Religious forum stresses peace

Religious leaders meeting yesterday in Beijing said using a faith to interfere in a country's internal affairs goes against the religious tenets of peace and kindness.

"Peace is the aim that all religious followers are pursuing, and world spiritual leaders should join hands to promote world peace and stability," said Fu Tieshan, chairman of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.

Fu spoke at the World Peace Seminar of Chinese Religions.

About 60 representatives from different religious groups and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences participated in the seminar.

"However, hegemonism and power politics are threatening and jeopardizing the peaceful trend of the world," Fu added.

Some countries use religious freedom as an excuse to fuel separatism in other countries. These acts go against the world's religions, said Jamyang, vice-president of the Buddhist Association of China.

Commenting on accusations by some foreigners that China is infringing on religious freedom in Tibet and ruining Tibetan culture, he said all the sayings are groundless.

Thanks to economic development in the Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibetans enjoy more wealth and their religious freedom and culture are well protected, said Jamyang, who is an ethnic Tibetan.

China persistently protects religious freedom, and the nation's constitution says all people may enjoy this freedom fully.

Lawful religious activities are protected with no restrictions.

China has roughly 100 million religious people and 300,000 clergy. The country's more than 3,000 religious organizations have opened 74 religious schools.

"As a religious believer myself, I feel no restrictions or persecution," said Fu.

Fu said religious activities should be organized according to law, as in any country.

For this reason, it is lawful to ban Falun Gong, a cult that disguises itself as a religion, because it violated the law by causing social unrest and infringing on other people's rights, said Fu. Falun Gong was banned in July 1999.

Fu will head the Chinese delegation at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders to be held August 28-31 in the United States.

The delegation, consisting of seven main leaders of Buddhism, Daoism, Islamism, Catholicism and Christianity, is a peace and friendship envoy from China, said Wang Zhaoguo, deputy chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Wang hopes the delegation will play an active role in the summit and make contributions to human peace.

Xinhua contributed to the story
(China Daily 2000/08/17)