Human dignity comes before all else, Prince Hassan reiterates

AMMAN — Human dignity must be the highest priority above all else, HRH Prince Hassan, the chairman of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies’ (RIIFS) board of trustees, has said.

In remarks at a recent interfaith meeting in the Vatican on the theme “Shared values in Social and Political Life”, organised by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Prince Hassan said instilling the concept of citizenship must emanate from “our identity” and extend to encompass the human values of pluralism and respect. 

He said that after 25 years of dialogue among the followers of different religions, people have overcome fear of “the other” and fear of peace and managed to prepare the broad strokes of a code of ethics for interfaith dialogue based on commonalities.

There is another side of religion concerned with society, whereby it inspires its followers and enhances their group identity, Prince Hassan said, adding that this safeguards the group’s specificity and — at the same time — brings it closer to followers of different religions.

The prince called for the establishment of a new humanitarian world order and an international peace law. 

On the sidelines of the meeting, Prince Hassan held talks with Pope Francis and other participants. The pontiff commended the activities of RIIFS in Amman. 

Despite all the wars and destruction, work is still in progress to enhance dialogue and closeness that help in construction, the Pope said. 

At the end of the interfaith meeting, the participants issued a statement calling for the affirmation of moral values to establish a solid basis for harmonious peaceful living, stressing the importance of solidarity that transcends race, religion or cultural background.

The two-day meeting, held last week, included Christian and Muslim delegates, according to the Vatican Radio’s website.