In an interview with MAP on the eve of the 9th Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations, the Archbishop of Rabat said that the choice of the Kingdom to host this international event “reflects the power of Morocco as a model of dialogue and living together.”
“In Morocco, we have gone beyond the model based on tolerance, which was certainly commendable but insufficient,” he noted.
“That the Alliance of Civilizations wanted to hold this meeting in Morocco reflects positively on what we experience on a daily basis in this country. The concrete choice of Fez reaffirms its quality of spiritual capital of the Kingdom,” he said.
Referring to the role of religious institutions in countering the rise of extremism in the world, Cardinal Lopez Romero said that “it is necessary that every believer has an attitude of openness towards the other, who is different, without fear of confronting other ways of thinking, believing and celebrating.”
“For dialogue to be possible and fruitful three conditions are needed: a clear and strong personal identity, the courage to be open to difference, and sincerity in intentions,” he added.
“If all of us believers live within these three parameters, religions will no longer be a cause of problems for humanity; on the contrary, they will be part of the solution,” he concluded.
