Respect for life should be the priority says Aram I

During an intervention on 22 August 2006, Aram I, Catholicos of Cilicia, stated that the tragic consequences of the recent conflict in Lebanon ? the long funeral chains, the clearing of the rubble of their homes by returning citizens and the oil spill in the Mediterranean ? illustrate graphically the ruthless violence human beings can impose on one another. The world community watched helplessly as these violent acts were committed, and the General Secretary of the United Nations admitted his disappointment that the UN was unable to act firmly and in time to stop the violence.

 

Continuing his comments, Aram I said, “Such violence must stop! Human lives should be spared and the environment protected”.

 

According to him, conflict resolution and conflict prevention are the only means through which violence can be transformed. He urged the international community to apply international law and international conventions to this case and to demand accountability.

 

As former Moderator of the World Council of Churches, he invited religious leaders and members of civil society to assume their responsibilities and to engage in dialogue, set up strategies to overcome violence, promote respect for human life and the environment, and, most importantly, act together.

 

Source:

Newsletter of the Catholicosate, number 91 (24 August 2006)

Website: http://www.cathcil.org/