The signatories of the document ‘Christian witness in a multi-religious world’ (ChW) represent an unprecedented wide ecumenical range: the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID) stand for the Roman Catholic Church, Protestant and Orthodox Churches and international mission organizations worldwide. Together, they represent the largest number of Christians in the world who ever have been called by an ecumenical declaration:

to reflect on their current practices and to use the recommendations in this document to prepare, where appropriate, their own guidelines for their witness and mission among those of different religions and among those who do not profess any particular religion.

How have those who have been called upon to do so responded to this, and how have they implemented the demand that all Christians ‘are called to commit themselves to work with all people in mutual respect, promoting together justice, peace and the common good. Interreligious cooperation is an essential dimension of such commitment’.2

ChW emerged out of controversies between members of different religious communities over conversion, especially those to the Christian faith. Churches and Christian organizations were confronted with the accusation of reaching out in mission with unethical means. On the other hand, people living in religiously predominantly non-Christian societies complained that they were not allowed to accept the Christian faith. In such a global setting and in view of the observation that religions worldwide are involved in conflicts in many ways, it was agreed at an interreligious consultation in 2006 that freedom of religion remains an inalienable right of every human being.This includes the freedom not only to practise one’s own faith, but to invite others to join. And it includes that the dignity of other believers is not limited or maliciously or ignorantly impaired by statements of adherents of other faiths.