
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