Just as the distinct waters of Brazil’s Solimões and Negro rivers unite to form the Amazon River, people of different faiths can join to strengthen each other and carry hope farther, invited Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
“As the Meeting of the Waters in the Amazon River teaches, unity does not demand uniformity,” he said. “Each of us contributes a unique abundance of experience, faith, conscience and goodness. When we extend encouragement, support and love to one another, our individual gifts become a formidable force for good — capable of carrying hope to a spiritually thirsty world.”
Elder Soares delivered the message as the closing keynote speaker at the 2026 Forum on Faith at New York University in New York City on Wednesday, Oct. 14.
Although participants came with different histories, convictions and responsibilities, Elder Soares said, they shared a common concern: “How can faith help the human family live with greater peace, dignity and hope?”
“My conviction is simple,” he said. “The world is better when faith reminds us that we are all children of God and, therefore, brothers and sisters to one another.”
The Forum on Faith brings together leaders in religion, government, business and academia to explore faith’s role in strengthening individuals and communities. Through panel discussions, keynote addresses and breakout sessions, participants examine how faith can foster unity and inspire collaborative solutions in a divided world, according to the event’s website.
Other Church leaders who participated in the forum include Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela of the Presidency of the Seventy; Elder Robert M. Daines, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s United States Northeast Area; and Elder David Marriott, an Area Seventy.
Unity without uniformity
Recognizing all people as children of God does not diminish their differences, Elder Soares said. Rather, it places those differences within a larger context of shared divine origin and the need for love, safety, purpose and belonging.
Elder Soares compared this belonging to a healthy home, where family members need not think alike to care for one another. They learn to listen, apologize, forgive and make room for others.
“A family is held together not because every voice sounds the same, but because every person matters,” he said.
That understanding is needed in communities where people are regarded as opponents before they are recognized as neighbors, he said.
Protecting religious freedom
Religious freedom offers a better way, Elder Soares said.
Beyond protecting one’s own beliefs, religious freedom includes a responsibility to safeguard another person’s conscience — even when those beliefs are different.
“If I wish my convictions to be treated with respect, I must extend that same respect to my neighbor,” he said.
Elder Soares cited Church President Dallin H. Oaks’ teaching that stability and harmony do not require people to share the same religious or foundational beliefs. Rather, they depend on the assurance that everyone can safely live according to their own convictions.
Building that assurance requires both sound laws and a virtuous culture, Elder Soares said.
“Laws protect people from coercion and discrimination, but laws alone cannot teach us to love our neighbor,” he said.
Families, schools, congregations and individuals help shape that culture through listening, speaking with charity and refusing to turn disagreement into contempt.
Serving together despite differences
Elder Soares said faith communities have buildings, networks, teachings and people willing to sacrifice for others. Those resources can help meet the needs of the vulnerable, lonely, displaced, poor and forgotten.
“We need not agree on religious doctrine or public policy in order to cooperate in goodness,” he said.
Elder Soares said people can work together to strengthen families, protect children, defend human dignity and support their neighbors’ mental and spiritual well-being.
“We can disagree honestly while serving faithfully,” he said before referencing the Golden Rule and treating others as one hopes to be treated. “It is a responsibility we share.”
Invitation: Build a future of belonging
Elder Soares concluded his message by inviting participants to continue building a world of faith through their different traditions.
“Let us build bridges without abandoning conviction, protect freedom without creating fear and turn our differences into opportunities to serve,” he said.
Returning to the image of the two Brazilian rivers, Elder Soares emphasized the hope that can come from shared effort.
“Like the Solimões and Negro rivers joining to form the mighty Amazon, our diverse gifts, united in faith and charity, can carry hope further,” he said. “Together, as children of God, we can build a future of belonging, service and hope.”
