Vatican officials call for religious freedom at Moscow summit

Published: 2006-07-05

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Two high-level Vatican officials, speaking at an interreligious summit in Moscow, called for the promotion of greater religious freedom in the world and more economic and social policies based on ethical values. Cardinal Walter Kasper, head of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and Cardinal Paul Poupard, head of the pontifical councils for Culture and for Interreligious Dialogue, were part of a delegation representing the Catholic Church July 3-5 at the World Summit of Religious Leaders. The summit was organized by the interreligious council of the Russian Orthodox Church's Moscow Patriarchate and brought together religious leaders from a variety of spiritual traditions to discuss how religions could help give a moral response to the challenges the world faces. The leaders from 49 different countries drew up a final statement that they were to present to the heads of state from the Group of Eight industrialized countries, scheduled to meet July 15-17 in St. Petersburg, Russia.

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