Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The 2022 theme for the International Day of Peace is “End Racism – Build Peace”. This year’s theme is, once again, an invitation to reflect and act on the kind of world we want to live in now and to create for our future generations – a world where compassion, kindness, empathy and respect are the ruling forces. You are invited to join this half-hour4 peace-filled event on Wednesday, 21 September 2022, online.
News
Greeting of His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to the WCC 11th Assembly
His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew offered greetings and a pointed message to the delegates and participants at the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany.
Pope Francis wants World Council of Churches assembly that strengthens bonds between churches
Pope Francis sent greetings to the World Council of Churches (WCC) 11th Assembly as it opened. Cardinal Koch, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity (Roman Catholic Church) delivered greetings from Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic Church to the World Council of Churches 11th Assembly during its first thematic plenary, focused on Care for Creation.
Nostra Aetate: Interfaith – Understanding & Welcoming
In the spirit of Nostra Aetate, Garratt Publishing – in conjunction with Yarra Theological Union – invite you to a 4-week webinar series exploring other religious traditions from a Catholic perspective. The online webinar will be conducted on Monday Evenings – 5 & 12 September, 3 & 10 October. Religions examined will be Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Islam – all from a Catholic perspective.
Updates on Baha’is in Iran
Bahá’ís are not free to practice their religion without harassment. Arbitrary detentions and interrogations are continually carried out against adherents of the Bahá’í Faith throughout the country, and the charges they are accused of reflect the absence of freedom of religion or belief for Bahá’ís in Iran. Currently, more than a thousand Bahá’ís are awaiting their legal hearings on spurious charges or waiting to be summoned and placed into overcrowded prisons; their state of limbo presenting another form of psychological torture.
Religion and Artificial Intelligence
The widespread use of AI systems raises a number of concerns. Existing AI technologies exhibit several features that pose serious threats to the protection of the fundamental rights of individuals and groups – including religious or belief citizens and communities. Such features include the opacity, unpredictability, bias and partially autonomous behaviours of AI systems. Here, the author of this report discusses issues in a video with Relgion and Diplomacy editor Judd Birdsall.
Jacinda Ardern: The world stands on a nuclear precipice – we must avoid catastrophe
Jacinda Ardern – Prime Minister of New Zealand – has written that the world can and must step back from the abyss. The nuclear weapon states – the US, Russia, China, France and the UK – must lead the way.
World Council of Churches: Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace Publications
The World Council of Churches and Globethics.net have co-published four new books on different facets of the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. Harvesting the insights from the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace process and visits from the WCC 10th Assembly in Busan, this series focuses on a number of geographic and thematic areas.
Uniting church in Australia tells staff to avoid using Uber due to company’s ‘unethical foundations’
The Uniting church has told staff in Victoria and Tasmania to avoid using Uber services as the company does not align with its values.
Season of Creation 2022: Listen to the Voice of Creation
All around the world, Christians are uniting to pray and take action for our common home. Join them and celebrate the Season of Creation from 1 September through to the feast of St. Francis on 4 October 2022.
Religion, Peace and the Moral Issues of Fully Autonomous Weapons
Australian Quakers – in collaboration with Safe Ground, Religions for Peace Australia, United Religions Initiative, Pax Christi, the Multifaith Assocation of South Australia and the Canberra Interfaith Forum – will host an event on 22 September 2022 (in person and online) presenting the Australian Interfaith Response to the use of autonomous weapons – otherwise known as Killer Robots.
Current situation of the Bahá’í community in Iran
The Iranian government considers the Baha’i faith a “deviant sect of Islam” and has targeted the community for decades. Earlier this year, Iran’s courts sentenced Baha’is on spurious national security charges, forcing eight Baha’is to attend “counseling sessions” in prison to pressure them to convert. The Ministry of Intelligence has accused Baha’is of “infiltrating educational environments,” and Iran’s government engages in systematic misinformation campaigns against the Baha’i community.
