The escalation of terrorism in the world and the religious implications of terrorist attacks were at the centre of an interreligious meeting held in Zagreb on 13 November. It was attended by representatives of the various religious communities present in Croatia. The final document declares that when international terrorism recurs to religious motivations to justify, or to lend legitimacy to, its actions, we need to clarify the “definition of religion and the abuse of faith”. The religious leaders gathered in Zagreb therefore invite “Jews, Christians and Moslems to teach that each human being is created in the image of God and that respect for the life of the person is the highest value of all. This is the fundamental principle of all religions“. Whoever, on the contrary, kills innocent people in the name of God “manipulates religion and assumes an anti-religious conduct”. The document is signed by representatives both of the Christian communities (Catholics, Evangelicals, Reformed and Baptists), and of the Jewish and Islamic communities.
