Swiss Council of Religions

The SCR was founded on 15 May 2006 on the initiative of Thomas Wipf, a pastor and former president of the Swiss Federation of Protestant Churches (Schweizerischer Evangelischer Kirchenbund, nowadays called Evangelisch-reformierte Kirche Schweiz) and the first chairman of the SCR. The aim of the SCR is to contribute to religious peace in Switzerland, to enhance trust between its different religious communities, and to promote dialogue on current religion-related political issues. The SCR also functions as a point of contact for the federal authorities.

Broad-based membership of churches and other religious communities

Members of the SCR include representatives of the Swiss Bishops’ Conference, the Protestant Church Council of Switzerland, the Christ Catholic Church of Switzerland, the Metropolitanate of Switzerland (ecumenical patriarchy), the Swiss Evangelical Alliance, the Réseau évangélique suisse, the umbrella organisation of Swiss free churches, Islamic Organisations in Switzerland and the SIG. Switzerland’s Jewish religious community is represented by the President of the SIG, Ralph Friedländer.

Enhancing religious peace and religious freedom

As the umbrella organisation of Switzerland’s Jewish communities, the SIG cultivates regular informal contacts with representatives of other religious communities. Besides being a member of the SCR, the SIG is also active in several other interreligious organisations that conduct theological dialogues and strive for common positions in support of religious peace and religious freedom.