The great variety of delegates to the Inter-Faith Peace Summit--among them South Africa's Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris and Benin's High Priest of Voodoo, Houna Agbessi Daagbo Hounon--underlined the summit's achievement in forging a common dedication to peace. Harris, Hounon and Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, were among the more than 100 delegates at the week-long summit, which ended with a closing ceremony October 20. They represented African traditional religion, the Baha'i faith, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and various ecumenical and peace bodies.

Delegates declared Africa a 'continent of faith,' but also noted it was one of conflict and violence, causing 'intolerable human suffering,' which 'undermines prospects of a better future in many countries and the continent as a whole.' They adopted a plan of action calling on religious leaders to take 'immediate' action in areas of conflict such as Sudan, Cote d'Ivoire, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Religious leaders acknowledged that they had at times neglected to promote peace, been intolerant of one another's beliefs and failed to speak up and act against injustice, corruption, poverty and dictatorial leadership.

Noko described the declaration as a 'landmark and a cornerstone.' He said the gathering had been 'an opportunity to listen to one another for the first time on a pan-African level,' and to identify common values. Now, said Noko, he had the 'courage to speak with my Muslim brothers and sisters' on the issue of the Nigerian Muslim woman who is due to be stoned for committing adultery. 'Until now it would have been difficult to do so.'

'Africans are to be continually enveloped in fire unless we can do something about tolerance,' he said. 'We have to emphasize the positive things about religion, and one of those things is tolerance.' Religious leaders, as elders of the African community, were ideally placed to mediate conflicts he said, such as that between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. '[They] will never make it on their own. We have to play a role,' said Noko, who is Zimbabwean.

Among the other South African religious leaders attending the conference were Bishop Mvume Dandala, presiding bishop of the Methodist Church of Southern Africa and president of the South African Council of Churches; Bishop Antonious Markos of the Coptic Orthodox Church; Cardinal Wilfrid Napier from the Roman Catholic Church; and Ntate Kgalushi Koka, representing African Traditional Religion.