Introduction
On the eve of the third millennium, we, representatives of various religious
traditions from different corners of the globe, have come together with
gladness and joy at the opportunity to jointly face the future with hope.
From this experience, we share the conviction that peoples of world
religions can make a positive impact on our troubled world.

We recognize the responsibility that religions have to shape the future, a
task that involves letting go of past mistakes and seeking new ways of going forward.

Education
Education is a key for promoting interreligious harmony, religious freedom
and respect for people of different traditions. It involves not simply an
intellectual knowledge of other traditions so as to overcome ignorance but,
even more so, an appreciation of the other that leads to authentic listening
and genuine esteem. It will be most effective if it becomes a channel for
interpersonal encounter among religious people. Education in thanksgiving, giving and forgiving also can have an impact on interreligious and inter-cultural dialogue. It will endeavor to reach the grassroots so that
future generations can avoid the mistakes of the past. This task must begin with the very young and continue throughout life. Above all, it is committed to seeking truth, justice, peace and reconciliation.

A very practical program, which already exists in various places, is the
joint examination of textbooks, not only of religion, but also - and perhaps
especially - of history. The lamentable ignorance and misinformation with
which we sometimes bring up our children concerning other people's religious traditions needs to be rectified. This underlines the need to let religious traditions speak for themselves. We must strive to present all religious traditions in an objective manner so that individuals belonging to these traditions can recognize themselves in that representation.

As we study the history of other religious traditions as well as of our own,
we confess that much has gone wrong in the past. We must recognize and acknowledge these wrongs, express our sorrow about them and condemn what deserves condemnation. We commit ourselves to try to do everything in our power so that such actions or omissions not be repeated. Such steps can foster a process of understanding and reconciliation.

Dialogue
Coercive proselytising contrasts painfully with the respect which needs to
prevail among religious traditions. People may be urged to commend their
faith to others, above all by the way they live, by the quality of their actions and their care for others. Real conversion is not what one offers
someone else, but the openness to change in oneself. We rejoice that we have striven to truly understand each other and express ourselves in love and respect.

We hope that followers of the various religious traditions collaborate with
the already existing interreligious organizations in the world to promote
mutual understanding through dialogue at all levels.

A process of reconciliation and forms of collaboration will depend on the
local or regional context. Some suggestions are:

• Keep in communication with each other on a regular basis, and
  especially in crisis or conflict situations.
• Try to work together to prevent stereotyping, hatred, violence.
• Help the media to present positive values, through direct
  collaboration in programs and through appeals.
• Work together to help overcome injustice and poverty and deprivation of human dignity.

Particular attention needs to be paid to respecting the others'
self-definition of their own religious identity. It is also important to be
sensitive to the particular social, cultural and religious contexts in which
interreligious relations take place.

Working for a better world
Religions have great power to influence their adherents to work for a better
world. Spiritual values are needed to be the foundation for justice,
righteousness and the intrinsic dignity of every human being in an increasingly secular world that dehumanizes and treats individuals as means for greater profit.

A balance is necessary between the power of science and technology, on the one hand, and the ethical and religious values, on the other. Religion is necessary to provide the knowledge of ends wherein we respect the ethical core of every human being. Einstein said, "Science never produced a scientist." Religion requires a family, a community, a civil society that
promotes the values of truthfulness, trust and mutual respect.

We must engage in joint action for the poor and the marginalized, especially women and children, and the fight for a just political and economic system that does away with all forms of violence. This implies a concerted action against the sale of arms, the proliferation of nuclear weapons and all instruments of total destruction in order to bring about a true harmony between human beings and the world.

We have the choice of standing aloof or working with influential organizations. There is no need to feel powerless in the face of business,
which clearly benefits when religions unite to work for the common good. We must speak out concerning injustice, the problems of poverty and population, and the whole area of ecology and respect for the environment.

There is a need to work together with the various organizations,
governmental and non-governmental, in favor of the weakest in society. Our religious leaders can play a great role in achieving this end. A cry has
gone out from this assembly that we are all united in our refusal to allow
religion to be used to justify violence and hatred.

Religions should use their best resources to influence the media to draw
attention to religious and ethical concerns, and to the need for accurate
interreligious information.

Family and Community
The integrity of the family must be considered as a fundamental building
block of society. A number of forces such as ethnic conflicts, social
upheavals, economic embargoes, self-centeredness and the insistence on
individual rights at the expense of communal obligations is disruptive of
family life. As co-religionists we have the obligation to assure the survival of the family and to make it the essential building block of
society.

Similarly, we must insist on the overriding importance of the common good so that there must be a balance between individual rights and duties.

The religions of the world in their mutual relations should present a model
of co-existence that can become a norm for social and political inter-relationships among peoples.

Spirituality
Through prayer and meditation we open ourselves to the divine and to one
another. We also develop inner resources for self-control, mind-transforming experience so as to overcome emotional wounds and preconceived ideas. Prayer and meditation help to bring to the surface transcendental values which can then be shared. They overcome enmity and are a source of peace. They should flow into ethical action for justice and peace and never be a substitute for such action.

Mindfulness and self-consciousness help to counter materialism and lead to a simplification of needs. The emphasis is wrong when it is on "having" rather than "being." This stress will simplify the noble goals of our lives.

Conclusion
As we enter into the new millennium, it is our fervent hope and prayer that
through interreligious collaboration a new era of genuine respect, appreciation and love will prevail. Therefore, we can truly be united in the
prophetic hope of forging a human family ruled by justice and peace.