“Religions for Peace Italy” has organised a prayer meeting in Rome’s Piazza Santa Cecilia on Thursday 12 July, at 20:00, to protest against the series of attacks against Christian communities in Nigeria and in Kenya on 1 July and the profanation of one of the oldest mosques in Timbuktu, in Mali, where the so-called “sacred door” - a UNESCO World Heritage Site – was destroyed. The communiqué reads: “We cannot turn our backs to such violence which is even more serious because it was committed for religious reasons…As we renew our appeal to each individual to be alert and commit to the reduction and prevention such cruel crimes, we would like to invite people to come together to commemorate victims. During this gathering we will unite ourselves spiritually with the prayers which representatives of the various religious traditions will pronounce in the name of peace…”
Numerous associations and representatives of the Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Muslim, Baha’i, Hindu and Buddhist faiths, which form part of this interreligious organisation, are taking part in this initiative. “Religions for Peace” has branches across five continents and headquarters opposite the UN in New York.