Colloquium 'World Heritage and Peace' and the signing of protocols between the Brotherhood of Bom Jesus do Monte and the universities of Minho and Catholic universities marked four years of the inclusion of Bom Jesus in the list of World Heritage by UNESCO.
“Bom Jesus is a place that brings together everything we seek in the complexity of life”. The words were spoken by the Archbishop Primate of Braga, D. José Cordeiro, at the closing of the colloquium 'World Heritage and Peace', which yesterday marked the four years of the inclusion of Bom Jesus in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
D. José Cordeiro also stressed that “heritage is at the service of peace” and “whoever seeks Bom Jesus becomes a different person,”
The president of the Confraternity of Bom Jesus do Monte, Canon Mário Martins, explained that the recognition of Bom Jesus as a heritage of humanity "increased our responsibility in safeguarding and protecting and valuing the heritage" and urges "an effective civic and social intervention" .
Canon Mário Martins also highlighted that “Bom Jesus promotes encounter and communion. Refocusing peace in the depths of each one's heart makes us builders of peace.
The president of the UNESCO National Commission, José Filipe Cabral, explained that the objective of UNESCO is to build and consolidate peace based on intellectual solidarity. José Filipe Cabral defined Bom Jesus as a “space of peace and reflection”.
On behalf of the mayor of Braga, the councilor for Urbanism, Olga Pereira, stated that “world heritage tells us that it is everyone's responsibility to be committed to its protection”.
One of the highlights of the colloquium was the signing of protocols between the Brotherhood of Bom Jesus do Monte and the universities of Minho and Católica. “These protocols show that the sanctuary of Bom Jesus is open to science, research, knowledge, areas that must always be at the service of peace and a new humanity”, said Canon Mário Martins, president of the Brotherhood of Bom Jesus do Mount.
João Manuel Duque, from the Braga Regional Center of the Catholic University of Portugal, stressed that agreements such as the one signed yesterday “are fundamental for the development of universities”.
Representing the Rector of the University of Minho, Filomena Soares, Vice-Rector for Education and Mobility, said that “universities must have their doors open to society”, through the establishment of protocols.
Celebrations of four years of UNESCO heritage included the ringing of the basilica bells at midday and a concert by the vocal group ‘Cupertinos’.
