Religious leaders from around the world will gather in Japan for the G8 Religious Leaders Summit. The relationship between humanity and the earth will be discussed, as will measures for implementing solutions for the benefit of people in the 21st century.

As we harm our environment, as distrust and hate develops into war, caused often merely by ethnic or religious differences, people look to their religious leaders for effective solutions to the issues they face in their everyday lives.

From ancient times the Japanese people have believed in the existence of life in the mountains and rivers, trees and flowers, and have revered that life in their traditional culture, as a divine presence. Buddhism, which holds that the life of all creatures is of equal value and advocates coexistence with all life-forms, took root and spread throughout Japan many, many centuries ago.

I feel that in turning our minds to our religious traditions once again, we should be able to develop plans which surmount ethnic and religious differences and create an harmonious coexistence with all religious persuasions on earth. It is my fervent wish that the fruits of our discussions, that the decisions taken at our conference, are submitted to the G8 Summit and communicated worldwide.

　I would first like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of the leaders from throughout the world as well as Japan who have come to participate in this, the G8 Religious Leaders Summit 2008, as representatives of their respective faiths.

　The issues faced by humanity in the 21st century ? not only global warming, but also ethnic strife, the suppression of human rights, seemingly never-ending terror exchanges, poverty that robs people even of the minimum opportunities for making a living, rampant disease, the depletion of natural resources, widening economic disparities ? are all so serious that failure to take appropriate measures to resolve them will put our survival, and also that all other forms of life in peril.

　Our erstwhile political and economic institutions are no longer capable on their own of resolving these global issues. We are at a stage that calls for the pooling of all of the wisdom that humanity can muster. As such, it is the turn of religious faith, held dear in its many different guises throughout the world since ancient times, to come to the fore as the essence of wisdom.

　The political leaders of the world will gather in early July for the G8 Summit to be held at Toyako, Hokkaido. I sincerely hope that the fruits of the discussions conducted at this G8 Religious Leaders Summit conference, with its theme “Living with the Earth: A Message from Religious Leaders”, will help those leaders to agree on a course of action that will benefit all humanity and Planet Earth.

Excellencies,
Leaders of the G8 Summit,
First of all, I wish to cordially congratulate the Government and People of Japan for hosting this year’s G8 Summit in Japan at the time when the world is confronting with a wide range of global challenges: global warming, climate change, environmental degradation, natural disasters, poverty, pandemic diseases, and food and energy security, among others.
However, what is crucially important is the fact that the G8 Summit Leaders should kindly listen to the spiritual voices and consider the messages and recommendations of the G8 Religious Summit Leaders, as they meet this month in Japan. Given their moral strengths and spiritual influences in their respective countries and regions as well as in the international society, the spiritual and moral views of the G8 Religious Summit Leaders are an important part of the global public opinion, which needs to be reflected upon in the context of addressing the increasingly complex and interdependent global issues and challenges. I believe that the G8 Religious Summit Leaders have a vital role to play and contribute to the betterment of the world. We are today living in a shared and inseparable world of humanity.
Therefore, I hope that the G8 Summit Leaders will pay close attention to some of the following issues that the G8 Religious Summit Leaders will deliberate on and recommend to the G8 Summit Leaders:

In this regard, the whole world, especially the G8 Religious Summit has called upon the G8 Summit Leaders to use their knowledge, technology and resources to help address those serious and daunting challenges that have global and national repercussions.
The convening of the G8 Summit in Japan early next month provides an excellent opportunity for the Leaders of those industrialized countries to play a leadership role in the world during this time of turbulences by seeking to address those challenging issues at present and in the future.

　I am so sorry that I am unable to be with you but your hugely important gathering clashes with a fixed date in my diary that I was unable to cancel. However, I send you my warmest greetings through my very good friend, Mr. Handa.

　As I've traveled throughout the world as Archbishop of Canterbury and beyond, I've been struck by the commonness of our humanity and by all that brings us together as people. In a world of too many divisions, boundaries, and borders, we are united by love of our families and communities and earnest desire to leave our world better for our children.

　As the world's leaders gather in Japan for their annual summit, I hope and pray they will divine better ways of promoting peace, justice, and equity in a world torn by war, and challenged by plagues of violence, virulence, disease, and poverty. The world's religious leaders gathering before and during the G8 meeting stand in support of governments even as they work together to learn better ways of promoting inter-faith dialogue and of working together towards common goals of a world free of poverty and suffering.
In a world where environmental and security threats are omnipresent, let us take these moments to commit to working together to overcome fear and to work together to make the world a better and more just place for all.
With my warmest greetings and sincere good wishes