Latter-day Saint president welcomes global faith leaders with message of peace and understanding

SALT LAKE CITY — Religious leaders from around the world gathered in Salt Lake City on Thursday for an international forum focused on building peace, strengthening understanding and working together despite differences in faith.

President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomed participants to the 2026 G20 Interfaith Forum during an opening ceremony in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

“People of goodwill, compassion, and a desire to understand and help one another — without demanding a compromise of distinctive commitments — are at the core of peacemaking,” Oaks said.

The forum, being held in the United States for the first time, brings together religious leaders, scholars, humanitarian workers and public officials to discuss issues including religious freedom, poverty, peacebuilding, technology and economic development.

This year’s theme is “Resilient Hope, Shared Future.”

The opening ceremony featured remarks and prayers from representatives of Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox Christian, Hindu, Jewish and other faith traditions.

His Excellency Dr. Mohammad Abdulkarim Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League, delivered the keynote address, calling on faith communities to promote peace, mutual understanding and human dignity.

“Our natural difference should not be a threat, nor an incitement to clash and conflict,” Al-Issa said. “Rather, it’s a part of the diversities that God intended for humanity through His universal predestined wisdom.”

Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, also delivered a message on behalf of Pope Leo XIV, highlighting human dignity, religious freedom and the common good.

Other speakers emphasized the importance of maintaining distinct beliefs while finding common ground.
Metropolitan Emmanuel of Chalcedon compared interfaith cooperation to the harmony of a choir, where different voices work together without losing their individual qualities.

Hindu spiritual leader and author Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati urged participants to turn hope into action, calling on faith communities to stand against poverty, oppression, exploitation and violence committed in the name of God.

Rabbi Mark Dratch, executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress, encouraged religious leaders to remain hopeful even amid conflict and uncertainty and to put that hope into action to help others.
The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square performed six selections during the evening, including “Peace Like a River” and “Look Up.”

Earlier in the day, Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles welcomed participants at a dinner in the Church Office Building and encouraged them to follow Christ’s teachings to love God and their neighbors.

The forum’s opening session also featured a discussion with Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, former South Carolina Gov. David Beasley and Martin Luther King III about how people can disagree more constructively.
Cox said communities can address division “one conversation, one disagreement, one neighbor, one act of service at a time.”

Beasley emphasized the power of personal relationships, saying, “When you break bread with someone, it’s hard to hate them.”

The forum is scheduled to conclude Saturday at the Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City.