Encouragement for peacemakingJerusalem/Geneva, 20.02.2017. The Lutheran World Federation congratulates Bishop Dr. Munib Younan, who has been nominated as the 34th recipient of the highly esteemed Niwano Peace Prize. This prize is awarded in recognition of the work invested in interreligious dialogue among Christians, Muslims and Jews in Jerusalem and throughout the world. Munib Younan is the bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Through dialogue, which requires opening oneself to the other, it is possible to build bridges across the gaps of difference and gradually to make the distance between Muslims, Jews and Christians smaller. – the Niwano Peace Foundation. “I come to the table of dialogue with various spiritual leaders from the three faiths,” said Bishop Younan when the prize was announced. “I come bearing the suffering of my people within me. I come to speak of the future of the people who live in this land. Spiritual leaders have a responsibility. Peace and mutual respect will come through the way in which we educate and the way in which we develop dialogue, and we can show this to the politicians.” The prize is “a powerful affirmation of the continuation of peacemaking as both a necessity and an opportunity, an encouragement so that we are not turned away from peacemaking in a conflicted world that is suffering,” LWF General Secretary Martin Junge told the LWF news service. Promoting peaceful cooperation among religions
Each year, the Japanese Niwano Peace Foundation (NPF) recognizes an individual or organization that has devoted their service or research to promoting peaceful cooperation among religions, especially in difficult places. The NPF focuses on peace in the fields of culture, science and education. “In a world characterized by leaders who seek to emphasize difference and hatred, Bishop Younan has continually striven for the opposite. His work emphasizes peace over force and unity over domination,” the NPF statement says. At the end of the statement it is said that Bishop Younan “has shown that through dialogue, which requires opening oneself to the other, a bridge across the gaps of difference is possible and that, gradually, the space between Muslims, Jews and Christians can be made smaller. The Niwano Peace Foundation praises his tireless contribution and achievements, and it is a great honour that the 34th Peace Prize is awarded to him as a worthy and deserving recipient”.The award ceremony will take place in Tokyo, Japan, on 27 July. Among the previous recipients of the Niwano Prize are the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka (2016), Rosalina Tuyuc Velásquez of Guatemala (2012), Bishop Gunnar Stålsett of Norway (2013), Dharma Master Cheng Yen of the Republic of China (2007) and His Royal Highness Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan (2008). Source: https://www.lutheranworld.org
