A select group of high-profile former political leaders attended the conference on the theme 'Religion in the Modern World', hosted by former president of Iran, Muhammad Khatami. Some of the attendees included former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi, former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and former Irish President Mary Robinson.  The conference focused on the subject of how religious and political leaders can work together to battle extremism and intolerance.  

President Sampaio was given the opportunity to address the conference, and in his speech pointed to the prominence of religious communities and organizations throughout the world, including the West.  He argued that a “common humanity" binds people together and that the concept of a “clash of civilizations” is ridiculous.  He also affirmed the need for religious and political leaders to work together if they hope to avert future crises.

President Sampaio stated: “we cannot ignore the ongoing debates on whether religion can have a legitimate role in good governance and on how to manage relations between secular and religious political movements, both within and between countries.”  Since religion does exert powerful societal and political effects, political leaders must find ways to include and engage religious groups in governance and not merely ostracize them.  President Sampaio concluded that this type of anti-religious behavior only had the potential to exacerbate international conflicts that are often ostensibly predicated on cultural and religious grounds.

Read the full text of President Sampaio's speech here .