Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
ASSISI, Italy (AP) - Pope Benedict XVI joined Buddhist monks, Islamic scholars, Hindus and a handful of agnostics in making a communal call for peace Thursday, insisting that religion must never be used as a pretext for war or terrorism.
Benedict welcomed some 300 leaders representing a rainbow of faiths to the hilltop Italian town of Assisi to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a daylong prayer for peace here called by Pope John Paul II in 1986 amid Cold War conflicts.
One by one, the monks, priests and patriarchs stood up and committed themselves to working for dialogue, justice and peace, and for a more equitable and friendly world.
Thursday's peace meeting included some novelties. Buddhist monks from mainland China were on hand as were four participants who profess no faith at all _ part of Benedict's efforts to reach out to agnostics and atheists who are searching for truth.
In other religion news
1. Face of Christianity altered in the Holy Land The past two decades have seen one of the most significant influxes of Christians into the Holy Land since the Crusades. According to the Associated Press, the influx has created a wholly new Christian landscape shaped by the realities of Israel.
1. Groundbreaking for LDS temple in Japan
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broke ground for a new temple in Sapporo, Japan last weekend. Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the church's First Quorum of the Seventy presided at the groundbreaking. The temple will be the church's third in Japan and sixth in Asia.
