In October 2020, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons acquired its 50th ratification, triggering its entry into force 90 days later. This entry into force occurs on Friday the 22nd of January, 2021. That is the day nuclear weapons will be illegal under international law!
United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week
United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week is held each year in the first week of February. This year, the United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week commences on Monday, 1st February 2021 and will end on on Sunday 7th February 2021.
Queensland: World Interfaith Harmony Week
The Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’ís of the City of Brisbane will host a World Interfaith Harmony Week observance themed Crisis and Victory: How crisis brought us together, online, on Sunday 7 February 2021 at 2pm.
Sydney Jewish Museum immortalises Holocaust survivor stories using cutting edge 3D technology
The Sydney Jewish Museum is using 3D technology to create interactive biographies with six Holocaust survivors. Future visitors will be able to ask questions which the survivors will respond to in real time. For the survivors, they hope that educating the next generation around the Holocaust will prevent such events from ever happening again.
The Popes and the atomic threat: Appealing to world’s conscience
The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons entered into force on Friday, 22 January. Pope Francis’ words at Hiroshima, which defined even the possession of nuclear weapons as immoral, is the latest act of a long teaching spanning the twentieth century up to the present day.
Volunteering: Resilience, Relief and Recovery
Volunteering Australia has made a pre-budget submission to the Federal Government, giving the report on research into volunteering in Australia and the impact of Covid-19 on volunteering. The submission makes several recommendations to the Federal Government, which is acting in train to establish a national resilience and recovery entity in the light of the Bushfire Royal Commission’s recommendations.
International Holocaust Remembrance Day
You are cordially invited to join us for the first Australia-wide commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on 27 January at 7pm. Join the Jewish Communities and Museums of Australia to heed the action to shine our own ‘light’ on intolerance and injustices that continue to prevail.
Brahma Kumaris: Invocations for 2021
Brahma Kumaris (Australia) invite you to Open your eyes to the Youniverse! is with Bishop Philip Huggins and Charlie Hogg speaking onInvocations 2021, Saturday 23 January 2021 at 6:00pm – 7:30pm (AEDT).
Brisbane: World Interfaith Harmony Week Observance
There will be an observance of World Interfaith Harmony Week on Sunday February 7 2020 at 2pm at the Brisbane Bahá’í Centre of Learning. The theme of the observance is Crisis and Victory: How crisis brought us together and focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic has helped us develop new capacities to build community resilience and promote social cohesion
Designation of Uyghur Muslims’ Treatment in China as Genocide
Washington, DC – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) applauds the U.S. Department of State for designating China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Turkic Muslims in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region as genocide and crimes against humanity.
7th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-based Organizations in International Affairs
The 7th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs, entitled “2021: A Defining Year for Accelerating Gender Equality, Equity and Justice” will be held virtually 8:00 -12:30 pm EST/New York on, Tuesday 26th January 2021.
WCC Faith and Order Commission publishes two volumes on moral discernment
Current tensions within and between churches are often the result of disagreements over moral issues. Churches thus face challenges to preserve unity and meet obstacles to restore unity. Seeing the urgency of the matter, the World Council of Churches’ (WCC) Faith and Order Commission took up the task to assist the churches in finding a way to deepen mutual understanding leading to dialogue. Its study group on moral discernment presents two publications.
Halki Summit IV – COVID-19 and Climate Change: Living with and Learning from a Pandemic
Halki Summit IV, this year in the format of a series of webinars, will explore the theme “COVID-19 and Climate Change: Living With and Learning from a Pandemic.”
The series, which will be presented 26-28 January, will feature a presentation by His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Eminence Metropolitan John of Pergamon, along with theologians, scientists, and environmentalists who will serve as panelists and respond to live questions from the audience.
The summit is named for the island of Halki, or Heybeliada, on which the first such gathering was originally convened. The summit assembles focused groups from diverse religious and social, as well as civil and corporate sectors, including eminent theologians and speakers from across the ecumenical spectrum.
Online celebration – Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
World Council of Churches (WCC) interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca is inviting the global ecumenical family and friends to join the WCC for a livestreamed public prayer service on 25 January, the final day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
Pope changes law so women are allowed to perform tasks in mass
Pope Francis has changed Catholic church law to officially allow lay women to perform tasks during mass, but stressed the move was not a precursor to them becoming priests.
Sikh volunteer group recognised as ‘Australian Human Rights Heroes 2020’
The Melbourne-based non-profit organisation, Sikh Volunteers Australia has been handpicked as one of the Australian Human Rights Heroes for the year 2020 for providing free food to the communities during catastrophic bushfires and the various stages of COVID-19 lockdowns in Victoria.
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. The event that touches off this special experience is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
WHEN: Traditionally the week of prayer is celebrated between 18-25 January, between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul. In the southern hemisphere, where January is a vacation time, churches often find other days to celebrate it, for example around Pentecost, which is also a symbolic date for unity.
The Reality of Human Trafficking in Asia: A Virtual Summit
The Asia Pacific Women of Faith Network (APWoFN), one of ACRP’s significant networks, will hold a webinar on Human Trafficking. The webinar’s title: “The Reality of Human Trafficking in Asia: A Virtual Summit”. The webinar will take place online, on January 14-15, 2021 @ 12:00-14:30 (Japan Time) (2PM AEDT).