On Tuesday, March 2, 2004, the V. Rev. Leonid Kishkovsky, Assistant to the Chancellor for External Affairs and Interchurch Relations, participated in the II Inter-religious Peace Forum in Moscow, Russia, which brought together Russian Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist representatives from all the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)
His Holiness, Patriarch ALEKSY II of Moscow and All Russia opens the Conference. With him in the Presidium are Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshakur Pasha-Zadeh of Baku, Azerbaijan, Head of the Spiritual Administration of the Muslims of the Caucasus; Igor Ivanov, then the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation; the Supreme Catholicos of All Armenians, Karekin II; the Catholicos-Patriarch of Georgia, ILYA II; Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar; and Metropolitan KYRILL of Smolensk.
Fr. Kishkovsky participated in the conference as a member of the Appeal of Conscience delegation. In his greeting he reflected on his experience as an Orthodox priest and ecumenical officer of the Orthodox Church in America in inter-religious bodies such as the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and the World Conference of Religions for Peace.
Inter-religious dialogue and co-operation, Fr. Kishkovsky stressed, are fruitful when all forms of syncretism are avoided and when there is mutual respect among the religious communities.
