Македонски центар за меѓународна соработка - МЦМС

The Bridging Religions in Macedonia programme was launched in 2003, as an initiative of the Macedonian Centre for International Cooperation (MCIC) in cooperation with the religious communities in Macedonia.

The overall goal of the program is to increase the level of understanding amongst the religious communities and the understanding of the Macedonian public about them.

The target group is the general public, with an emphasis on members and activists of the religious communities in Macedonia, specifically the students and the professors from the educational institutions (Theology Faculties and to some degree the High Schools) within the religious communities.

Cooperation, dialogue and understanding among religious communities are the essential components in building a sound democratic society. The members of religious communities, the clergy, may play significant role in peace promotion and respect of difference, particularly as these values should be embedded in their personality and should be conveyed to their believers.

The programme has mainly targeted the students of the Orthodox Theology Faculty and the Faculty of Islamic Science, who as future priests should understand the other religions, nurture the relations with the priests from other religions and promote the dialogue and cohabitation among citizens of different ethnic and religious background as this is the only way towards building a sustainable and constructive society.

In order to accomplish these results several projects were undertaken (exchange lectures, visit to theology faculties and religious facilities, basic skills training, summer camps, positive examples and providing technical support to the theology faculties, local meetings and debates, inter-religious calendar, fund for the initiatives of religious communities, bulletin for inter-religious cooperation, info and dialogue centre, comparative studies and address book of religious communities).

The programme aim is to develop the educational, cultural and informational component in the target group. Besides the students of the two theology faculties, the programme activities have also covered the other religious communities that do not have educational institutions in the country, such as the Catholic Church, the United Methodist Church and the Jewish Community, while in some of the activities even the smaller religious communities took part.

The Bridging Religions in Macedonia is a unique programme, which in the past five years has indeed succeeded to build bridges of good will and cooperation among Orthodox, Islamic, Catholic, Jewish and Protestant priests, students and members of these religious communities in Macedonia.

With support from MCIC, the programme should continue until October 2008. Afterwards the religious communities should continue the cooperation and some of the activities on their own.

The programme is supported by the Danish and Norwegian Government, in cooperation with the DanChurchAid (DCA) and the Norwegian Church Aid (NCA).

Multimedia presentation of the programme.

Projects:

• Размена на знаења за други религии
• Јакнење на теолошките факултети
• Организациска поддршка на конференцијата ЕРПГ
• Студиска посета на Ерусалим
• Информативни изданија за меѓурелигиска соработка
• Поддршка на МРС во Македонија