UNITY THROUGH DIVERSITY...

When the sun rose on the 5th of November 2006, few people knew about the extraordinary meeting that was about to take place in the Franciscan Sacred Convent of Assisi, Italy. That day a group of almost 100 people from 12 different religions began to meet for an interreligious dialog. Cardinal Paul Poupard, president of the pontifical council for interreligious dialog (PCDI) of the Catholic Church had invited them to come to Assisi. Why? Pope John Paul II. set a great sign when he initiated the first meeting for "prayer for peace" in Assisi already 20 years ago. At that time he had invited the leaders of various religions from all over the world. Now for the first time not the religious leaders, but the young generation - coming from all parts of the world - met for dialog. They were to learn what "the Spirit of Assisi" - the spirit of peace - is all about.

For four days the religious representants (who came from countries like Japan, India, USA, South-Korea, Singapore, Israel, Gambia, UK, Bosnia, Turkey, Greece,...) came together to not "just" listen to interesting talks. They also got a chance to dialog in organized little discussion groups. There the young generation - probably some of them with future leading positions in their religion - reflected upon what is important in the world today. Even though coming from very different cultural and religious backgrounds, the key words during their dialog were repeatedly "prayer and peace" and "peace through prayer".

Breaks were used as additional opportunities to get in touch with each other. And it was amazing to realize how fast Clichés broke down. From a Japanese participant I heard, he first was a little afraid when he saw a Sikh with his turban and dagger come into the conference hall and he had asked himself how this man might use his dagger. But the Japanese said he was happy when a few days later the Sikh came to talk with him. The Sikh explained more about his religion and thus all prior fears evaporated.

Simply through meeting each other, through opening up towards one another, many misbelieves and misunderstandings vanished within a matter of hours. So powerful it can be to willingly open up toward the unknown.


 
Photo: THERE IS HOPE... The young generation comprising of 12 different religions gathers in front of the beautiful Basilica "San Francesco" representing not only Christianity, Judaism and Islam but also Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Shintoism and Taoism as well as Baha´i and Brahma Kumari.


To pro-actively show an interest in learning more, to understand better, to appreciate what the other has to tell and to share, means to act in favor of peace. Being a peacemaker is not something far away.


 
Photo: LORD MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE... The motto of the Interreligious Youth Meeting taken into action... Gathered around Cardinal Paul Poupard we see cheerful representants of Sikhism, Brahma Kumari, Islam and Taoism.


To build peace and to turn this world into a better place, it does not need much: if WE begin within ourselves, to change our attitudes to the better, to live with us, our family, friends and neighbors - the people we meet daily - in a peaceful way, then peace will spread. We do not have to wait for the other to take the first step. We can be the first one who does the first move. We can be instruments of peace, if we are ready to say "yes" to it.


 
Photo: “DIFFERENT IS BEAUTIFUL"... a colorful mix of different people... "Different" does not mean "dangerous".


When I asked the participant Tetsuen Saito (Tendai Buddhism, Japan) what would be his personal message to the world, he told me "different is beautiful". We do not need to be all "the same"; we can appreciate the differences of others instead of being afraid of them. And with a smile he remarked "wouldn’t it be boring if we would all be the same?"

Yasuko Newman (Buddhism), living presently in the USA, said a simple but true message would be "let’s become one in prayer for peace".


  
Photo: "CARVING PEACE"... making peace happen... Cardinal Paul Poupard and the Sikh Phaldip Singh Khela are doing more than "just shaking hands"; they are "carving peace".


It impressed me a lot, when the Franciscan Padre Custodian Vincenzo Colli spoke about "CARVING PEACE". He compared peace with the image of a beautiful sculpture. He said, to get a perfect sculpture, the artist has to take off, what does not belong there.
And if we continue to speak in pictures and say we are a piece of stone that has to be carved into a perfect sculpture, it’s our part to actively surrender, to live less self-centered, but to take into account the needs of the other. If we give space to the other, if we are not already "so full of ourselves", then we can also perceive what richness the other has to offer and what we in return can offer that person. So in the end both will "win", will have learned something new, will be enriched and will have broadened their inner horizon a little more.

Confirming within ourselves what was also the motto of the interreligious meeting "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace" means perceiving, that Peace is not something that is passive. It is active. We have to work actively and willingly to make peace happen. To carve peace - to mold peace, means both, to act pro-actively for peace and also to surrender actively.

When I asked participants of the various religions "what do you say about peace?" I repeatedly heard responses like "peace begins within each one of us", "peace begins within the family", "be friendly to your neighbors", "do not only think of big actions or being a reknown peacemaker far away, but be peaceful in your own environment, there peace starts"...

If these representants will continue to live what they talk and will convey the experience of "the spirit of Assisi" - the spirit of peace to their cultures and religions, then - YES - there is hope. Hope for understanding. Hope for reconciliation. Hope for peace.

REMARK:
A compilation of further photos and a video upon this interreligious congress is available. You can order it through contacting: photos@henzlerworks.com

Copyright 2006 of all photos (as usual) by: Claudia Henzler