Pope Leo XIV renews his support for the religious dialogue platform in the Arab world
During his reception of the platform's steering committee members in St. Peter's Square
Amman4 min read
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Pope Leo XIV renewed his support for the efforts of the platform for dialogue and cooperation between diverse religious leaders and institutions in the Arab world, expressing his appreciation for its cooperation with the KAICIID Centre, and calling for continued efforts aimed at promoting peaceful coexistence in the Arab region.
This came during Pope Leo XIV's reception of the platform's steering committee members yesterday, Wednesday, in St. Peter's Square, where he expressed his hope that their efforts would result in strengthening peaceful coexistence in the region.
The meeting concluded with the 2026 steering committee meeting of the platform, which brought together Islamic and Christian religious leaders from across the Arab region to discuss cooperation priorities for the coming phase, primarily conflict prevention, consolidating stability in Syria, and addressing the growing impact of social media and artificial intelligence.
The Acting Secretary General of KAICIID, Ambassador Antonio de Almeida Ribeiro, emphasized that the success of the platform is not measured by the number of meetings it holds, but by the potential and subsequent achievements it leads to, stressing the importance of moving from dialogue to practical cooperation.
The meeting identified areas for continued work, including following up on inter-Islamic dialogue consultations, enhancing engagement in Syria, launching joint initiatives in the region, and coordinating efforts to counter hate speech, in addition to preparing the platform's 2027 work program.
The Syrian issue received a major part of the discussions, particularly the role of religious and community leaders in achieving reconciliation and rebuilding trust between the components of society.
The Minister of Social Affairs and Labor in the Syrian Arab Republic and founding member of the platform, Dr. Hind Kabawat, said that the future of Syria does not depend solely on rebuilding infrastructure, but also relies on rebuilding trust among Syrians, stressing the need to involve women, youth, and religious and community leaders in local reconciliation efforts and to protect diversity as a national treasure.
In turn, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of KAICIID, Metropolitan of Chalcedon, Archbishop Emmanuel Adamakis, emphasized that the challenges facing any religious community reflect on society as a whole, noting that the well-being of the other is a fundamental condition for survival.
In another focus, the participants discussed the responsibility of religious leaders in countering hate speech. In this context, the Head of the Office for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican and member of the KAICIID Board of Directors, Father Laurent Basanese, emphasized that the credibility of interreligious dialogue is linked to the ability of those involved to transform good intentions into sustainable initiatives and tangible results in societies.
The meeting also discussed the role of social media and artificial intelligence in shaping how societies understand one another, and the opportunities these tools provide for reaching wide segments, versus the risks of the spread of misinformation, hate speech, and polarizing narratives.
The participants emphasized the importance of utilizing digital tools positively and strengthening the presence of voices supporting dialogue in the digital space, which contributes to expanding the scope of dialogue between followers of religions and cultures.
In the same context, the Acting Secretary General of KAICIID emphasized that the task of dialogue is not to eliminate differences, but to ensure they do not turn into barriers that hinder peaceful coexistence.
For his part, the President of the European Council of Religious Leaders and Vice President of the Italian Islamic Religious Community "COREIS", Imam Yahya Pallavicini, stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation between Europe and the Arab world, affirming the responsibility of religious leaders to support dialogue and cooperation through concrete actions that contribute to consolidating dignity, coexistence, and shared human values.
The outcomes of the Rome meeting are based on a number of consultations and initiatives that took place in the region, and are scheduled to contribute to the preparation of the 2027 work program for the dialogue and cooperation platform.
The meeting also reviewed three programs that KAICIID is working on in cooperation with its partners, including the Dialogue Projects program to support local initiatives in the Arab region, the Dialogue Journalism Fellowship to promote responsible media practices, and the "She for Dialogue" program to support the role of women in dialogue and peacebuilding.
