Posts Tagged ‘Interfaith’

Gandhi’s birthday interfaith celebration

Thursday, October 5th, 2017

Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on 2 October found Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians marching together with lit candles through the streets of Bhopal in India. The interfaith celebration was organised by the Catholic Bhopal Archdiocese, based in the capital of Madhya Pradesh state. The march culminated in an inter-religious prayer gathering. The event marked the Read more

World looking to religious leaders for leadership

Monday, September 4th, 2017

When Pope Francis and the Korean Council of Religious Leaders met in the Vatican on Saturday, he told them the world was looking for leadership from religious leaders. “…the world is looking to us; it asks us to work together and with all men and women of good will,” Francis said. The representatives came from Read more

Catholic Priest Leads Inter-religious Center at the Olympics

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016

The Catholic priest coordinating the inter-religious center for athletes at the Olympic Village is looking forward to “very successful spiritual mission”. “We hope that the center will encourage harmony and unity among different countries and among different religions,” the coordinator Father Leandro Lenin Tavares says. “We are a symbol of peace, brotherhood and the unity Read more

Muslims go to Mass in France and Italy

Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016

In a show of solidarity with their Catholic neighbours, Muslims all over France attended Mass on Sunday, five days after a murderous claimed attack on a Catholic priest in Normandy. France’s Muslim council, the CFCM, urged Muslims to show “solidarity and compassion” over Father Jacques Hamel’s murder. “We are all Catholics of France,” said Anouar Read more

Anglican leader warns against pretending all faiths same

Tuesday, May 12th, 2015

Religious leaders risk fuelling extremism by pretending that all faiths are basically the same, the Archbishop of Canterbury has warned. The Telegraph reported Archbishop Justin Welby saying faith leaders seemed desperate to hide behind “bland” and “anaemic” statements about what they have in common. This is instead of facing up to the “profound differences” between Read more

Australia to have national mosque open day to fight prejudice

Friday, October 10th, 2014

Nine mosques in Australia will open their doors to the public later this month in an effort to help overcome prejudices and misunderstandings. The first national mosque open day, to be held on October 25, will see non-Muslims invited to take tours of mosques and to ask questions of Islamic leaders. It will be followed Read more

Mosque, synagogue and church planned under one roof in Berlin

Tuesday, August 5th, 2014

A common house of worship featuring a mosque, a synagogue and a Christian church is being planned for Berlin. Berlin Rabbi Tovia Ben Chorin, Imam Kadir Sanci and Pastor Gregor Hohberg hope their dream can become a reality. The trio hope Christians, Jews and Muslims will soon study and pray together. The city has already Read more

NZ bishops’ committee sends message to Muslims

Tuesday, July 29th, 2014

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Committee for Interfaith Relations has sent a message to Muslim communities in New Zealand. Sent to mark the Muslim feast of Eid-al-fitr, which ends the Ramadan period, the message encourages prayers and work for peace. The text of the message reads: “Dear friends, “Eid al-fitr draws near. On behalf of the Read more

Peace summit, no peace

Tuesday, June 10th, 2014

Hours before he convened an unprecedented Vatican prayer service for peace in the Middle East, Pope Francis told a crowd gathered in St Peter’s Square that “a church that doesn’t have the capacity to surprise… is a dying church.” By that standard, Francis showed that Catholicism on his watch is alive and kicking by delivering Read more

Need for honesty around Qur’an

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

In the aftermath of Islamic jihadis — the Boko Haram — enslaving Christian school girls in Nigeria, the Muslim intelligentsia, instead of doing some serious introspection, has chosen to exercise damage control. Columns by my co-religionists have appeared in newspapers ranging from the Toronto Star to The Independent in London and on CNN.com, where they Read more