Greetings of peace! At the moment we are celebrating UN World Interfaith Harmony Week, at a time when we are facing many challenges to the Interfaith movement. As you will see from the items in this newsletter, however, there is great enthusiasm to meet those challenges. Our gathering for February will be in collaboration with the Multicultural Council of Tasmania on the evening of 23 February 2017.
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On Thursday, Pope Francis received in audience the participants in a Symposium promoted by the Organization of American States and the Institute of Inter-Religious dialogue of Buenos Aires on the theme: “America in Dialogue: Our Common Home” (Augustinianum, Rome, September 7-8).
Living Waters – Run-off, Rivers and Reefs is a multi-faith event for all people interested in the well-being of our inland and coastal waterways and our role in caring for them now and into the future.
The Buddhist Council of Victoria and the ARRRC – an interfaith group active on climate change issues in Australia – will be jointly launching the Buddhist Climate Change Action Kit on Wednesday, 17 August.
The Australian Religious Response to Climate Change (ARRCC) / Greenfaith would like to invite you to a presentation on Faith perspectives on Climate Change: Muslim perspectives at Borderlands Library, Hawthorn on Sunday 17 July 2016.
You are invited to submit expression of interest to join ICV’s Committee for Climate Change and Sustainability education. The committee will develop an action plan to initiate a climate change and energy sustainability knowledge campaign among the Muslim community of Australia to empower them.
Last December, representatives of 196 nations did something they’d never before been able to accomplish before. Gathered in Paris, they reached an international agreement on climate change. Together our faith communities were at the heart of making this happen. But there is still more to do. Sacred Earth is a worldwide spiritual event taking place on Jun 12, 2016. This event spans many faith traditions.
The Multifaith Association of South Australia iwll host a workshop on Climate Change at the Baha’i Learning Centre on evening of Tuesday 31 May.
The Interfaith Climate Change Statement to World Leaders (2016) outlines religious leaders and faith communities positive judgement of the adopted Paris Agreement and urges for its prompt signature and ratification by governments so that it can come into force as soon as possible. It also insists that there is a significant increase in the current levels of ambition relating to emission reductions, financial flows, adaptation, loss and damage and a swift phase out of fossil fuel subsidies – so as to keep temperatures within reach of 1.5C.
The President of France, H.E. Francois Hollande, today praised the efforts of campaigners and faith leaders who personally delivered to him a collection of petitions containing over 1.8 million signatures calling for climate justice.
A number of interfaith events will take place at the Paris Climate Change Conference. Brahma Kumaris University is leading many events along with other coordinated religious presences.
Deal with it! People, Rights, Justice is the title of the Side Event to be presented at the Paris Climate Change Event on Monday, 7 December. Presenters include Caritas International, Friends of the Earth International and the German Catholic Bishops Development Agency. Pope Francis’ encylical Laudato Si is a foundational document for this session.
