Moscow, May 5, 2011
The European Council of Religious Leaders will hold its annual meeting from June 21-23 in Moscow for the first time. As was proposed by the Russian Orthodox Church, the ECRL will consider Human Rights and Traditional Values in Europe.
The ECRL is one of the four regional interreligious councils under the World Conference of Religions for Peace. It unites authoritative religious leaders in Europe including Christians, Jews and Muslims and provides for the participation of other traditional religions represented in the continent. Founded in Oslo in 2002, it consists of 45 members.
The ECRL is based on the principle of respect for human dignity and people’s right to live in peace. The ECRL members are committed to cooperation in preventing conflicts and promoting peaceful co-existence of religious communities. They work on the basis of mutual respect and acknowledgement of each other’s religious differences.
The Moscow meeting is expected to be attended by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and Interreligious Council in Russia, the Synodal Department for External Church Relations reports.
