News Item:
Pope approves gathering:
Benedict XVI has approved an international Inter-Religious Encounter of Prayer for Peace organized by the Sant'Egidio Community (founded by Andrea Riccardi, a frequent contributor to the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano.) This will take place September 4-5 in Assissi, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of an event that was dear to Pope John Paul II, and which was not fully looked on with approval at the time by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
The slogan of the encounter is "For a world of peace and of reigions and cultures in dialog". Religious leadres from all over the world have been invited, along with the heads of the various Christian confessions.
"We will pray for peace together but in different places," said Mario Marazziti, spokesman for the Sant'Egidio Community.
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13th July 2006
Community of Sant’Egidio
Meeting of World Religions
ASSISI, 4th-5th September 2006
TOWARDS WORLDWIDE PEACE: RELIGIONS AND CULTURES IN DIALOGUE
In October of 1986 Pope John Paul II convoked the World Day of Prayer for Peace of Assisi. It was an unprecedented historical event, which saw gathered alongside the Holy Father representatives of the world’s great religions – from the Dalai Lama to the Archbishop of Canterbury. As we know, a process got underway there – now in its twentieth year – which the Community of Sant’Egidio took especially to its heart, engendering in turn the International Encounters of Religions. These meetings have progressed across Italy’s principle cities and European capitals, representing an outstanding opportunity for dialogue to take place and for cultural and religious differences to be surmounted.
TOWARDS WORLDWIDE PEACE – RELIGIONS AND CULTURES IN DIALOGUE, will be the central theme of the International Meeting and the Day of Prayer for Peace being promoted for the 4th and 5th September 2006 by the Community of Sant’Egidio together with the Umbrian Episcopal Conference.
At a time marked by terrorism and war, as well as by efforts towards dialogue and reconciliation, religion has assumed a prominent role in public life and in the conflict of identities. Religions are ever more exposed to the danger of becoming instruments of extremism.
Since Assisi, the world’s great religions have been reasserting the centrality of dialogue between differing cultures as the key to defusing confrontation. They have worked for a trend towards globalisation that is not merely market-driven, but one capable of highlighting the legitimate aspirations of entire peoples and of humankind. At the same time religions have probed their deepest questions, each from within the bounds of their own tradition and in frank juxtaposition with others, as well as with prominent witnesses from lay culture.
Twenty years on from the historic World Day of Prayer for Peace convoked by John Paul II, and in the setting of Assisi’s Lower Basilica, a universal message will arise from the many religious leaders come together from many different parts of the world, gathering together the fruits of these two days of collaborative searching and praying side by side.
Twelve panels, each working on an issue crucial to our times, will pool their valuable contributions. Their overall aim will be the discovery of pathways, both practical and theoretical, that show us the way out of ideologies of confrontation and onto a joint undertaking – cleared of misunderstandings – leading to a broad spiritual way of collaboration towards the “globalisation of the human countenance”.
Among those present will be: the Grand Rabbi Cohen of Haifa, Rabbis Toaff and Di Segni of Rome, Ibrahim Ezzedine, Councillor to the Presidency of the United Arab Emirates, the Secretary of the World Lutheran Council, Noko, the President of the European Council of Churches, Jean-Arnold de Clermont, the Patriarch Armeno Karekine II Catholicos of Cilicia, Cardinals Paul Poupard, Stanislao Dziwisz and representatives of all the Christian confessions, both eastern and western. There will be a strong presence from “border” regions such as Israel and the Middle East, Pakistan, the Far East and the Mediterranean.
METHOD OF ACCREDITATION
Journalists, photographers, and radio-TV presenters who wish to follow the event must make a request for accreditation from the Community of Sant’Egidio in Rome before the 21th July 2006. Tel.+39.06.585661; Fax +39.06.58566331; e-mail com@santegidio.org- Rinaldo Piazzoni (cell. 335.8381334), Paolo Ciani (cell. 338.7870605); Francesco Dante (cell. 339.3324274).
To be accredited one must send:
1) A headed fax, e-mail o letter with the request for accreditation, signed by a director or senior manager.
2) A photocopy of the photos of those wishing to attend.
3) A photocopy of professional and personal documents.
4) The regular address for future communication (including an address for any urgent communication).
The accreditation badge can be obtained directly in ASSISI on the morning of September 3th 2006 from the Press Room. The letter of accreditation, 2 photographs and professional and personal documents must be presented before the badge is given out.
Just an idea: We should perhaps send a correspondent from FishEaters to observe the proceedings. Just kidding of course.
| Piazza di S. Egidio, 3/a - 00153 ROMA - Tel +39.585661 - Fax +39.58566331 |
