The world’s religious traditions and their followers are called to offer wisdom to the world and to “infuse it with a spirit of warmth, healing and fraternity,” which requires the participation of women as well as men, Pope Francis said.
South Australia: Uluru Statement from the Heart: Voice – Treaty – Truth
Churches Together South Australia is coordinating an ecumenical event, for all people across Churches in South Australia and wider communities. It will be a time for learning more, and asking questions or raising concerns, with two key Aboriginal Elders. Two Sessions will be held at West Adelaide Uniting Church on Wednesday, 15 February 2023.
2022 ACU Parliamentary Interfaith Breakfast
Since 2014, Australian Catholic University has hosted six parliamentary interfaith breakfasts, bringing together parliamentarians and the leaders of many faith communities in a spirit of mutual respect and dialogue. The most recent breakfast was held on 24 November 2022 at the National Press Club in Canberra and featured addresses from the federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and renowned journalist Stan Grant.
Wisdom for the common good as regards 26 January and an ‘Australia Day’
Bishop Philip Huggins is Director, Centre for Ecumenical Studies, Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, Canberra. Here, Bishop Huggins writes reflections on multifaith activity, the multicultural nature of our nation, and the wisdom for the common good which may well prevail in resolving conflict about 26 January and when we might celebrate who we are as a nation, going forward together.
National School Chaplaincy Program report backs name change, choice of wellbeing officers
An independent evaluation of The National School Chaplaincy Program (NSCP) has found there are benefits of having chaplains in schools, but has endorsed plans to broaden the scheme to include secular support staff.
South Australia: Australia Day Address
Ms Philippa Rowland, Chair – Religions for Peace Australia and President – Multifaith Association of South Australia was invited by the Ahmadiyya Association of South Australia to give one address at their Australia Day Celebrations, on 26 January 2023.
Women building a Culture of Encounter Interreligiously
The Dicastery for Promoting Interreligious Dialogue hosted a conference in Rome on the importance of women building a culture of interreligious encounter on January 25-27 Pontifical Urbanian University in Rome.
Interfaith Alliance releases report: “Big Tech, Hate, and Religious Freedom Online”
The Interfaith Alliance, based in the USA, has published a new report, “Big Tech, Hate, and Religious Freedom Online,” that works to educate people about the uniquely damaging impact of bigotry and hate.
Eradicating modern slavery in Australia
In 2018, the Modern Slavery Act was introduced to reduce the risks of labour exploitation in Australia. Larger businesses – those with annual consolidated revenue of at least AU$100 million – are now required to report on the risks of exploitation in their supply chains and the actions they are taking to eliminate them.
The term ‘modern slavery’ describes situations where offenders use coercion, threats or deception to exploit victims and undermine their freedom.
“Inspired by love and anger”: Oil CEO heads UN COP28
Perceptions aren’t everything but they can be very powerful. On the face of it, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) appointment of an oil company chief as the next President for the UNCOP28 is not a good look. That’s putting it mildly! There has, in fact, been much colourful criticism. “This appointment goes beyond putting the fox in charge of the henhouse”, said Teresa Anderson of ActionAid, a climate justice charity.
9th Annual Symposium on the Role of Religion and Faith-Based Organizations in International Affairs
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) acting on behalf of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Religion and Sustainable Development (currently chaired by UNFPA, United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, and the UN Alliance of Civilizations and includes 27 entities within the UN System conducts the annual symposium with the Theme: Securing People’s Wellbeing and Planetary Sustainability on 24 January 2023, 8:30 AM – 1:30 PM EST. This is a Virtual Event. Religions for Peace Secretary-General will be one of the Moderators.
Cricket Australia cancels men’s one-day internationals against Afghanistan
Cricket Australia has pulled its men’s national team from the upcoming one-day international series against Afghanistan amid concerns over deteriorating women’s rights in the Taliban-ruled country.
Multi Religious Call by the Abrahamic Faiths: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence
An event entitled “AI Ethics: An Abrahamic commitment to the Rome Call” will take place at the Vatican on January 10th, 2023. On this occasion, three representatives of the three Abrahamic religions will sign the Rome Call for AI Ethics, a document issued by the Pontifical Academy for Life and furthered by the RenAIssance Foundation in an effort to promote algorethics, i.e. an ethical development of artificial intelligence.
Forced marriage: a violation of human rights
According to the Exodus Road, a non-profit organization that works on fighting modern-day slavery, as of 2022, 650 million girls and women are being forced to marry. Within this dynamic, there is a continuum of coercion ranging from physical violence to psychosocial pressure. It’s a marriage where at least one is married without consent, against their will or is not able to exit the marriage.
Engage – how to deal with hate speech?
Hate speech occurs in all societies, whether offline or online. It can sometimes be hard to assess when a comment is meant as hate speech – especially when expressed in the virtual world. It can also feel overwhelming to try to deal with obviously hateful content.
Tasmania: Prohibiting the display of Nazi symbols
The Tasmanian Goverment seeks input from the community on the display of Nazi symbols. Proposed legislation is available to peruse, and submissions from the community are invited and may be received by 5pm on Monday, 13 February 2023.
The Pope Benedict I knew: A keeper of his faith with a deep respect for Judaism
Rabbi David Rosen is the former chief rabbi of Ireland, and is American Jewish Committee’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs. He is an International Co-President of Religions for Peace, and has participated in many interfaith events, including the Day of Prayer for World Peace at Assisi 2011, alongside Pope Benedict XVI.
(JTA) — I was first introduced to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, later to become Pope Benedict XVI, in the late 1980s when he was visiting Jerusalem. Teddy Kollek, mayor of Jerusalem, was eager for me to meet with the cardinal, telling me that I would discover a very different person from the image portrayed in the general media. He was so correct.
That image was in no small part the result of Pope John Paul II having made him the head of the Vatican Office for Doctrine and Faith, to enforce orthodox Catholic teaching. In addition, the fact that Ratzinger was a shy man with a professorial background and attitude often led people to see him as aloof and even cold.
The Interfaith Legacy of Pope Benedict
Pope Benedict was feted by leaders of other religions as a kind and gentle person. His intellect guided the Catholic Church’s orthodoxy and belief during his 25 years as the head of the Vatican congregation that steers the faith of its worldwide churches. Here, we look to the interfaith legacy of Pope Benedict, who was – indirectly – a cause of World Interfaith Harmony Week coming into being.
