On 26 October, Religions for Peace in partnership with the Templeton World Charity Foundation will bring together key changemakers for a thought-provoking conversation about the power of forgiveness through not only a spiritual lens, but a scientific lens, as well.
News
South Australia: Beyond the Garden Gate
Beyond the Garden Gate is a forum for Churches Together to acknowledge the disturbance of God’s creation. The forum will explore practical ways to care for the environment, and create a safe future by learning to live more lightly on God’s earth.
Colonial Bondage: Liberating Theological Education
The University of Divinity presents the Professorial Lecture of Professor Anne Pattel-Gray who will share her insights into Australia’s First Nations religious and spiritual beliefs and practices that form the core of her theology.
She will explain how we are all held captive by our colonial heritage and that our theological education and institutions require liberation in order to be set free.
She will further explain the process to decolonise biblical and theological narratives and challenge Christians to become the radical change that is so desperately needed to transform a Nation.
Senior faith leaders call on Albanese to increase ambition on climate
One hundred religious and First Nations leaders from across Australia and the Pacific are urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to take decisive action to combat climate change by stopping all new coal and gas projects and ending public subsidies to the fossil fuel sector.
Signatories to an open letter to Mr Albanese include the most senior leaders of the Anglican Church in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific, the President of the National Council of Churches, the Grand Mufti of Australia, the President of the Uniting Church as well as First Nations leaders and senior leaders of the Buddhist, Jewish, Hindu and Brahma Kumaris religions.
Resource Kit on Uluru Statement from the Heart
The Edmund Rice Centre today released an informational resource for the wider community to help all Australians understand the importance and the detail of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.
Adelaide Multifaith Service – Faiths 4 Climate Justice
Adelaide Prayers for Climate Justice on Thursday 13th October 2022 Join Australians of many faiths to stand in solidarity with Pacific and First Nations people in the struggle for climate justice on this Day of Prayer. Multifaith services are planned in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Perth and several regional towns across Australia. The details of the Adelaide Multifaith Service is given here.
Hobart: Multifaith Service and Vigil for Faiths 4 Climate Justice
Australian Religious Response to Climate Change, Oikoumene Pasifika and Religions for Peace Tasmania Branch invite you to participate in a Multifaith Sevice for Climate Justice and an all-night prayer and meditation vigil on October 13 commencing at 8pm.
Letter of Support for Women and Religious Groups suffering Persecution in Iran
In recent days Iran has seen deep public unrest, with demonstrations and protests taking place in some 80 cities, triggered by the tragic death of Mahsa Amini, who was detained by authorities in Tehran on 13 September and died, while in custody, three days later. Religions for Peace Australia and its affiliates voice their concerns about the deterioration of the rights of women – and religious groups – in Iran.
How believers in China keep the faith under Xi Jinping’s watchful eye
Under President Xi Jinping, China has tightened its control of religion.
Tibetan Buddhists have been arrested for displaying pictures of the Dalai Lama, The Vatican agreed to only appoint bishops who support the party, and online retailers are banned from selling the Bible.
In Xinjiang, thousands of mosques have reportedly been demolished, with documented crackdowns on the region’s Muslim Uyghur minority.
Prayers and Meditation for COP27
We encourage people of all faiths to offer their prayers and meditations towards a beneficial UN COP 27 (the next climate change conference). Our silent prayer and meditation around the world helped the outcome of the Glasgow COP26 through collaboration and inclusion.
Multifaith Climate and Fossil Fuel Action: National Multifaith Services
On Thursday October 13th people of all faiths both in Australia and around the Pacific will come together to show our support for an open letter to Prime Minister Albanese that will be signed by senior faith leaders both from Australia and the Pacific calling on the Australian Government to:
- Stop approving new coal and gas projects
- End public subsidies for coal and gas projects
- Actively participate in creating a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to phase out fossil fuels and support a just transition.
These issues are right at the top of the political agenda right now both domestically and when it comes to what Pacific nations have been calling on Australia to do.
In support of this open letter there will be multi-faith services in cathedrals and other iconic places of worship across both in Australia and the Pacific on the same day.
Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty
Faith leaders make the moral case for a global just transition away from coal, oil and gas: As leaders across diverse religious and spiritual communities around the globe, we call on governments to develop and implement a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty.
