In South Asia, where conflicts are often fueled by religion, a World Council of Churches (WCC) conference stressed the role of Christians and Hindus as eminent stakeholders in their common search for justice and peace beyond majority and minority politics. The conference was held last week in Dhulikhel, Nepal, organized by the WCC in collaboration with the India Peace Centre in Nagpur and the National Council of Churches in Nepal.
The event gathered some 30 participants from Bangladesh, India and Nepal, including religious leaders, religious scholars, youth leaders, theologians, social and environmental activists, social workers and representatives of mission organizations. The bilateral inter-religious dialogue at the conference invoked varied reflections on issues that are considered both crucial and controversial, including discrimination based on caste and gender, as well as religious conversions in the region. The consultation has been a path-breaking initiative as theological dialogues in the past have tended to remain at the level of intellect and concepts only often cut off from the realities of common people, said Metropolitan Geevarghese Mor Coorilos of the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, from India..
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