Interreligious dialogue: neither diplomatic folklore nor luxury, says Cardinal Parolin

 "It is not diplomatic folklore, but serves the common good. It is not a diplomatic luxury, but a strategic necessity of the first order," Parolin said.

 

 The conference, organised by the Moroccan embassy, drew at least 20 ambassadors and other diplomats accredited to the Holy See. Parolin described interreligious dialogue as "a credible and constructive tool for preventing conflicts and for building lasting peace," citing the war in Ukraine, mass migration, the rise of populism, nationalism and climate change as contexts in which it was urgently needed.

 

 The cardinal also warned against the instrumentalisation of religion, calling for further institutionalisation of interreligious dialogue in world forums, joint peace initiatives and support for peace education.

 

 Several speakers emphasised the longstanding ties between Morocco and the Holy See. In 1980, King Hassan II became the first Muslim monarch to visit the Vatican, received in audience by Pope John Paul II. The Jewish adviser to the current King Mohammed VI was among those who addressed the conference.

 

 Speakers also highlighted Morocco's engagement in interreligious dialogue, pointing to the 2016 Marrakesh Declaration, which Parolin cited in his address. The document, signed by more than 200 Muslim intellectuals, called for the protection of religious minorities in predominantly Muslim countries.

 

 Moroccan Ambassador to the Holy See Rajae Naji Mekkaoui noted that Morocco was among the first countries to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.