{"id":75413,"date":"2026-04-02T08:56:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T06:56:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/professor-thomas-schirrmacher-addresses-sunni-and-catholic-leaders-in-lebanon\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T13:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T11:28:46","slug":"professor-thomas-schirrmacher-spricht-vor-sunnitischen-und-katholischen-fuehrern-im-libanon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humanrights-online.org\/de\/professor-thomas-schirrmacher-spricht-vor-sunnitischen-und-katholischen-fuehrern-im-libanon\/","title":{"rendered":"Professor Thomas Schirrmacher spricht vor sunnitischen und katholischen F\u00fchrern im Libanon"},"content":{"rendered":"

Auf besonderen Wunsch des libanesischen Pr\u00e4sidenten Joseph Auon nahmen der Pr\u00e4sident und der Generalsekret\u00e4r der Internationalen Gesellschaft f\u00fcr Menschenrechte (ISHR), Thomas Schirrmacher und Matthias B\u00f6hning, an der ersten internationalen Konferenz in Beirut<\/a> zum Thema \u201eInterkultureller und interreligi\u00f6ser Dialog f\u00fcr Nachhaltigkeit\u201c teil.<\/h1>\n
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Professor Thomas Schirrmacher spricht vor sunnitischen und katholischen F\u00fchrern im Libanon<\/p><\/div>\n

Die Konferenz wurde von der libanesischen \u201eOne Voice Foundation\u201c organisiert, die mit der K\u00f6niglichen Ghassaniden-Akademie f\u00fcr Kunst und Wissenschaft verbunden ist, deren Pr\u00e4sident Schirrmacher ist, sowie von der Initiative \u201eFaith for Earth\u201c der Vereinten Nationen und der Holy Spirit University of Kaslik (USEK) in Beirut. Die Konferenz, die unter der Schirmherrschaft von S.E. General Joseph Aoun, Pr\u00e4sident der Republik Libanon, stattfand \u2013 den Schirrmacher und B\u00f6hning zuvor im Rahmen der Vorbereitungen f\u00fcr die Konferenz besucht hatten \u2013, wurde im Johannes-Paul-II.-Amphitheater der Holy Spirit University abgehalten.<\/p>\n

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The front row with representatives of the Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, and the government \u2013 Beirut \u00a9 BQ International Conference on Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue \u00a9 BQ<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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The conference took up a resolution passed by the United Nations in 2019 to make Lebanon a platform for dialogue between civilisations and cultures. It emphasised the country\u2019s unique history, which has been shaped by a wide variety of cultures and religions over the past centuries, making it a central location for the contested concept of so-called \u201ccoexistence.\u201d<\/p>\n

The programme began with a visionary panel on the topic of \u201cLebanon as a Hub for Dialogue and Sustainability.\u201d After the lunch break, ISHR President Schirrmacher spoke on \u201cThe Covenant of Coexistence: How Diversity and Faith Forge a Sustainable Future,\u201d to which the Advisor to the President of the Lebanese Republic for Human Rights and Interfaith Dialogue, Habib Afram, also contributed.<\/p>\n

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The speakers and program organisers of the Beirut International Conference on Intercultural and Interfaith Dialogue \u00a9 BQ<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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In his address, Schirrmacher spoke to the Grand Mufti of Lebanon, Abdul Latif Derian, and his two deputies, who were seated directly in front of him and with whom he held a discussion afterwards. He also addressed the different Catholic bishops and leaders, as well as the President of the (Papal) Holy Spirit University. He reminded them of their huge responsibility in representing two large religious communities in Lebanon. He emphasised that conflict between religious leaders, even verbal conflict, would be devastating for the country. However, if they were to engage in dialogue and cooperate despite their theological differences, as they had done by being present, then Lebanon would have a future.<\/p>\n

The ISHR President had last met his counterpart in the panel, Mr Afram in person on the eve of his trip to Syria. Mr Afram, who is also President of the Syriac League, is a proven and globally recognised expert on the situation of Christian minorities in the Middle East. Against this backdrop, the President and the Secretary General discussed the potential for closer cooperation on the sidelines of the conference, including the idea of an Observatory for Human Rights and Freedom of Religion and Belief for the MENA region.<\/p>\n

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Thomas Schirrmacher and Matthias B\u00f6hning with the Grand Mufti of Lebanon Abdul Latif Derian and his wife \u00a9 BQ<\/p><\/div>\n

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Other important meetings and discussions took place with the following dignitaries:<\/p>\n