Pritpal Kaur, 26, Sean Rose, 21 and Jem Jebbia, 21, are in Australia this week for the World Parliament of Religions. Fellows of the International Faith Acts programme of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation, they are joining up to 8,000 representatives of the world’s faiths all meeting in Melbourne this week to discuss the most pressing issues of the age. Priorities for the parliament include global poverty, environmental change, youth education, spirituality and the arts and reconciliation among indigenous peoples. Although the Parliament holds no formal weight or decision-making power, the discussions and conclusions are certain to inform future ongoing interfaith dialogue.
Pritpal, Sean and Jem will be sending reports to Faith Online on the Parliament, the fifth to take place since the 1893 World Congress of Religions in Chicago. Please click here to on their names above to read their profiles.
Report one: the opening
Advertisement
The Parliament opened on Thursday with a formal welcome from assorted political and spiritual leaders, cultural performances, and blessings from each faith group. Senior elder of the Wurundjeri people, Joy Wandin Murphy, welcomed us saying, ‘we celebrate your belief; we celebrate your right to be who you are’. Every statement of welcome began with an acknowledgement of the Aboriginal people as ‘the traditional custodians of the land on which we are gathered’. This telling statement is a reminder of the importance of this event in strengthening ties of friendship, understanding and mutual respect.