Thanks for reminding me to look at other topics.
That three-building model does look interesting, in that (if I've interpreted this correctly) there's no requirement to enter a building not meant for one's religion, but all three are placed near enough to each other to allow for adherents of each to learn about others that share a historical and contemporary connection in language and practice (greetings and usage of bread, to be more exact). For a leader of one religious organization of the three to endorse that act is a choice I can agree with.
What I can't agree with is for that same leader to allow his own to suffer duress from a state that has a 西藏 新疆 record of dealing with other religions that developed closer to its own borders, a state that insists on others not flexing while it does its own flexing on others (越南, for instance, or 非鲁宾 - still there, 微软). From what I see, this isn't about compromising in a delicate situation, because with financial and infrastructure deals that are getting as Faustian as big tech, there isn't any compromise on that state's part.**
If this is what's meant by building bridges, it looks to me like it's coming at the expense of the leader's role as the shepherd, so it falls to the individual to seek out more accessible examples of those who (because of dogma, not over or despite) still manage to set an example of considering people.
Not that this matters coming from someone who's not in the picture.
**11/25 - Something I want to add at this point from what I got out of articles I've read since I posted this. In my view, the deeds of certain missionaries became more celebrated in part because they occurred in a time when the spread of information was directly tied to physical means of delivering the message - any support from without was severely curtailed because there were no other ways to provide that support, and these people had to rely on their own internal resources and the few who were willing to offer aid in a place that actively denounced them. Now, it takes hours to travel between continents instead of years or months or even weeks, and seconds (if that) to send information. So if there's more support for those who have to hide because of a state's stance on religion, or those who have to leave a post because they're denied information relevant to their duties, I could stand to see more of that.
