2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions
A Collage and a Question
Almost 5,000 people from the 83 nations gathered in Melbourne, Australia to listen, to talk, to share, to inspire, to connect with one another at the 2009 Parliament of the World’s Religions from December 3 – 9, 2009.
This provided many Australians a unique opportunity to engage both as host and as participant to many nations and peoples.
Having begun my own inter-religious learning in the city of Melbourne back in 1974, it certainly was a pleasure to see this gathering here. Interreligious work has threaded my own journey in many ways. As formal interreligious dialogues in 1980 in a small theological school in New York, interreligous exchanges with youth, women, religious and political leaders in countries around the world, and more. And today I continue some very specific interreligious work at the United Nations.
So I am personally delighted that Melbourne could host this year’s Parliament.
As a tiny expression of “sharing through remembering” I have two things here.
- First, this very simple collage of sights and sounds from the Parliament.
- Second a very brief re-telling of my “big” question, one that still guides some of what I do around the UN.
Here is the first:
My 9/11 Question
One question bubbled up in the days and weeks post 9/11 as I wandered around the United Nations. My work was focused at the United Nations and I had an office in 866 UN Plaza. 866 houses about 30 nations’ missions to the UN along with businesses and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) offices.
The tensions at that time were palpable. Talk of war, whispers of attack, expressions of indignant outrage arose, uncertainty was felt, overt and secret meetings abounded. The doors in the hallways opened and closed with increasing frequency. Footsteps of people coming and going from Missions reached a peak, (in my experience of only 12 years around the UN) at that time. My office was located opposite Saudi Arabia’s Consul and Mission to the UN at that time.
The political community was doing what political representatives do as they burned the midnight oil for weeks.
The question that crescendoed in my mind and heart at that time and hasn’t yet been answered was, “Where are the religious leaders? Where are they pacing the halls, seeking meetings with one another, questioning one another and themselves in pursuit of better understanding, brainstorming about the possibility of the unique contribution to solutions that religion may make?
Why aren’t WE, the religious people gathering to discuss and debate and draw upon the best wisdom and insight in our own traditions in the hope of providing additional perspective to the situation at hand? Why do religious communities simply proclaim the need for the world to change its ways from the safety of our anxious prayers in our own small parts of the world? What is REALLY stopping us from genuinely engaging? Why aren’t religious people LEADING a more peaceful and strategically useful process? Are we waiting for someone, some request, some approval?
For all the limitations of the political leaders and leadership, at least they were hard at work. I couldn’t help but believe that the solidarity of spiritual leaders could have a place in international dialogue and have an impact upon the actions of many people. But it would require spiritual and religious people to do the hard work of facing our own organizational politics and personal limitations to create some kind of a “religious UN.”
The vision of those who made the PWR happen again this year surely helps prepare us for next steps. But clearly, more strategic steps need to be taken. Can we as those charged with leading our lives, take a bold strategic step forward together? Can we afford to wait for more pressing times?
Karen
PS. I have recordings of various aspects of the closing ceremonies of the PWR. Please add your comments if these would be helpful and I can post them. They include closing remaks by:
- Bob Randall, one of the Stolen Generation (5 min 49 sec)
- Brief Remarks by the Mayor of Melbourne, the Host City (3 min 37 sec)
- Australian Girls Choir
- Michael Fitzpatrick, a cello invocation for world peace
- Dalai Lama’s Keynote at the Closing Plenary
- Musical finale by the Dioscene Music Group
