In a ceremony held at the Old Town Hall of Cologne The European Academy of Sciences and Arts awarded the Rings of Tolerance, to Ismail Serageldin, Cardinal Péter Erdö, Archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, and Uri Lubrani, Former Israeli diplomat and public servant. The Academy has been awarding the Rings of Tolerance in analogy to Lessing's Ring Parable since 2012 to representatives of the three Abrahamic religions promoting justice and tolerance between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The ceremony began with welcome speeches by the Mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker and President of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA) Felix Unger). The Rings were handed over to the recipients following a ceremonial address by Dr. Elmar Kuhn, and laudatory speeches on the awardees, by Sir Charles Hoare, Bt, Managing Governor, The Weidenfeld Fund.
The European Academy of Sciences and Arts is one of the biggest “Think Tanks” in Europe and connects over 1700 scientists, worldwide, among them 32 Nobel Prize winners.
