Sommet des religions aux Nations-Unies
"Dialoguer pour la paix"
à
New-York le 28 août 2000
Article
de presse de PR Newswire du 26 juillet 2000 (traduction de courtoisie)
Traduction d'un extrait de l'article en anglais ci-dessous
" Le but du sommet des religions est d'identifier les moyens de travailler ensembles
entre les religions mondiales et communautés spirituelles en tant qu'alliés interreligieux
avec les Nations unies sur des initiatives spécifiquement dédiées à la paix, la
pauvreté et l'environnement...
Toutes les régions du monde seront représentées, ainsi que les principales traditions
religieuses comme la foi baha'ie, le bouddhisme, le christianisme, le confucianisme,
l'hindouisme, les religions indigènes, l'islam, le jainisme, judaisme, shintoisme,
sikhisme, taoisme et zoroastrisme. "
Article complet en anglais
NEW YORK, July 26 - PRNewswire
For the first time in history, religious and spiritual leaders of the world's
diverse faith traditions will come together in New York on August 28th to discuss
how to forge a partnership of peace with the United Nations. More than 1,000 leaders
are expected. The goal of the Religious Summit is to identify ways that the worldwide
religious and spiritual communities can work together as interfaith allies with
the United Nations on specific peace, poverty and environmental initiatives.
All regions of the world will be represented, as will the major faith traditions
of Bahai, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous, Islam, Jainism,
Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism and Zoroastrianism.
The Religious Summit convening on August 28th, at the United Nations, will bring
together recognized religious and spiritual figures including religious leaders
from current zones of conflict -- such as Sierra Leone, the Balkans, Indonesia,
Ethiopia, Philippines, Rwanda and Sudan -- to discuss the roles they can play
in reducing religious tensions. The Summit is being convened by an independent
group of interfaith leaders, religious scholars and theologians.
Confirmed participants include:
* His Excellency Francis Cardinal Arinze-President of the Pontifical Council for
Inter-Religious Dialogue at the Vatican
* Venerable Samdech Preah Maha Gosananda-the Buddhist Nobel Prize nominee
* His Excellency Abdullah Salaih Al-Obaid-Secretary General of the MuslimWorld
League
* Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau-Chief Rabbi of Israel
* His Excellency Dr. Mustafa Ceric-The Grand Mufti of Bosnia
* Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz-Leading Talmudic Scholar
* Reverend Konrad Raiser-Secretary-General of The World Council of Churches
* His Eminence Sheik Ahmad Kuftaro-The Grand Mufti of the Syrian Arab Republic
* His Grace Njongonkulu Ndungane-The Archbishop of Cape Town
* His Holiness Abune Paulos-Patriarch of Ethiopia
* Swami Dayanand Saraswati-representing the Shankracharya in India
* Mata Ammritanandamayi-Hindu leader
* Reverend Jesse Jackson-Christian Leader and Special Envoy to President Clinton
* Chief Oren Lyons-Faithkeeper of the Onondaga Nation
* His Holiness Karekin II-Patriarch of the Armenian Church
The occasion will assemble leaders rarely seen together at religious gatherings,
such as the Jingu Daiguji of the Grand Shrine at Ise, the Patriarch of Thailand,
and Chief Patriarch Ehsin Watanabe of Mount Hiei from the Tendai School of Buddhism
in Japan. Numerous spiritual leaders from the indigenous traditions around the
world-such as Andean leaders from the line of the Incas-are also planning to participate.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who will address the gathering on August
29th, has said, "This gathering of the world's preeminent religious and spiritual
leaders in a united call for peace will hopefully strengthen the prospect for
peace in the new millennium." H.E. Theo Ben Gurirab, the President of the 54th
session of the General Assembly is also expected to address the opening ceremony
on August 28th.
At the Summit, the leaders will discuss how to harness the power of religious
tolerance and spiritual faith to educate and mobilize their communities to focus
on reducing divisions and ancient antipathies. After meeting at U.N. headquarters
these leaders will continue to engage in two-day working group sessions at the
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to devise special initiatives to address regional conflict,
poverty issues, and environmental problems.
Bawa Jain, Secretary-General of the Summit, has been deeply involved in global
interfaith work for many years. The Summit is steered by an International Advisory
Board of religious leaders, theologians, scholars and its strategic partners,
which include the Harvard University Center for the Study of World Religions;
Scholar's Group at Harvard Divinity School; the United Nations University for
Peace; the Earth Council; the World Faiths Development Dialogue; the World Resources
Institute; the Forum on Religion and Ecology; the World Conference on Religion
and Peace; the Parliament of the Worlds Religion and the Interfaith Center of
N.Y.
Serving as Honorary Chair of the Summit is Ted Turner.
Funding for the World Peace Summit is being provided by the U.N. Foundation/Better
World Fund, founded by Ted Turner, Ford Foundation, Ruder Finn, Inc., the Rockefeller
Brothers Fund, The Carnegie Foundation, the Modi Foundation, and the Greenville
Foundation among others. A number of religious groups are providing financial
support by sponsoring meals and in-kind contributions.
Anticipated outcomes of the Summit are a Declaration for World Peace and plans
for the establishment of an ongoing International Advisory Council of Religious
and Spiritual Leaders that can serve as a resource for the U.N. Secretary-General
and the U.N. system in its conflict prevention and resolution efforts.
"There has been a phenomenal response from religious leaders around the world.
They see this as a unique opportunity to join efforts with the United Nations
in a worldwide interfaith initiative. Our goal is that religious leaders from
different traditions will work together to help resolve global problems," said
Summit's Secretary-General Bawa Jain, who has been traveling to many regions speaking
with religious leaders about the goals of the Summit.
Beliefnet.com is the official web partner of the World Peace Summit and will be
doing a live webcast of the event.