Religion must never be used as a pretext for violence, contempt or fanaticism.

Archbishop Ioannis of Albania made the statement in a message to participants in the “Peace and Concord” campaign, which brought together religious communities to put the principles of peaceful coexistence and cooperation into practice, Orthodox Times reports.

The archbishop stressed that genuine interreligious dialogue does not erase differences between communities.

“We belong to religious traditions that have real and substantial differences. Sincere dialogue neither conceals nor erases those differences,” the archbishop said. “Yet together we can bear witness that human life is sacred, that hatred cannot be blessed, and that religion must never be used as a pretext for violence, contempt or fanaticism.”

Archbishop Ioannis also stressed the importance of respecting freedom of conscience.

“A society is protected not only by laws and security measures. It is also protected by educating people to understand why the lives, freedom and dignity of others must be respected,” he said.

Earlier, we reported that Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I condemned attempts to use religion to justify violence.

Earlier, we reported that U.S. Helsinki Commission Chairman and Republican Congressman Joe Wilson, along with several other lawmakers, introduced the “Countering the Russian War Against Faith Act.”

As LF reported, the Kremlin is seeking to justify its prolonged war against Ukraine by using longstanding false narratives that “the Ukrainian government is suppressing religious freedoms.” This is according to a report by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

According to LF, in November 2025 Patriarch Kirill Gundyayev said that military sacrifice is “inseparable” from spiritual sacrifice and that participation in war can be regarded as a form of Christian service.