(RNS) — In a dimly lit Roman Catholic church in Manhattan, a dozen or so congregants sit as the Rev. Michael Holleran leads them in contemplative prayer. There is some singing, and some prayers said aloud throughout the hour-and-a-half-long worship service. Every so often Holleran rings a bell three times, meant to awaken worshippers from “sleep and into a consciousness of God’s presence.”
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Buddhist leader in Bhutan fully ordains 144 women, resuming ancient tradition
(RNS) — On Tuesday (June 21), the Je Khenpo, the senior Buddhist authority in Bhutan, began ordaining a group of 144 women as bhikshunis, or female monks, at the Ramthangkha monastery in the tiny Himalayan country. Damcho Diana Finnegan, an American Tibetan Buddhist nun, called the ordination ceremony ‘a major step towards ending the institutionalized inequality between men and women in Tibetan Buddhism.’
Preventing and Responding to Family Violence: A Faith Leader’s Practice Guide and Toolkit
Sisters4Sisters Support Services – with support from the Women’s Information and Referral Exchange and other family violence specialist organisations, including consultation with members from Victoria’s diverse faith communities, have produced Preventing and Responding to Family Violence: A Faith Leader’s Practice Guide and Toolkit, a broad and wide-ranging guide for Faith Leaders in responding to family violence. Specialist input was given by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS), affiliate researchers, and strategies from specialist CALD and LGBTQIA+ family violence organisations. The guide is available for download.
UNHCR and Religions for Peace: Refugee Week 2022
Refugee Week in Australia is from Sunday, June 19 to Saturday, June 25. Here, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees asked the Multi Religious Leaders Council about the value of all faiths to welcome the stranger. Theme of World Refugee Day for 2022 is the right to seek safety.
Victoria parliament passes bill banning Nazi swastika
Victoria has become the first Australian jurisdiction to ban the swastika, with those who defy the ban to face jail terms and hefty fines.
It is now a crime to intentionally display the Nazi swastika in Victoria. Anyone who displays the symbol could face a year in jail.
An exemption is in place for religious groups who used the symbol before the Nazis.
Australian Muslims ‘devastated’ by Saudi Arabia’s new Hajj pilgrimage lottery
Saudi Arabia’s new visa lottery system has thrown Australian Muslims’s Hajj plans into chaos.
The rules changed overnight, forcing many to cancel their flights and hotel bookings.
Saudi Arabia says the lottery system is designed to crack down on Hajj-related scams.
Pope to Buddhists: Let’s work together to cultivate compassion and hospitality
Pope Francis receives a delegation of Buddhists from Thailand and reiterates Pope St. Paul VI’s feelings of profound regard for the spiritual, moral and socio-cultural treasures of the Buddhist tradition.
Victoria: Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Act (2021)
From 14 June 2022, (in Victoria) religious organisations and schools will no longer be able to sack or refuse to hire people based on protected attributes such as sexuality, gender identity or marital status. Religious organisations and schools will only be able to make employment decisions based on an employee’s religious beliefs where these are inherent to the job such as a religious studies teacher, and the discrimination is reasonable and proportionate in the circumstances.
10th anniversary of the NSW chapter of Religions for Peace
The NSW Branch of Religions for Peace Australia celebrates 10 years – a decade of holding its events and proceedings in the State Parliament. Talks are given by Hon. Walt Secord, Shadow Minister, and Peter Wertheim, co-Chief Executive Officer, Executive Council of Australian Jewry
Myths and Truths about Asylum Seekers
Refugee Week 2022 is from Sunday 19 June – Saturday 25 June, 2022. The theme for Refugee Week is Healing. In this article, we address the many assumptions about Asylum Seekers and the rights of Asylum Seekers.
World Council of Churches: Statement on the War in Ukraine
In a public statement, the World Council of Churches governing body declared that “war, with the killing and all the other miserable consequences it entails, is incompatible with God’s very nature and will for humanity and against our fundamental Christian and ecumenical principles.” The statement further “rejects any misuse of religious language and authority to justify armed aggression.”
UN and Religions for Peace to Harness the Role of Religious Leaders in Addressing Sexual Violence
New York/Geneva, 17 June 2022: On the occasion of the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Under-Secretary-General Pramila Patten, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict (SRSG-SVC), and Professor Azza Karam, Secretary General of Religions for Peace International, signed a Framework of Cooperation Agreement (The Framework).
