Muslims – leaders, laypeople, communities, and multiple institutions – have condemned, continue to condemn and will always condemn violence in the name of their faith. As the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmed Al-Tayeb said on October 20: “As a Muslim and being the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, I declare before Almighty God that I disassociate myself, the rulings of the religion of Islam, and the teachings of the Prophet of Mercy, the Prophet Muhammad, from such heinous terrorist act and from whoever would embrace such deviant, false thought.
News
Global religious leaders call for ‘Faith for Earth Coalition’:
In a major livestreamed conference from Iceland, global religious leaders have called for a ‘Faith for Earth Coalition’ to halt environmental and climate degradation, insisting that “through hope, faith, empathy and reason we can build a better future”. “The time has come for people of faith to work together for the planet given into our care”, the coalition stated.
G20 Interfaith Forum calls for “convergence” between faith and state actors in global policy-making
Attracting an extraordinary assembly of diverse representatives from world religious and interreligious networks and communities, the seventh annual G20 Interfaith Forum concluded its meetings on Saturday after five days of sessions that addressed the COVID-19 emergencies, climate change, social, racial, and economic disparities, environmental challenges, the preservation and safeguarding of sacred sites including places of worship, and other pressing issues.
Victoria Police says it won’t investigate Vatican wire transfer claims
Victoria Police says there is no evidence to warrant an investigation into allegations that Vatican funds were used in an attempt to secure the conviction of Cardinal George Pell. Italian newspapers La Repubblica and Corriere della Sera earlier this month claimed a rival of Pell’s, former cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, was suspected of arranging for €700,000 ($1.1 million) to be transferred to people in Australia to support the prosecution of child sex abuse charges against Pell.
Pope Francis Address at Church of Saint Maria in Aracoeli
This event is promoted by the Community of Sant’Egidio (presided over by Impagliazzo). Every year, the Meeting recalls the historic Day of Prayer for Peace convoked in Assisi by St. Pope John Paul II in 1986, with representatives of all the world religions. Below is given the address of Pope Francis: It is a gift to pray together. I greet all of you cordially and with gratitude, especially my brother, His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and dear Bishop Heinrich, President of the Council of the Evangelical Church of Germany.
Buddhist volunteers feeding Melbourne’s worst affected determined to see out the pandemic
Since the second wave of coronavirus infections began in Victoria, volunteers from the Quang Minh Buddhist Temple have provided nearly 900 vegan meals to people in the Melbourne suburbs of Footscray and Braybrook. They’re now determined to see out the pandemic.
Christianity Today on QAnon
A former editor of Christianity Today writes about the unfolding cult by name QAnon. Among QAnon’s most troubling aspects are its misuse of the Bible to disguise its deception and its increasing function as a syncretic cult of semi-Christian heresy.
Asia-Pacific Consultation on Women, Faith, and Diplomacy
The Asian Conference of Religions for Peace (RfPA is an affiliate of this group) program for Asia-Pacific Consultation on Women, Faith, and Diplomacy starts 12 noon -15.30 Tokyo time October 23rd Friday and 24th Saturday. This means it starts at 2 pm in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. The program is open to anyone to attend.
1st Assembly on Women, Faith & Diplomacy: Keeping Faith and Transforming Tomorrow
Religions for Peace is partnering with the Foundation Peace Dialogue of the World Religions and Civil Society (Ring for Peace) to deliver the first international Assembly on Women, Faith and Diplomacy, which will be convened from 10-13 November 2020.
Annual Sr. Shirley Sesawie Oration Online.
The Council of Christians and Jews (Vic) presents the Annual Sr. Shirley Sedawie Oration, which will be delivered by the Dr. Debbie Weissman on the topic of Reflections on Living Through Difficult Times Online, on Sunday 18 October from 4:00PM AEDT.
Responding to Climate and Ecological Crisis through Multi-religious Collaboration: Religions for Peace and FaithInvest
Religions for Peace is forming a partnership with FaithInvest. FaithInvest is an international non-profit organisation that assists faith groups to invest in line with their beliefs and values. The organisation’s aim is to support the rapidly developing movement of faiths actively using their investments to create a better world – for people and planet.
The goal of this new partnership is to share ways of developing environmental aid, and one of the ways to support the achievement of Religions for Peace’s strategic priorities 2020-2025 can be through FaithInvest’s Faith Long-term Plans. The collaboration will drive multi-faith investment for multi-faith efforts, and to grow the scale and impact of faith-consistent investment. This partnership advances Religions for Peace’s strategic plan 2020-2025 and actively supports the United Nations’s COP26 efforts
Faith for Earth- A Call to Action
Faith for Earth – A Call for Action was launched at the Faith for Nature: Multi-Faith Action Conference 5-8 October 2020, which was hosted by the Government of Iceland. This book is an interfaith collaboration that offers an introduction to the magnitude of the task we now face and to the faith communities that are becoming a force for the global environmental future.
