Moderator, I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak today.
I am is Yoshiharu Tomatsu, and I have been serving as the chair of Religions for Peace Japan since September 2022. This is my first time to attend this prayer meeting. Firstly, I would like to express my sincere respect to the St. Egidio Community and all those involved who have been holding this prayer meeting every year for 38 years since 1986. I am really moved by this prayer meeting continuing to encourage many people in the midst of the severe international situation. It is a great honor for me to be able to attend this meeting today.
The theme of this session, Living Together, is very timely for those of us living in today's challenging international situation. The today’s world faces many conflicts and divisions, as evidenced by the prolonged large-scale armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, and the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, and elsewhere.
In the midst of such conflicts, the effects of climate change are becoming more and more severe. Last year, the world's average temperature reached an all-time high, and the state of global warming has truly entered the era of global boiling. At COP28 last year, an assessment of the progress of each country's global warming countermeasures was released, and it was found that if the current situation continues, we will not be able to escape from the climate crisis in the future, but rather the severity of the situation will accelerate.
I believe that it is precisely because of this current situation that we as religious people have an important role to play toward Living Together. I would like to introduce three points.
First of all, to eliminate war, we need to build harmony and trust between people. Conflict begins with distrust and suspicion toward the other party. It is necessary to eliminate distrust between countries and among people, and to build trust. We must remind ourselves that the UNESCO Preamble, which states that "since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed" These words do not fade, but rather represent the essence of war. All religions preach love of humanity, love of neighbor, love of brother, love of family, and love of mankind, and therefore religious people are called upon to fulfill our mission in building forts of peace in the hearts of people.
Second, with the climate crisis looming, the greater need is for harmony with nature. I am a Buddhist monk, and Buddhism simply states that grass, trees, mountains, and rivers are all the life of Buddha, and that everything is precious. Not only human beings, but also animals, plants, and trees are all precious and have absolute value.
In other words rejecting the oppositional stance that nature and humans are at odds, this viewpoint asserts that human beings should co-exist with nature in a way that fully embraces the concept of being one with nature. This teaching helps one recognize the need to switch from a lifestyle that seeks to fulfill one’s inexhaustible desires at the cost of pollution and destruction to the natural environment, to a lifestyle based on “contentment with few desires” that reduces our impact on the global environment.
The Third, it is Living Together for future generations. The world is in a period of great change. The further advancement of globalization and the rapid progress of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and digitalization are forcing fundamental changes in the state of society. We must respond to these changes and seek a symbiotic way of co-existence.
In July of this year, Religions for Peace Japan, together with the Pontifical Academy for Life, the Abu Dhabi Peace Forum, and the Chief Rabbinical Committee in Israel, organized an international conference “AI Ethics for Peace: World Religions Committed to the Roma Call” in Hiroshima. The conference was attended by 50 religious leaders from all of the world, business leaders such as President of Microsoft, and the Japanese government. The purpose of the conference was to further broaden the support for the Pope Francis's initiative, “Rome Call for AI Ethics. While the new technology of artificial intelligence has greatly benefited human life through its immeasurable convenience and efficiency, it has also had a negative impact that may lead to the loss of humanity. For example, AI is utilized in weapons to commit cruel and inhumane acts. In order to protect human dignity in this age of AI and for the sustainable development of humanity and the Earth, religious people are taking the lead in establishing ethics. We must broaden the scope of our dialogue to include these new challenges. Religious people are called upon to respond to the needs of the times.
In the current serious situation, once again, as religious people, we must not turn our eyes away from reality, but face our duty and mission for peace, and continue to show hope to the world with courage and strong will. We, Religions for Peace, a coalition of religions, was founded 54 years ago in 1970. The impetus for its foundation was the deep reflection of religious leaders that they had failed to do enough to prevent World War II, which resulted in tens of millions of casualties, and to work for an early ceasefire. Finally, I would like to introduce a passage from the Kyoto Declaration of the first Religions for Peace World Assembly, which was the occasion for the founding of Religions for Peace, which states.
“As men and women of religions, we confess in humility and penitence that we have very often betrayed our religious ideals and our commitment to peace. It is not religion that has failed the cause of peace, but religious people. This betrayal of religion can and must be corrected.”
Let us continue to build the path to peace together. I hope that this prayer meeting will be fruitful in bringing about true peace. Thank you very much for your kind attention.