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J. Ndanga: Address to Interreligious Leadership Conference 2017
Written by Archbishop Dr. Johannes N. Ndanga, Founder and President, Apostolic Christian Churches of Zimbabwe (ACCZ)
Saturday, November 11, 2017
Address to Interreligious Leadership Conference 2017
Seoul, Korea, November 10 to 14, 2017
Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, distinguished and respected colleagues, religious leaders, Ambassadors for Peace, ladies and gentlemen, it is a great honor and privilege to address this assembly of believers from many diverse faiths and traditions.
Representing my homeland of Zimbabwe and the African continent, I am grateful to Rev. and Mrs. Moon for this opportunity they have given us to show that all of us can truly realize God’s dream of creating one family under God.
As people who believe in the God who watches over us, our hearts grieve over the situation in the Korean Peninsula. There is a grave crisis that is dividing this land. As religious leaders, we are called by our conscience to do the right thing. We are commanded by the Lord, our God, to do what we can to bring about the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula. By the wisdom of UPF co-founder, Mrs. Moon, we are gathered together at this global rally for peace to pray for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
In the name of the Almighty we call upon the leaders and people to reject violence and come together in open dialogue for peace and cooperation. We call on the Korean people and the world community to recognize it is time to awaken our hearts. In the spirit of compassion, cooperation and respect we must heed the sacred words: “they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks.”
We call upon the international community to show solidarity through prayer and action and chase away the powers of darkness. Let the faithful of the world raise our voices for peace and reconciliation.
Distinguished and honored religious leaders, as we heard through the Interreligious Leadership Conference and this rally for peace on the Korean Peninsula, the Universal Peace Federation co-founder, Mrs. Moon, has a high esteem for each one of us as well as for the faith traditions that we represent. Let us focus on our commonalities and, as spiritual leaders, do our part in contributing to a world of peace. This is a mandate from Heaven that we need to consider seriously. World peace can never come if each one of us focuses only on the interest of his or her own faith tradition. Humanity today will continue on its way toward the abyss unless we all take responsibility by practicing the principle of living for the greater good as taught in all our sacred scriptures.
Jesus said in Matthew: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” This was meant not solely for Christians, but for people of all the world’s faiths.
Our Heavenly Parent will listen to us if we gather from all faiths to pray and work for peace. As it is universally understood, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35
Korea is a blessed land. This country has the privilege of being the birthplace of Rev. and Mrs. Moon. It is a great sadness that it is still divided along ideological lines. Let us pray that the unity so much cherished by the Korean people, both from the North and South, can finally come based on the efforts and sincere commitment of all stakeholders. As stressed by Mrs. Moon, the unity should be based on true love, not force. We do not want another war on this peninsula. I believe that everlasting peace is possible among the Korean people.
As religious leaders, we are at the forefront of the fight to bring about God’s kingdom of peace. Let us join Mrs. Moon in building bridges between religions and bring peace to the Korean Peninsula and quickly to all the world. This has been God’s long-cherished dream.
Thank you dear Lord, Mrs. Moon and all who have gathered here today for this magnificent rally for the peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula.
May the peace of Christ be upon you, your families and upon the people of Korea.
To go to the Interreligious Leadership Conference Schedule 2017, click here.