News & Events

Fall/Winter 2010

Published November 30, 2011 15:14

International News

National News

Regional News - The West

Regional News - Ontario

Regional News - Quebec

International News

The Grand Mufti, spiritual leader of Bulgaria’s Muslims, lends his support to the campaign led by the country’s Orthodox Church to make religious education obligatory in schools. Demonstrators in a parade organized by the church in the capital, Sofia, September 24th denounced the “60 years of atheism” under the Communist regime. (Translated from APIC)


A new committee for understanding and harmony among religions has been created in Malaysia to assure full cooperation between the government and religious communities in confronting and resolving together religious issues that touch the nation. The committee will address questions such as the use of the term “Allah” by Christians, conversion from one religion to another, matters dealing with places of worship and with relations between diverse communities. (Translated from Infocatho)


“Communion and solitude” was the theme of the 18th International Ecumenical Conference on Orthodox Spirituality, held September 8-11 at the Bose Monastic Community near Magnano, Italy. The symposium “wishes to rediscover the fertile relation of these two poles that constitute human living,” organizers explained. “The monastic experience is called to be a synthesis and irradiation of the spiritual dynamics between communion and solitude,” they said. Begun in 1965, the Bose community is formed by men and women of different Churches and Christian confessions. Presently, they number about 80. Several brothers and sisters are members of Reformed Churches, five brothers are priests, and one is a Reformed pastor. The community was founded by its present prior, Enzo Bianchi, and the brethren live in celibacy and prayer and are dedicated to manual work. They labour especially in the fields, in the making of icons, and in the study of sacred Scripture. (Zenit)


“A Blessing to One Another” a September – December exhibit at the Jewish Museum of Maryland explored the development of Pope John Paul II’s personal, spiritual and pastoral link with the Jewish people. Cardinal William Keeler, retired archbishop of Baltimore, emphasized that the exhibition is “a marvellous experience of the faith of both the Jewish and Catholic peoples. One can truly experience John Paul’s closeness to the Jewish people as both brothers in our monotheistic faith and the first respondents to the Word of God.” The exhibit utilized tokens from various phases of John Paul’s life, artifacts from Holocaust sites in Poland, and handwritten notes Pope John Paul used when speaking at the concentration camp at Auschwitz. It recalls how he drastically changed the relationship between Catholics and Jews by his spontaneous visit in 1986 to the main synagogue of Rome, the first such visit by a Pope. The papacy of John Paul saw the Vatican’s official recognition of Israel as an independent state and was highlighted by his public apology to the Jewish people for all of the transgressions committed against them by the Catholic Church. The title of the exhibition came from a letter written by the Holy Father in 1993, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising: “As Christians and Jews, following the example of the faith of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing to the world. This is the common task awaiting us. It is therefore necessary for us, Christians and Jews, to first be a blessing to one another.” (Zenit)


Expressing his support for the Sept. 1 Day for Safeguarding Creation; the pope stated, “There can be no peace in the world without respecting the environment.” The Day for Safeguarding Creation is celebrated by the Catholic Church in Italy and the Greek Orthodox Church. In a message marking the day, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople called on people to adjust their lifestyles and behaviours so as to minimize their personal and communal impact on the earth’s resources. The current economic crisis might provide an opportunity for communities to reassess the way they pursue development and inspire new economic and social models in which top priority is given to the environment and not “unbridled financial gain,” he wrote. (Prairie Messenger)

The International Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church concluded its six-day meeting in Vienna on September 27, 2010. In this 12th plenary session, the commission continued its study of “The Role of the Bishop of Rome in the Communion of the Church in the First Millennium”, a period before the Great Schism of 1054 when the Catholic and Orthodox still formed one church. Some 23 Catholic members of the commission took part in the gathering along with the Orthodox representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia, Romania, Georgia and the Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, the Czech Lands and Slovakia. The commission discussed a draft text on the Bishop of Rome in the 1st Millennium and decided that the document still needs further revisions. It was also decided to form a sub-commission to begin consideration “of the theological and ecclesiological aspects of primacy in its relation to synodality.” This sub-commission will submit its work to the joint coordinating committee of the commission at its 2011 meeting. (Zenit)


The July 19 encounter of religious leaders with the presidents of the European Institutions, José Mnanuel Barroso, Jerzy Buzek and Herman van Rampuy, was the 6th meeting of its kind. It was the first meeting after the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty, in which the European Union commits itself to an “open, transparent and regular dialogue” with the churches and the communities of faith and conviction. Under the theme of “Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion” the religious leaders from 14 European countries introduced their perspectives on the EU 2020 Strategy and expressed their willingness to work closely with the European institutions on social issues. The Rt. Revd. Christopher Hill, Vice-President of the Conference of European Churches, pleaded for the dialogue becoming substantive. He called for a joint preparation and follow-up to the annual encounters and stressed the important contribution that churches can make in this dialogue due to the fact that they are organised on a local as well as on a national, European and global level. The Presidents of the European Union welcomed the contributions of the religious leaders. “Churches and religious communities are important providers of social services in EU member states. If we want to combat poverty effectively, it is essential to draw from their long standing and wide ranging experience,” José Manuel Barroso stated. (WCC News)


The ecumenical community of Taizé in eastern France marked the seventieth anniversary of its foundation in 1940 by Brother Roger Schutz on 14 August 2010. Pope Benedict praised this community that welcomes thousands of young adults from around the world searching for meaning in their lives and allows them to experience a personal relationship with God. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said, “Taizé has become a true centre, a focal point and a place of gathering of deepening prayer, of listening and humility.” Patriarch Kirill I of the Russian Orthodox Church stated “Today at Taizé a hundred brothers, Catholics and Protestants, live together. And the community is often visited by young believers from orthodox churches.” (ENI)


An inter-religious meeting to strengthen harmony and mutual respect and challenge the “negative forces that aim to divide and destabilize our society” was organized in August on the initiative of Monsignor Baselios Mar Cleemis chief of the Syro-Malankarite Church in India’s Kerala state. Christian Hindus and Muslim representatives gathered to participate in the friendly discussion. “This initiative for peace is welcome. We have gathered here today to declare that we deplore the episodes of violence, which are not in line with Islamic spirituality,” said Imam Maulavi Jamaluddin. “No religion preaches community hatred. No community must be isolated because of ‘sporadic’ incidents,” said a joint communiqué published during the meeting. (misna news)


The first step in the development of an African network on “healing of memories” was a regional consultation and training session for Southern African church representatives held September 5-11 in Cape Town. The event was hosted by the Institute for Healing of Memories and co sponsored by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) and the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The purpose of the training session, attended by 40 participants from Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, was to illustrate the methodology used by the Institute to work on healing of memories. Acknowledgment of the wrong done is key to beginning the journey to healing and reconciliation. Stories from the host country South Africa illustrated the efforts undertaken by churches and individuals to overcome traumas of the past. The discussion brought to light the great need for healing of memories in the whole region as well as in other parts if the world. Similar consultations will take place in West and Central Africa in Africa in 2011 and in East Africa in 2012. The continental process will feed into the AACC General Assembly in 2013 as well as the global work on healing and reconciliation sponsored by both the WCC and LWF. (WCC News)


Scottish Churches House ecumenical conference centre celebrated its 50th anniversary and continuing role as an ecumenical beacon in Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole on 13 September 2010. Located between Edinburgh and Glasgow, Scottish Churches House is a space for mutual encounter where churches in Scotland and beyond can develop their ministry and mission together. Retreats, church and inter-church meetings, conferences, arts performances, international theological summer schools and work camps have become part of the programme of the House. (WCC News)


Catholic Bishop Andrew Francis of Muttan and Anglican Bishop Alexander Malik of Lahore led a convoy of food and bottled water to southern Punjab province in Pakistan, where five districts are submerged under floodwaters. Federal Minister for Minorities Shahbaz Bhatti also joined the convoy with an additional six trucks of relief items. Bishop Francis told flood victims on their arrival, “We came through these deadly waters to bring you food and show you that we care.” Bishop Malik said: “We are all Pakistanis and stand together amid this crisis.” The two bishops then went among the many tents to give out relief packages to survivors. (CNS News)


A conference on racism organized by the World Council of Churches in partnership with the United Church of Christ (UCC) and Dutch missionary and diaconal agency Kerk in Actie took place in Cleveland, Ohio, 26-29 August. Participants in the conference came from churches in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Peru, Nicaragua, Europe, Africa and India. While the struggle against racism has been a highly visible priority for the ecumenical movement, there are now diverging views as to the role churches should play in combating racism. The economic disempowerment of many marginalized communities and the continued practice of case-based discrimination that involves about 250 million Dalits in South Asia and elsewhere all point to the fact that the instruments of discrimination are not the same as they were 40 years ago. The Cleveland conference explored the theological basis for churches continued engagement with initiatives that confront racism and related forms of discrimination and reflected on the concept of just peace from the perspective of those struggling against racism and casteism. This reflection will contribute to the drafting of the Declaration on just Peace that the WCC International Ecumenical Peace Convocation, in Kingston, Jamaica, in May 2011, is expected to issue. (Oikoumene News) 


Around the world on Tuesday 21 September, ecumenical and inter-faith events for the annual International Day of Prayer for Peace were reported from Protestant and Catholic Churches. The World Council of Churches initiated the day six years ago in parallel with the UN International Day for peace. The events included interfaith services, drop-in prayers, making murals and building peace poles. In Jos, Nigeria, prayers for peace included Muslims and Christians praying together in the wake of community and church burnings, looting and killings. The world YMCA called its associations in 125 countries to observe the day as an opportunity to “nurture lasting peace in families and communities”. Act for Peace, an ecumenical agency in Australia, urged churches, parishes and individuals to observe and pray for a day of ceasefires, both “personal” and political. Africa Youth ministries, a church organization in northern Uganda, invited 900 churches to join in “21 days of peace activism” around the 21 September date. (WCC News)


A group of leading Buddhists and Christians has underscored the urgency for faith communities to engage with government and financial institutions to transform personal and structural greed and help promote the equitable distribution of wealth. Thirty leaders, scholars, economists and activists from the two faith groups meeting under the auspices of The Lutheran World Federation and the World Council of Churches affirmed that Buddhists and Christians share similar teachings on greed, which should constitute the basis for engaging today’s economic crisis. “Engaging Structural Greed” was the theme of the consultation hosted by Payap University in Chiang Mai, Thailand from 22 to 26 August. The consultation included Lutherans, Reformed, Anglican and Roman Catholic Christians, and Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhists from 14 countries, and produced a final statement titled, “A Buddhist – Christian Common Word on Structural Greed.” The consultation’s final statement recognizes that Buddhists understand that greed causes suffering but that human beings can overcome greed by becoming generous, loving and compassionate. It states that Christians believe Jesus Christ resisted oppressive structures and was victorious over them. “Collective power is enhanced when Buddhists and Christians work together; they are able to have an even more effective and constructive impact when they engage with other religious communities and grassroots civil society organizations and movements,” the statement adds. A Buddhist – Christian Common Word on Structural Greed is available in PDF. (Lutheran World)


The 2nd Catholic Orthodox Forum took place Oct. 18-22 in Rhodes, on the theme “Church-State Relations: Theological and Historical Perspectives.” It was presided over by Metropolitan Gennadios of Sassima of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and by Cardinal Peter Erdo, president of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE). Some 17 delegates from the council participated, and as many representatives of the Orthodox Churches. The Forum addressed some topics in particular: the Church-state relationship from the theological and historical point of view, the way in which Churches live their relations with the state; the common good and the service/diakonia of the Church to society. “Independence and reciprocal autonomy must allow for a specific and harmonious cooperation between the two institutions,” the participants stated. “The Churches have the duty to awaken consciences,” they asserted, “and to defend the dignity of the human person created in the image of God,” confirming in particular “the right to conscientious objection for medical staff, whom no one can oblige to practice abortion or euthanasia.” Finally, the forum participants insisted on liberty of education, affirming that the duty of education belongs to parents. They stated that the Church “has the constitutive right to offer an education that is in conformity with the Christian principles of the families that have requested it.” The 3rd Catholic Orthodox Forum will be held in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2012. (Zenit)


The largest Arabic-speaking Christian television network launched its first multilingual satellite program, aimed to reach a worldwide audience. The Lebanese network, Télé Lumière, launched an international program in various languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian. It noted the aim to make this station “an international free platform for peace and dialogue, communicating from Lebanon to the world the true face of humanity.” In the inaugural speech for the international program, Jacques Kallassi, general manager of Télé Lumière, noted that the network aims to lead the discussion “on the main subjects that attract people’s attention, regardless of their confessions.” (Zenit)


Israel’s first fully accredited Arab-Christian college, the Nazareth Academic Institute (NAI), opened its doors on 1 November. As of Nov. 1, the curriculum for both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Social Communications has been approved. Other departments that are being considered for approval by the Council of Higher education are computer science and occupational therapy. In the planning stages are programs for environmental studies, food and nutrition science, tourism and theology. Students in each field of study will be required to take a course in the Peace Studies and Leadership Program. “Required of all students, this peace core encourages students to evaluate regional issues from multiple perspectives and conflicting cultural narratives. It also fosters the skills in critical thinking, negotiation and conflict resolution students need to identify solutions and build consensus in a diverse society.” The founder of NAI is Melkite Catholic Archbishop Elias Chacour of Akka, Haifa, Nazareth and All of Galilee. Kurt Hengl, vice president of the International Board of Trustees of the NAI said, “There will be the need for enormous efforts in order to realize and secure the visions of [Archbishop] Chacour of a Christian-inspired academic Institution for the youth of Galilee – Christians and Muslims, Jews and Druzes.” On the Net: Nazareth Academic Institute: http://www.nazareth.ac.il/. (Zenit)


“Christians and Hindus: Toward Enhancing of Mutual Respect, Trust and Cooperation,” is the title of a message sent by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on the occasion of the Hindu feast of Diwali, the festival of light, which will be observed Nov. 5. “Respect is the proper regard for the dignity which naturally pertains to every person irrespective of any external recognition,” the message stated. “Trust nourishes every genuinely human relationship, both personal and communitarian,” it noted. “The greater our engagement in interreligious dialogue, the fuller our respect and trust become, leading us to an increase in cooperation and common action,” the message stated. (Zenit) 


The new address of the website on Jean Calvin, www.jean-calvin.org, replaces the former calvin09 site. Information, documents, games and products relating to Calvin are available in four languages. The site is under the patronage of the World Communion of Reformed Churches and the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches. The selection “calvin theo” uses keywords to explain the theology of Calvin and also contains the complete collection of his writings and a series of supplementary texts. (Translated from Radio Ville-Marie)


The Dalai Lama visited Toronto, October 22-24, one year after his visit to Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. The Tibetan spiritual leader spoke at the Rogers Centre to a crowd of 30,000 and also visited a disused factory site measuring 4,6002 square metres to be converted into a Tibetan cultural centre. The Tibetan population of Toronto numbers approximately 5,000. (Translated from Radio Ville-Marie) 

National News 

The first Canadian Lutheran Anglican Youth (CLAY) gathering, held in London, Ontario August 19-22, was attended by some 1,000 delegates from across the country. A mix of music, drama, humour, worship and education created an exciting, inspiring atmosphere. Each of the addresses of keynote speaker, the Rev. Canon Bill Cliff, centered on one of Jesus’ parables and challenged the audience to see scripture for new angles. Sarah Rudd, one of the Lutheran members of the planning committee, noted that youth tend not to notice differences between the two traditions. “They just jump in and have a good time together,” she said. The next CLAY gathering will be held in Saskatoon in 2012. (Anglican Journal).

An English Canadian chapter of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT) has been launched by the University of Toronto religions studies professor, Stephen Sharper, and Simon Apolloni, the PhD student he supervises. ACAT was first established in Paris in 1974 and has existed in Quebec for 25 years. But the largely catholic ecumenical organization has never been able to break through in either English Canada or the United States. The University of Toronto-based English Canadian chapter of the international movement has established a new annual lecture. The first Marcellus Lecture brought DePaul scholar William Cavanaugh from Chicago Oct. 16 to speak about “Torture: A Spiritual Challenge”. It has also launched a study group taking a close look at Cavanaugh’s book, Torture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ. ACAT groups meet to learn about torture and prisoners of conscience and then write letters to authorities around the world asking for speedy, open and fair trials or release. ACAT Quebec’s president Guy Gauthier notes that while ACAT began as a Christian offshoot of Amnesty International, “The main difference is that we add a Christian dimension. We take action and we pray.” For Appolloni, who can always be found in Church on Sunday, the combination of action and prayer is critical. “Going to church on Sunday doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car,” he said. ACAT’s next Toronto meeting will be Jan. 17. Contact Lauren Drainie at lauren.drainie@utoronto.ca or (416) 593-0906. (The Catholic Register)

Regional News

The West

The most northerly mosque in Canada, which opened its doors on November 5 in Inuvik, will serve as a gathering place for Canadians from Sudan, Lebanon and Egypt working in the natural gas industry. The Manitoba-based Muslim charitable Zubaidah Tallab Foundation, started in 2007, brought the Mosque to Inuvik in the Northwest Territories at a cost of $271,000. Built in Manitoba, the “Tundra Mosque” travelled by truck to Hay River on the shores of Great Slave Lake where it was loaded onto a barge and shipped via the Mackenzie River to Inuvik which numbers about 100 Muslims in its population of 3,500. (Translated from Radio Ville-Marie)

Are Science and Faith Related? was the topic Nov. 10 at a Chester Ronning Presentation in Camrose, Alberta by Fr. José Funes, Distinguished Visiting Fellow and director of the Vatican Observatory. The presentation continued at the Telus World of Science in Edmonton with a discussion on Astrobiology: Are We Alone in the Universe? (Canadian Lutheran)

On Sept. 11 a multifaith group in Kelowna BC organized a gathering in support of religious freedom and diversity. Pastor Tyler Gingrich, All Saints, Kelowna, and Unitarian minister, Rev. Linda Weaver Horton organized the event, which was held in recognition of pain and religious divisions intensified by the terrorist activity nine years ago on Sept. 11. People representing many faith traditions – including Islam, Sikhism, Judaism, Christianity, Neo-paganism and Taoism – were present. There were also readings representing Buddhist, Baha’i and Hindu religious traditions. A series of small candles were lit from a single flame and much of the evening included opportunities for sharing different traditions and perspectives. “Now with more cultures intersecting with one another, it’s important to get to know our neighbours and not to discount other ways of believing,” said Pasto Gingrich. (Canada Lutheran)

The interdenominational Vancouver School of Theology has recently established the Iona Pacific Inter-Religious Centre, headed by Rabbi Dr. Robert Daurn, which fosters cooperation among the religions and provides stimulating courses for students. Part of the Native Ministry Consortium, VST has been for a quarter of a century the only school in North America that offers a fully accredited Master of Divinty by extension, shaped to meet the needs of First Nations students. A good theological education should both root and stretch students and that is just what can happen at VST. (Presbyterian Record)

Remembering, Seeing, Hoping, an Ecumenical Advent Retreat with Bishop Donald Bolen was held at Queen’s House of Retreat and Renewal in Saskatoon Friday November 26, 2010 to Sunday November 28 2010. Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in the Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan in 1991, Bishop Bolen was assigned to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome in 2001 where he served as co-secretary of the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC), the Anglican-Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission (IARCCUM) and the Joint International Commission for Dialogue Between the World Methodist Council and the Roman Catholic Church. From 2004 to 2008, he also co-chaired the international commission responsible for preparing texts for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Bishop Bolen has written numerous articles in the field of ecumenical relations and has lectured on this topic in Canada, the United States, England, Italy and Australia. (Ecumenism in Canada)

The work of Yahad-In Unum was explained by its founder and president, Father Patrick Desbois, on Oct. 4 at Beth Tzedec Synagogue in Toronto. The French priest who has dedicated part of his life to seeking out witnesses to Nazi mass executions in remote Ukrainian villages was invited by Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto and Beth Tzedec Synagogue. Yahad-In Unum has identified thousands of graves across Eastern Europe. Through interviews and physical evidence, it has documented precisely what happened to people who were taken away from their homes and shot in cold blood more than 60 years ago. Before the end of the year the Yahad-In Unum web site, www.yahadinunum .org/en/, will feature an interactive mp showing the locations where people were murdered. A team of 20 in Paris is at work geotagging hundreds of thousands of pieces of evidence. More than anything, Desbois feels it is our duty to remember. “Forgetting undermines our values. We cannot build a society of human values, or Christian values, above the mass graves of people we never recognize and never buried like human beings,” he said. (The Catholic Register)

Ontario

The Dalai Lama visited Toronto, October 22-24, one year after his visit to Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver. The Tibetan spiritual leader spoke at the Rogers Centre to a crowd of 30,000 and also visited a disused factory site measuring 4,6002 square metres to be converted into a Tibetan cultural centre. The Tibetan population of Toronto numbers approximately 5,000. (Translated from Radio Ville-Marie)
Friends of the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto and keynote speaker Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa honoured Rabbi Erwin Schild and his wife Laura with a charity dinner on 24 November. Funds from the dinner will go to maintaining the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto’s programs. Over the years Rabbi Schild has served with the Multicultural Institute of the League of Human Rights of B’Nai Brith and with the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto. The Canadian Council of Christians and Jews awarded him its Human Relations Award in 1981. In 1982 Catholics and Protestants in Cologne-Mulheim asked him to help them recover the history of their destroyed local Jewish community. Since 2000 he has been an officer in Germany’s Order of Merit and was made a member of the Order of Canada in 2001. (The Catholic Register)

Health, faith and the environment: a workshop which explores the connections between health and the environment through the lens of faith and spirituality was held November 11 at Know Presbyterian Church in Toronto. Participants engaged in small and large group discussions. Speakers included Dr. Alan Abelsohn, Hilda Swirsky and Gideon Forman. (The Catholic Register)

A fall series of lectures and dialogues organized by Scarborough Missions began with a report by Sr. Lucy Thorson of the Sisters of Sion on Jewish-Muslim Encounter at the most recent International Council of Christians and Jews meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. On Nov. 3 Holocaust survivor Faye Schulman spoke about her experience and presented the film Out of the Fire. Archdiocese of Toronto ecumenical and interfaith affairs director Fr. Damian MacPherson and Rabbi Roy Tanenbaum addressed “Listening and Learning: Christians and Jews in Conversation.” Fr. Murray Watson from London ON spoke about the King’s University College interfaith initiative, the Centre for Jewish-Catholic-Muslim Learning Nov. 18. Delegates who attended the 2009 Parliament of World Religions in Australia wrapped up the series on Nov. 24 with a session on “Building a Global Interfaith Community”. (The Catholic Register)

Quebec 


The fifth Festival of the Bible was held at Montmartre in Quebec City August 27-29. Held every two years, the theme of this year’s festival was Ecology – from the Bible to today. Conferences, workshops, round table discussions, liturgies and festivities exposed participants to various aspects of ecology among Christians. Among the speakers were Bishop Bertrand Blanchet, bioethics expert; Jean Bellefeuille of the Canadian Religious Conference; Sarah Harding of the Guardians of Creation; and theologian Horia Roscanu. United Church pastor, Rev. David Fines led a workshop on the “green pages” of the Bible and demonstrated the ecological witness of the Reformed Churches. (Translated from Radio Ville-Marie)


An October 30 visit to a Montreal Coptic Orthodox Church, a stop at an Egyptian Restaurant with a talk on the geography, the language, the history and customs of Egypt were part of a series of intercultural exchanges offered by “Amarrages sans frontiers”. On Novembr14, a dinner get-together in a Tibetan restaurant gave the participants a taste of the mystery, the spirituality and the warmth of the Tibetan people. Sharing a Sabbath evening with a Jewish family on November 19 was a special opportunity to learn more about Jewish religion and culture while partaking of an excellent oriental kosher meal. (Translated from Babillard intercultuel)

Visits to the Soufi Centre of Montreal on October 19 and to St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church on November 17 were organized by the Canadian Centre for Ecumenism with the Montreal Interfaith Council and Religions for Peace, Quebec. (Translated from Babillard intercultuel)
An interfaith celebration for peace was held at Montreal City Hall on November 2. During the ceremony, members of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths along with those in five choral groups witnessed to their commitment by signing a Peace Declaration. (Translated from Babillard intercultuel)

Activities in the Holocaust Educational Series held October 13-24 and organized by the Montreal Holocaust Memorial Centre, featured talks by Holocaust survivors, workshops, conferences and exhibits which attested to the importance of remembering in building the future. (Translated from Babillard intercultuel)

An interfaith meditation day was held on Sunday, October 3, at the Daughters of St. Paul bookstore in Montreal with Yvon Théroux (Christianity), Lily Gozlan (Buddhism), Roger Marc-Aurelle (Hinduism), Karim Ben Driss (Sufism), and Rabbi Shactar Orenstein (Judaism). An atmosphere of silence permeated the day’s activities, which included a brief introduction to each of the religious traditions followed by fifteen minutes of meditation and a morning and afternoon discussion period. (Translated from Sentiers de foi)

A symposium on the dialogue of cultures and monotheistic religions was held September 10-11 at the Pastoral Institute of the Dominicans in Montreal. Speakers who developed the contributions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam bring to modern dialogues included Samia Amor, Sami Aoun, Rachid Benzine, Claude Geffrie, Sharon Gubay-Helfer, Jean-Claude Guillebaud, Sylvie Latreille and Georges Leroux. Periods of exchange followed each presentation and the event closed with an interreligious prayer service. (Translated from l’Insitut de pastorale)

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