Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a pleasure for me to welcome you to this conference on an issue that is at the very heart of my political commitment. For two days, you will be discussing “Religion in Diplomacy and Peacemaking”. The list of speakers is impressive, and the objective of formulating guidelines that can be used in peacemaking processes is an ambitious one:

“toformulate advisory and – where possible – concrete guidelines assisting the activities of a broad spectrum of diplomatic actors engaged in peacemaking interventions and processes in which religion is a primary component”.

I am sure the outcome of this conference will be of value in peace research, in diplomacy and in policymaking. And speaking for those of us who are engaged in the latter two activities, we need all the input you can give us.

We live in a world where there is great tension between groups belonging to different religions and cultures. Unfortunately, religion, like patriotism, is easy to misuse for political purposes. Many people express their desires, aims and anger in religious terms. Extremists misuse such language to incite hate and justify atrocities. This is a perverted use of religion. As an ordained Lutheran minister, I am especially concerned about the abuse of religion in the making of a terrorist.

We must take a broad approach to dealing with this challenge. For example, by taking advantage of opportunities to promote inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue.

This does not mean ignoring differences or renouncing one’s own values or faith. Those of us who have a religious conviction should be the first to understand and respect people of a different faith. In an inter-religious dialogue we must focus on common values, as human dignity - and consequently human rights, peace and reconciliation. Religion is often considered to be part of the conflict. In my view, it should be the other way around. Religion must become part of the solution.

Last year, I quoted John F. Kennedy to a meeting of peace mediators at this hotel:

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding barriers, quietly building new structures.”

This is evident to all of us who are committed to reconciliation between peoples who have been brought up to regard each other as enemies. However, many people – not least in the media and among politicians – seem to forget that the termination of violence is only a first step. Building sustainable political solutions that take account of human rights and democracy is often the hardest part. Peacemaking has to involve promoting fundamental values. Without respect for human dignity, reconciliation is impossible.

I hope this conference can help us to understand when and where religion is misused to fuel conflicts, and how we can use faith as an instrument for peace, tolerance and development.

Thank you.