WASHINGTON, USA – The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, designated as Goodwill ambassadors for Dialogue and Peace the Rabbi Daniel Ernesto Goldman, the Priest Guillermo Martín Marco, and Islamic leader Omar Ahmed Abboud, in a ceremony that took place today at the headquarters of the hemispheric Organization in Washington DC.
The three will represent the General Secretariat of the OAS to contribute to the efforts deployed to raise public awareness about the importance of understanding among human beings about diversity in religious matters.
The designation emerged from the visit that the leader of the OAS made to Pope Francis seven years ago, from which the ‘Americas in Dialogue-Our Common Home’ platform was created, which is part of the proposal that had begun in Argentina by then-Bishop of Buenos Aires, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, today the highest pontiff of the Catholic Church.
“This institution has continued to give impetus to deepen interreligious dialogue between different beliefs, with the special objective of promoting dialogue and peace in the world,” highlighted secretary-general Almagro.
“The strengthening of peace and security in the Americas, the promotion and consolidation of representative democracy, the prevention of possible causes of difficulties, the peaceful resolution of disputes that arise between the member states, and the promotion of justice and social security are among the essential purposes of the OAS,” continued secretary-general Almagro.
“Within the General Secretariat, we welcomed Pope Francis’ initiative as our own, given that it coincides with the basic principles of the OAS. We have promoted the Interreligious Dialogue since then as a participatory and inclusive activity, of which the Catholic, Jewish and Muslim communities are part of in favor of peace and reconciliation between the peoples of the Americas,” he concluded.
The event was attended among others by representatives of the three great monotheistic religions in the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
