Australia is once again facing uncertainty about the future of Covid 19, the security of home and employment, the frailty of the aged and the messy spread and contagion of the Delta variant of Covid-19. Religions for Peace Australia has prepared a video of faith leaders from many traditions offering prayers for a time of uncertainty and Community Challenges.
Vaccination for the Common Good
Religions for Peace Australia gives one message about the Common Good and the need for vaccination, in order to protect the entire community we call home. We understand vaccine hesitancy. People have various reasons for being hesitant. However, for the Common Good of the Australian community, as your interfaith leaders we want to encourage you all to be vaccinated as soon as possible, each one of us. We urge all faith leaders to take action and promote the Common Good.
Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders on Faith and Diplomacy: Generations in Dialogue
Exchange and cooperation between young and old generations in religious communities and international relations will be the theme of a conference to be held Oct. 4-7 in Lindau, Lake Constance: The “Conference of the World Council of Religious Leaders on Faith and Diplomacy: Generations in Dialogue.”
The gathering will be hybrid in organization: About 150 people will be present in Lindau and virtually about 700 participants are expected worldwide.
For four days, discussion panels and interactive workshops will focus on the three main themes of Peace and Security, Environment and Humanitarianism – always with a view to the extent to which young people can and must be involved as multipliers in global peace processes. In view of globally active youth movements, the questions arise: How do activists become the next leaders and where are they already today?
National Social Cohesion & Inclusion Conference
The Australian Baha’i Community warmly invites representatives of NGOs, religious and cultural communities, members of the media, academia, gender equality organisations, youth networks, think tanks, institutions and government to attend the 2021 National Social Cohesion and Inclusion Conference held online on 12 October 2021 from 10 am – 1 pm AEST.
Conference: Interfaith call for Ecocide Law
Faith for Ecocide Law is creating an interreligious coalition in support of an international crime of Ecocide within the Rome statute of the International Criminal Court.
Humanity is at the crossroads, and faith communities have a unique voice for the reverence for Mother Earth/the Creation, and the existential understanding of the relationship between humans and nature. Faith for Ecocide Law aims at raising this voice in support of new rules for the protection of Nature at a global scale.
End Ecocide Sweden in cooperation with Stop Ecocide Foundation, Christian Council of Sweden, The Catholic Diocese of Stockholm, Sigtuna Foundation and Centre for Environment and Development Studies at Uppsala University will host an Interfaith Conference -Interfaith call for Ecocide Law September 16, 9-12 CET (eastern hemisphere), 16-19 CET (western hemisphere). ONLINE
Myanmar Junta Forces Desecrate Churches and Destroy Refugee Food Stocks
Myanmar junta forces have occupied churches and destroyed stocks of food aid for refugees during clashes with ethnic armed forces and militias that oppose the Feb. 1 military takeover, local officials told Radio Free Asia.
Online Symposium for Abolition of Nuclear Weapons
Religions for Peace (Japan) has a special project division which continues to work for the abolition of nuclear weapons. There will be a virtual seminar on halting nuclear dependency, online, on September 12.
The Covenants of Prophet Muhammad: From Shared Historical Memory to Peaceful Co-Existence
ISRA Australia is offering an online session understanding the covenants of the Prophet Muhammed in monasteries and patriarchates which were under the rule of Islam. This session will take place online (Zoom) on evening of Tuesday 14 September from 6:00pm. This is a free session.
Catholics and Australia’s Modern Slavery Act
Catholic organisations are required to comply with Australia’s Modern Slavery Act 2018. This means actions must be taken to assess and address modern slavery risks in our supply chains and operations and be published annually on a public register managed by the Commonwealth.
Trafficking in humans
Human trafficking can take place in many hidden and subtle forms across the globe and within our own communities. Over the past two decades the fight against human trafficking has become a popular global cause. The cause taps into our intuition that economic life should serve people, not come at their expense.
2021 Abraham Conference to highlight the role of women in the Abrahamic traditions
The Abraham Conference plays an important role in bringing Jews, Christians and Muslims together to discuss contemporary issues of concern for the members of the three religions and for the wider society.
The theme of the 2021 Abraham Conference is Women Leaders in the Abrahamic Traditions: Role Models for Our Time. Our context is the continuing strong impact and significance of the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements and the revelations of abuse in our federal parliament, all of which brought thousands of women onto the streets in protest.
Joint statement on climate change by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch
Pope Francis, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Archbishop of Canterbury join together for the first time in urgent appeal for the future of the planet. For the first time, the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion have jointly warned of the urgency of environmental sustainability, its impact on poverty, and the importance of global cooperation.
Victoria: Behaviour of a minority does not represent values of Jewish tradition
I am one of the many Jewish Melburnians who has had a very hard week, celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, in lockdown for a second year. I tried to maintain the traditional sense of an oasis in time for the holy day, so I didn’t look at the news. I didn’t hear until Wednesday morning that a small group of ultra-Orthodox Jews had breached lockdown and barricaded themselves in a synagogue.
Destruction of Cemeteries
Cemeteries offer vital links between the living and the dead for religious community members. Cemeteries, as holy sites, are governed by religious laws and customs that dictate the location of, appearance of, and activities and behaviours allowed in the burial grounds, Additionally, country and international laws aim to protect such sites. Here, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) examines the rising pattern of defilement of cemeteries in several countries, and explains how different religions have rights to have their own cemeteries as a fundamental human right.
People to be fined over gathering at Melbourne synagogue
Victoria police say up to 100 worshippers who gathered near a synagogue in Melbourne’s south-east in breach of Covid-19 lockdown rules will be fined. People were allegedly spotted entering a building, believed to be a prayer room, near a Ripponlea synagogue early on Tuesday morning to mark the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
September 7: World Clean Air Day
September 7 is World Day of Clean Air. The 2021 theme for the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies is “Healthy Air, Healthy Planet” which emphasizes the health aspects of air pollution, especially considering the COVID-19 pandemic.
Align your finances with your faith – Superannuation Divestment Workshop
The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change is running a session on aligning your finances with your faith. Do you have UniSuper? Are you with NGS, Catholic Super or ACSRF? Or just want to know more about aligning your finances with your faith to protect the planet? The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change is presenting an information session via zoom on September 9th.
IUCN World Conservation Congress – Spirituality and Nature Plenary
The second day of the IUCN World Conservation Congress was devoted to the Forum. Participants attended an opening session and then split into seven plenaries, addressing the meeting’s themes. During the day, numerous events took place, inter alia on novel technologies, spirituality, and rebuilding following the pandemic. The spirituality plenary took the topic, Spirituality and Nature Dialogue: responsibility, inspiration, and behavior change.. The Outcomes of the World Summit of Indigenous Peoples are also summarised.
Hindu Religion in Australia – Its roots and growth
The Hindu Council of Australia will conduct a one-day conference Hindu Religion in Australia — Its Roots and Growth – online – on 5 September 2021 from 9:30am. The event is held online due the constraints of Covid-19 and lockdown in many states.
Hindu Youth Conference Online
The Hindu Council of Australia will conduct an online conference for Hindu youth (18-30) on 5 September 2021. The online event is called VICHAAR MANTHAN – A 21st Century Solution. The conference will examine the application of Sanathana Dharma (the perennial philosophy) to the constant churning of the mind with thoughts, and the relevance of Sanathana Dharma to life today.