The triennial “Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions” was held in the Kazakh capital Astana from September 13-15. Unsurprisingly it attracted little attention from mainstream media. A report on the congress and a summary of the concluding declaration can be found at the Asia Times website (Sept. 26; link below). Congress participants, including Pope Francis, presented good material on the importance of the family and the harm of the “culture of death.” Highlights from the Asia Times writeup include:

– The “Astana Congress emphasized that diplomats need to double down on the language of reconciliation and compromise before engaging in conflicts that are avoidable.”

– Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said, “Threats, sanctions, and the use of force do not solve problems. [W]e must turn to humanistic ideals, the main custodians of which are, of course, traditional religions.”

– One message of the Astana Congress’ Declaration, paraphrased, is: “It is of paramount importance that world leaders give special attention to the ‘institution of the family.’ In other words, the world’s major religions oppose, not on theological but rather on philosophical and scientific grounds, the introduction of misguided ideas that alter the meaning of the family as understood over the course of millennia.”

– Another message of the Declaration is: “The dominant ‘culture of death’ mentality in modern society, which is aggressively promoted by the highest international circles, works against unity and fraternity and fuels wars, economic dissolution, societal collapse and mass, involuntary migration.”

– All this explains why “most mainstream media ignored the Astana Congress even though the religious world’s top hierarchs participated.”

Link to the Asia Times article: https://asiatimes.com/2022/09/astana-religious-confab-strikes-the-right-tone/