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An inter-faith center has opened in Mindanao in the country’s south, thanks to work by Korean religious leaders and funding from the Seoul government.
The center in Davao City will focus on faith, culture and dialogue between religions in troubled Mindanao.
Korean Coadjutor Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju had discussed the project with Archbishop Fernando Capalla, head of Davao archdiocese, according to an official from the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences.
A temporary office was opened Nov. 5 by officials from the Filipino Bishops-Ulama Conference (BUC) and the Seoul-based International Peace Corps of Religions (IPCR), of which Archbishop Kim is a member.
Choi Gun-duk, a Confucian from the IPCR and other Korean religious leaders attended the ceremony.
The center had a rapid gestation after Archbishop Kim asked Archbishop Capalla, who is also BUC co-convener, in Aug. 2008 how Korea could help the Church in Mindanao in its work for peace.
Archbishop Capalla told UCA News the project “reflects the undying hope for harmony between faiths and cultures towards a lasting peace in Mindanao.”
Mindanao, the second largest island in the country, with a large Muslim population, is home to Moro rebels and a Communist insurgency.
It is one of the poorest parts of the Philippines despite being resource-rich.
Archbishop Capalla and the late Mahid Mutilan, president of the Ulama League of the Philippines, in 1996 convened bishops and members of the ulama (the body of Islamic scholars) into a forum to work together for peace and development in the region. Protestant bishops later joined.
“Evidently, the roles of faith, culture, and dialogue have not been clearly understood as a major factor in peace-building. Hence, the establishment of this (Korean-supported) center,” Archbishop Capalla said.
Training will include the Arabic language and local dialects of various Moro tribes.
The BUC Secretariat and Archdiocesan Center for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue personnel will staff the three-year project.
SOURCE
oreans fund peace center in Mindanao (UCA News)
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