Parliament of the World’s Religions

This week is observed as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In the spirit of Ecumenism we offer this recent experience that Fr. Kevin Dance, CP had at the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia and the tribute that it made to Fr. Thomas Berry, CP. 

The Parliament of World Religions was held in Melbourne, Australia, December 3-9. It was an exciting and exotic experience. In addition, it was also inspiring.

This Parliament originated at the Chicago Exposition in 1896. It did not meet during the two World Wars. It has begun to meet every 5 years, more recently in Barcelona and in South Africa. The purpose is to stimulate inter-religious cooperation to deal with the issues facing the planet and the poor. The meetings, covering the first week of December, took place in the enormous Melbourne Exposition Center.

The Opening Ceremony was a kaleidoscope of colour, sound and music as 12 major religion groups presented their thoughts, prayers and blessing for the work of the Parliament all in their own style, costume; some by word, others, song  and/or movement. The framework was provided by the Victorian Philharmonic Orchestra and 150 strong chorus with music. The indigenous instrument the didgeridoo gave it a clear Australian  indigenous flavour.

We were “welcomed to country” in a beautiful ceremony by Aboriginal elder Professor June Murphy Wandin with her little granddaughter, in her role as the senior woman of the Wurundjeri people, the traditional owners of the land on which the cosmopolitan city of Melbourne now stands. We were prayed over by rabbis, bishops, priests and shamans, Hindu, Muslim, Shinto and Zoroastrian leaders and challenged by several Keynote addresses to seize the moment and take up our responsibility for the earth and its poor. As was pointed out several times in the next week, our generation is the first to be able to consciously shape the course of the development of the world, & this planet.

Up till now we have been passengers in the evolutionary process and in global development. But now we can take an active role in shaping the whole process and with that comes responsibility to all its creatures to assist the growth of all creatures and species to their fullness. This is the “Great Work” of which Passionist Ecologian Thomas Berry spoke and wrote so passionately. Several Panels and workshops focused on Berry’s message and significance at this time of global crisis as we struggle to become “a communion of subjects rather than a collection of objects”.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) featured strongly in workshops and panels. In the year 2000 all member states of the UN pledged themselves to use these practical goals to break the hold of extreme poverty and want on the lives of billions of people. The target date for reaching these Goals is 2015. More than half way through the timeline, many of these goals look like not being met. So poverty, infant and maternal death, lack of opportunity for children to go to school, the continued spread of malaria, TB and HIV/AIDS, increasing environmental degradation and insufficient commitment to a global partnership to pay for and meet these goals. Religions and religious traditions were called by the Parliament to take a more active role in making it clear that poverty is not an accident, but is the result of faulty decisions based on greed and selfishness.  To learn more of the MDG http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals 

It was truly inspiring to see a vast array of diverse religious groups seriously working together in a cooperative and respectful manner for the good of the earth. Concerns about food and water scarcity, and the impact of climate change and extreme weather on brothers and sisters forced to live in poverty were made so explicit. There was a palpable concern and mutual respect for each other’s efforts. Seeing and hearing the world in all its colour and wonderful diversity was a powerful parable of how religion and spiritual belief can be a force for good in our troubled world.  

Throughout the duration of the Parliament groups of Buddhist Monks gathered all day in the foyer to sing, chant, drum or meditate. We were invited to drop in on them at any time– a reminder that there is interior work to be done.

As the fruit of the sharing, many resolutions to be brought to our governments and to the United Nations were forged from our shared religious convictions and our commitment to the Earth as our common heritage and our mother.