Speech on the 1st Plenary Session of the 1st Committee of CCRP by Zhao Puchu（1994）

Speech on the 1^st Plenary Session of the 1^st Committee of CCRP by Zhao Puchu

1994.07.02

Dear Colleagues, Friends,

It is our various religions’ common aspiration to pursue happiness of life and world peace. Over the years, China's religious circle has worked in close contact and cooperation with religious circles and religious peace organizations of other countries of the world, to make its due contribution to maintaining peace in Asia and the world. We various religions have a consensus when engaged in such cause, that is, China’s religious circle needs a unified religious peace organization to communicate and have dialogues with world religious peace organizations. After years of deliberation, under the care of our government and with the great support of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), our dream finally come true. To our great delight, the China Committee on Religion and Peace (CCRP) has finally been established today which is the new step made by Chinese religious circle in safeguarding the human being’s dignity and world peace..

The Chinese people are peace-loving. Together with the people of the whole country, China’s religious circle has made unceasing efforts for decades, campaigning for the cause of world peace dedicatedly. As early as at the beginning of the founding of People’s Republic of China, China's religious circle attended the Asian and Pacific regional peace conference held in Beijing, the World Peace Conference held in Vienna, and the International Assembly for Prohibition of Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs which was held for many times in Tokyo, Hiroshima and other places. In the World Conferences of Religions for Peace which were held in various places in Asia, Africa, Europe, America, and Australia, China’s religious circle fully expressed China’s religious believers’ faith in longing for and maintaining peace, thus vividly reflected the will and determination of the Chinese people in loving and safeguarding peace. Since we entered the last two decades of this Century, the world has been changing and China is also developing. It has become the common aspiration and concerted voice of the people of all countries to share a peaceful world with economic developments, ecological balance, purified environment, and well-being of the people. On the other hand however, we also see that on Earth today, local wars flares up here and there, brutally trampling on innocent lives, threatening ever and again the peaceful life created by the people of all countries through nearly half a century. The birth of a peace organization of the religious in a large country with 1.2 billion population at this point of time certainly has very important realistic significance and far-reaching effects. With this organization, we can more effectively unite religious believers of all ethnic groups to work together to develop extensive contacts and close cooperation with the religious peace organizations of various countries, to jointly contribute to the cause of peace; with this organization it also becomes possible for us to establish contact and have dialogues with the other peace organizations around the world, to seek common ground while reserving differences, to fight against nuclear proliferation and destroy nuclear weapons, to eliminate the threat of war by the roots, and to maintain the tranquility of mankind.

Dear colleagues, We are all religious believers, and our organization is a peace organization of the Chinese religious circle. It is the common belief of our various religions that the external peace is built upon the foundation of inner peace of our heart. Without inner peace, external peace can not be consolidated. Each religion has its own special advantage in the respect of emphasizing inner peace. Therefore, we should actively carry out the work of purifying human heart and the society based on the doctrines of various religions, in order to consolidate the inner peace of individuals, thus contributing to the realization of the external peace. This is the special mission of our organization that we should carefully study and actively advance. I hereby raise this issue again for the reference of all of you distinguished guests present here.

For conclusion, I, on behalf of all CCRP members, would like to extend our sincere gratitude to our dear guests here. As a newborn organization, CCRP needs time to get developed and improved, as well as to get the recognition of various circles of our society. We are sincerely looking forward to your care and support.

Than you!