|TOP|The world’s Christian leaders spent Thursday at the World Council of Churches 9th Assembly addressing the challenge of preserving culture and civilisation in an era of open borders and the rapid onslaught of globalisation.

The Rev. Mvume Dandala, general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches, admitted that globalisation was a major threat to the African continent at a press conference at the WCC Assembly Wednesday.

"The question is asked often in Africa: does globalization have the prospect for us of the annihilation of our culture, annihilation of our languages, and so on,” he said.

Rev. Dandala highlighted a number recent studies looking at the disappearance of languages.

He said: "When a language disappears, it often goes with the culture and heritage of a people. The question for us is very real - how do we preserve our heritage?"

|AD|The AACC has, said Dandala, already started up a dialogue with its member churches to develop a theological position on the issue.

The AACC general secretary reflected on both the negative and positive sides of religion, saying that it played a “devastating role of dividing” in apartheid. He said, however, that it could also be something that “affirms people” and demonstrates that “we are all human beings and should care for one another”.

Rev. Dandala said diversity should be celebrated, adding that “what matters most today is using diversity for the enrichment of all the people”.

Metropolitan Kyrill, chairman of the Department for External Relations of the Russian Orthodox Church, spoke on the relations between religions in Russia, which he described as “very peaceful”.

He added, however, that close attention was needed as well as care to ensure that mutual respect was maintained.

Kyrill announced plans for an interreligious summit to take place in Russia later in the year to address intercultural and interreligious relationships in the context of globalisation, prior to the G-8 summit planned for St Petersburg in July.

Addressing the divide between the religious and secular worlds, he said the “most important question of the 21st century” was “whether it is possible or not to balance religious values and secular values,” pointing in particular to the recent Danish cartoon controversy.

"I still have an idea that these values may be balanced," he said. "Of course, that requires very hard work, but I think it's something which may be done".