The 2004 Parliament of the World's Religions

Catholic New Times, Sept 12, 2004 by Thomas Ryan

Sixty-five hundred participants from 75 countries participated in the Fourth Parliament of the World's Religions, July 7-13, in Barcelona, Spain.

The theme of the Parliament was "Pathways to Peace: the Wisdom of Listening, the Power of Commitment." More a gathering of people engaged in inter-religious relations at local and regional levels than an Assembly of high-level leaders, the Parliament offered an opportunity to foster mutual understanding and respect, to recognize the humanity of the other and broaden a sense of community, to learn to live together in harmony in the midst of diversity, to seek justice, peace, and sustainability of the earth's resources, and to deepen one's own spirituality. In short, to actively work for a better world.

In the Parliament's opening plenary session, internationally known theologian and author Raimon Pannikar, a native of Catalonia, Spain, said, "We're here to transform and renew what the very concept of religion is. We are now in the fifth millennium of religious history. People are unable to stop being religious. But religion which cannot enable us to live harmoniously with one another is no religion."

This theme--of religion representing a way to become more fully human--surfaced and resurfaced throughout the assembly sessions attended by this participant.

On the first day of the Symposium on Interfaith Education, planned and organized by a network of organizations in the United States, panelist Fr. Leo Lefebure of Fordham University in New York City said, "The agenda is to determine what, amidst all the diversity of religions and practice, truly contributes to human flourishing, and what is oppressive."

In a session on "Developing Rationales Within the Christian Tradition for Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation," Rev. John Titaney, rector and professor of Wacona Christian University in Indonesia, sounded a similar note: "Religion consists of two aspects: a vision of what it means to be authentically and fully human, and ways in which a community strives to realize that vision."

In another panel presentation entitled "The Battle for God," Dr. Kamar Kammaruzzaman, a professor at the Islamic International University in Australia, observed "It's fundamentally important that we know what being a human is all about. Once we get that, we can then understand one another. From a Muslim perspective, the human person is a physical, intellectual, and spiritual being. So we need to pay attention to economic standards of living (the physical), the level of education (intellectual), and prayer and service (spiritual)."

A moment that effectively caught the raison d'etre of the Parliament for the World's Religions came during the discussion period entitled "Finding the Brother in the Other: Overcoming Negative Images of Other Faiths as we Build Our Religious Identities and Seek Common Ground."

A Muslim imam from Rwanda took the mike and expressed how valuable he was finding this "free zone" where people from different religions could meet to talk together. "I am from Rwanda," he said, "where one million people were slaughtered in 100 days because people did not find a brother or sister in the other."

Then he turned to Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, an Orthodox Jewish member of the presenting panel, and said, "I am getting to know Jews here. I really appreciate what you have been saying about Judaism not being just a way to be Jewish, but a way to be human--and so it must be with all other religions, too. I want to shake your hand!" As he went toward the panelists' table, the Rabbi got up and came around the table to meet him and the two spontaneously embraced. The poignancy of the moment gripped everyone and the audience erupted in applause.

Religious leaders participating in the Parliament met for a three-day Assembly at the famous Benedictine monastery of Montserrat outside Barcelona. Instead of issuing a formal document at this gathering, they called for religious and spiritual communities to develop and enact practical and transformative responses to four critical issues: improving the plight of refugees, relieving the crushing burden of international debt on poor countries, creating access to clean water, and overcoming religiously motivated violence.

In their Assembly and at the Parliament, they committed themselves and called upon all Parliament participants to identify and commit to "simple and profound acts" that make a contribution to a just, peaceful, and sustainable world. Participants were asked to view the issues through the lens of their own traditions. What in one's own tradition compels and inspires one to care about this issue? How does the strategy for social change embedded in the teachings of one's own and others; traditions shape one's response?

Parliament participants received an object lesson in "simple, profound acts" from the International Sikh community which was observing and celebrating four historic anniversaries. They erected a huge, off-site Gurudwara (temple and gathering place) in the form of a tent just a five-minute walk along the ocean from where Parliament sessions took place. Inside the tent Sikh men and women prepared and served blessed vegetarian food for lunch and supper every day of the Parliament at no charge for all who wished to come. Nishkar Seva (selfless service) is a fundamental tenet of the Sikh faith: performing voluntary selfless service in helping the needy without expecting any reward.