NEWS STORY: Parliament of the World’s Religions Ends With Renewed Commitments

c. 2004 Religion News Service BARCELONA, Spain _ Anglican Bishop Benjamin Ojwang came to this city for the Parliament of the World’s Religions on a mission for his country. “Put international pressure on our government to accept peace talks,” he pleaded, telling the story of his capture and torture at the hands of Uganda’s rebel […]

c. 2004 Religion News Service

BARCELONA, Spain _ Anglican Bishop Benjamin Ojwang came to this city for the Parliament of the World’s Religions on a mission for his country.

“Put international pressure on our government to accept peace talks,” he pleaded, telling the story of his capture and torture at the hands of Uganda’s rebel forces last May, an ugly chapter in the civil war that has gnawed at the country for the past 18 years. “We need a third party to create a bridge of dialogue.”


After meeting with religious leaders from around the world, however, he is going home to deliver on his own offer of aid: a renewed commitment to extend the help of his diocese to refugees from neighboring Sudan. “We are a poor church. Money we cannot give. But we can advocate and campaign.”

Such was the spirit _ marshaling the shared responsibilities of the world’s mosques, synagogues, churches and ashrams _ that animated the fourth Parliament of the World’s Religions. During the weeklong event that ended Tuesday (July 13), the assembly called for a response from communities of faith to the issues of clean water, aid to refugees, reducing foreign debt for poor nations and ending religiously motivated violence.

The Chicago-based parliament brings world religious leaders together. Previous parliaments were held in 1893 and 1993 in Chicago, and 1999 in Cape Town, South Africa.

The parliament awarded the Paul Carus Award for interreligious achievement to Acholi Religious Leaders Peace Initiative, which Bishop Ojwang belongs to, for uniting Uganda’s Catholics, Muslims and Protestants in a call for peace.

Religious figures from almost every major tradition were in attendance, and gave their ear to leading organizations working on the front lines of the four issues.

Yehuda Stolov of Jerusalem’s Interfaith Encounter Association brings everyday Arabs, Christians and Jews together to study customs and texts from one another’s traditions. “I always say that 95 percent of the effort is about getting people together in the same room,” he said.

By the end of the week, his organization also received pledges of support from global clergy who saw a chance to address the roots of religiously motivated violence in the Middle East.


While no official accords were signed, the leaders were asked to reflect on issues in light of their spiritual traditions, and to commit themselves to an action for change, small or large. They said they would bring their example home to communities on five continents.

Talks on access to clean water, for example, looked at the importance of water across traditions, from the ritual cleansing before Muslim prayer, to bathing in the sacred waters of the Ganges, to baptism in the Christian tradition.

“Today if the cure for AIDS were drinking a glass of clean water, 70 percent of the world’s population would not have access,” noted Dirk Ficca, the parliament’s executive director.

“The environment is a perfect reflection of where we are. You are a microcosm of your environment,” said Deepak Chopra, popular health and spirituality author, who also participated in panels and talks at the parliament.

Talks on the refugee crisis addressed the call to hospitality across faiths. The highlight of the week for many came not from the conferences or panel discussions, but from members of the international Sikh community, who offered their service as an object lesson in charity. In honor of the 400th anniversary of the establishment of the Sikh scriptures in India, they offered daily “langar,” an open kitchen for thousands of people every afternoon of the conference.

Under their simple tent on the beach, priests and lamas sat barefoot on the floor for a vegetarian meal. Hours of open dialogue between activists and delegates provided a reflective counterpoint to the heavily scheduled week.


Leaders announced commitments, which ranged widely in scope, throughout the conference. On the topic of relieving debt for developing nations, for example, the Rev. Bill Harman of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Encinitas, Calif., declared his intention of raising money for debt-relief advocacy groups like Jubilee Network. Swami Shuddhananda Brahma Chari of India said he will create a micro-credit model in West Bengal. Finnish Lutheran Archbishop Jukka Paarma said he wants to educate his community on the topic and spur them to action.

The talks took place in an atmosphere of frequent meditation and prayer, which many participants saw as key to their success.

“People make commitments all the time _ `I’m going to go to the gym every day,”’ said Chopra. “But a commitment in the absence of inner transformation is empty.”

Leaders of the parliament said that their priority now is to assist the delegates in meeting their commitments. The parliament plans to develop a process to monitor and support the implementation of the commitments, including organizing the far-flung community over the Internet and briefing them on how the Barcelona initiatives are working around the world.

DEA/MO END ANTHONY

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