Austria in focus: Elmar Kuhn elected president of the belief in faith

Austria in focus: Elmar Kuhn elected president of the belief in faith

A new change of management in international dialogue work: Elmar Kuhn, the general secretary of the aid organization "Christians in Need" (CIN) from Austria, was elected last weekend as the international president of the Coalition of Faith-Based Organizations (CFBO). This was announced by the CFBO on Monday. His Vice President becomes Afsar Rathor, who is active in both Pakistani and the European State Organization of the CFBO. Kuhn expressed that this choice is recognition of the important construction work that was done by Austria for Europe and Pakistan and also initiates a generation change. For Kuhn, interreligious dialogue is more essential than ever, especially in the face of political unrest and the need that religions take on an active role in the peace process.

cornerstone of the interreligious dialogue

The Coalition of Faith-Based Organizations, which has been working in Vienna since its foundation in 2019, pursues the goal of introducing spiritual and moral values in UN programs and promoting more intensive cooperation for peace and justice, the websites of cfbo.international and kathpress.at . Kuhn emphasizes that the dialogue with religions, which often become an authoritarian policy tool, must be maintained in order to promote the principles of respect and tolerance. In addition, the CFBO will try to found new state organizations that are currently planned in countries such as Indonesia and Nigeria.

The CFBO is a network of organizations that work for inter -religious peace by promoting values such as acceptance and compassion. The key areas of the coalition include human rights, migration, sustainability and the promotion of interreligious respect in education. In an increasingly polarized social climate, the choice of Kuhn shows the commitment to communicate across religious borders and to strengthen a culture of peace.