Regional Interfaith Dialogue, Connecting and Cooperating for Peace and Harmony In the Asia-Pacific region
As the son of Holocaust survivors, with virtually every member of my family having been either a victim or survivor, I ruled out the possibility of ever visiting a concentration camp. Doing so would be emotionally off the charts. That all changed when I learned about a five-day Zen Peacemaker retreat at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Read more…Letting Go at Auschwitz-Birkenau: Lessons from a Zen Peacemaker Retreat
Does Islam have to be compatible with the German constitution, as the AfD is demanding? The question is pointless: the constitution requires nothing of the sort – from either Muslims or Christians.
Read more…Religious freedom in Germany
This Summer School will be held from July 2 to July 30, 2018 on the Campus of the University at Via Urbano VIII, 16, Rome.
Read more…Rome: 2018 Summer School in the Christian Sciences
Currently, 62 percent of Muslims live in Asia. Another 32 percent live in Africa. Relatively few of the world’s Muslims actually live in the Middle East. Indonesia is by far the most populous Muslim-majority country on earth; its 202 million Muslims are more than the entire Middle East combined.
Read more…Indonesia and the Future of Islam
Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902 C.E.) was a Hindu monk and a patriotic saint of India. According to English calendar he was born on 12th January 1863 into an aristocratic Bengali family of Calcutta. However his birthday is celebrated according to Hindu calendar and this day is known as Swami Vivekananda Jayanti. The Indian government has decided to observe Swami Vivekananda’s Gregorian date of birth as National Youth Day. Hence National Youth Day of India is celebrated each year on 12th January since 1985.
Vivekananda was born on Krishna Paksha Saptami after seven days of Paush Purnima. The birth anniversary according to Indian Panchang for 2018 is 8 January. In 1893 Swami Vivekananda went to the United States to join the Parliament of the World’s Religions where he got overwhelming success and public attention. For next four years, from 1893 to 1897, he travelled through various cities of the United States and England, and gave a series of lectures on religion and Vedanta. He came back to India in 1897 via Colombo. He then gave 17 lectures, Lectures from Colombo to Almora. In honour of Swami Vivekananda’s birthday, we bring you the first lecture, given at Colombo, January 16, 1897.
Read more…155th Birth Anniversary of Swami Vivekananda
On November 29, 2017, the third day of his visit to Myanmar, Pope Francis met with the monks of the Sangha Maha Nayaka State Committee, before whom he appealed for the healing of the country’s wounds, without being resigned in face of the challenges or isolated, but ensuring “that each voice be heard.”
Read more…Myanmar: Pope meets with Sangha Council
Members commemorate the Buddha’s birthday at the Buddhist Church of San Francisco.
Read more…Consider: Buddhism is a Religion
Ron Kronish, an American-born rabbi in Israel, has devoted much of his life to dialogue among Jews, Muslims and Christians. His new book discusses the merits of dialogue. He says, the Vatican’s increasingly warm relations with Israel, for example, were rooted not only in diplomatic moves but 35 years of “systemic and substantive progress in Jewish-Catholic relations” fostered by hard-working priests and rabbis.
Read more…Some think interfaith dialogue goes nowhere. A veteran rabbi begs to differ.
Pope Francis has released the text of his message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The theme of the message is “Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees”.
Read more…Welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees
