China announced in Beijing Friday that the establishment of the
country's first ever national association to help promote and
disseminate information about the country's religious cultures
overseas.
As a non-profit social organization, the China Religious Culture
Communication Association (CRCCA) will mainly work as a new
platform for the country's religions to carry out outbound
religious cultural exchanges with various organizations overseas in
an extensive and in-depth way.
Ye Xiaowen, director of the State Administration for Religious
Affairs of China, was elected the president of the association,
with three paramount Chinese religious celebrities as honor
presidents.
The three figures are bishop Fu Tieshan, chairman of the
Catholic Patriotic Association of China, Pagbalha Geleg Namgyae, a
renowned Tibetan living Buddha and bishop Ding Guangxun with the
China Christian Council.
"We will devote ourselves to promoting religious cultural
exchanges and cooperation between the Chinese mainland and all
social circles, especially religious ones, from Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Macao and other parts of the world," said the constitution of
CRCCA.
Its other task is to tell the world the truth about China's
treatment of religious worship and explain the country's policies
about religious freedom.
"In my view, the association will surely facilitate better use
of both governmental and religious resources in China and further
exploration of the helpful values and traditions in Chinese
religions," said Fu Tieshan.
"As a result, the groundless slander against China about
religious affairs will be naturally refuted, mutual understanding
will be enhanced, misunderstanding removed and friends will be
made," said Fu, who praised the association as a timely and
necessary new channel for the country's religious undertaking.
"There are many friendly religious leaders or bodies in almost
every one of the more than 60 countries and regions we've contacted
in the past more than 20 years," said Chen Zuming,
secretary-general of the China Association for International
Friendly Contact.
"They do want further their religious cultural exchanges with
China," he said.
According to Zhuo Xinping, a professor specializing in religion
studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, religious
cultural exchange has long played a role as a prerequisite for
dialogue, understanding and communications between different
religions in history.
"In the context of globalization, religious cultural exchanges
should be viewed as a major element that will help promote world
peace and mutual understanding among people," he said.
"To that end, people from different religions, races and nations
need to improve their mutual understanding through equal and
friendly exchanges, including religious cultural exchanges," said
Chen Guangyuan, president of the China Islamic Association.
(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2005)