WASHINGTON, March 4 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- Jewish, Islamic,
Buddhist, Jain and Hindu communities will meet with Pope Benedict XVI April
17, at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center during the April 15-20 papal
visit to the United States.
The meeting will include a papal address, greetings from inter-faith
leaders and the presentation of symbolic gifts by young members of each
community.
Bishop Richard Sklba, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, noted that the
theme Religions Working for Peace will run through the meeting, to which
200 leaders have been invited.
"The cry for peace in our world calls for religious bodies to come
together," Bishop Sklba said. "This meeting denotes the Holy Father's
belief in the need for religious bodies to stress the goal for peace which
lies at the heart of all religions. It "exemplifies what must happen all
over the world."
The gifts symbolize the path to peace in the deepest teachings of each
group. They include:
A silver menorah with seven lights. It symbolizes the perennial
validity of God's covenant of peace. Silver is frequently used in the
Eastern European Jewish tradition. The menorah recalls the seven branched
lamp stand used in the temple in Jerusalem.
A small, finely crafted edition of the Qur'an, in green leather and
gold leaf edging. The Qur'an is the revered word of God, proclaiming God's
message of peace. Green is the traditional Islamic color.
A metallic cube representing the Jain principles of non-violence and
respect for a diversity of viewpoints as a way to peace through
self-discipline and dialogue.
The sacred syllable Om on a brass incense burner. Om is the primordial
sound of creation itself, by which God's liberating peace is made known.
Bronze or brass are widely used for Hindu liturgical ornaments. Incense
sticks are used in ritual worship among Hindu believers.
A bronze bell cast in Korea. In various Buddhist cultures, the sound of
the bell demarcates the times of meditation, which leads to inner peace and
enlightenment.
Presenters of the gifts include:
David J. Michaels, director of Intercommunal Affairs at B'nai B'rith
International, the oldest Jewish humanitarian, advocacy and social action
organization. A graduate of Yeshiva University, he trained at the Foreign
Ministry of Germany, the Embassy of Israel in Washington, Ha'aretz -
International Herald Tribune, the International Fellowship of Christians
and Jews, the United Nations, and the Conference of Presidents of Major
American Jewish Organizations.
Saman Hussain, born in Pakistan and a graduate of the University of
Virginia where she majored in religious studies and foreign affairs. Saman
served as a leader of the Muslim Student Association and was a coordinator
of the Unity Walk in memory of the victims of 9/11, organized by the
InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.
Aditya Vora, a Jain young adult studying at Haverford College in
Pennsylvania. He has been active since high school in the Long Island
Multi-Faith Forum, dialogues with Holocaust survivors in the New York-New
Jersey-Connecticut region, and anti-prejudice, multi-cultural training
programs on Long Island, NY. He received the "Student Human Rights Award"
from the Smithtown, NY, Anti-Bias Task Force.
Masako Fukata, born in Tokyo, Japan, is an active youth leader of
Rissho Kosei-kai, a socially engaged Buddhist organization headquartered in
Tokyo with six million members world-wide. Inspired by Pope John Paul II's
hosting of the global inter-religious assembly of the World Conference of
Religions for Peace at the Vatican in 1994, Ms. Masako served an internship
in the Religions for Peace International Secretariat in New York in 2003.
She is a member of the newly developing North American Regional
Multi-Religious Youth Network.
Ravi Gupta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Religion at Centre College,
Kentucky. With a doctorate in Religion from University of Oxford, he is the
author of The Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta of Jiva Gosvami: When Knowledge
Meets Devotion. He participated in a recent USCCB-Hindu consultation and is
committed to pursuing interreligious dialogue in both his professional and
personal capacities.
Ten participants will personally greet the pope. They include:
Rabbi Gilbert S. Rosenthal
Executive Director, National Council of Synagogues
New York, New York
Consultant, Catholic-Jewish Advisory Committee
Rabbi Joel Myers
Executive Vice President, The Rabbinical Assembly
New York, New York
Consultant, Catholic-Jewish Advisory Committee
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Executive Vice President of Orthodox Union
New York, New York
Member, USCCB-Orthodox-Union Dialogue
Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director, The Islamic Society of North America
Washington
Co-Chair, Midwest Muslim-Catholic Dialogue
Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi
Chairman, Fiqh (Islamic Law) Council of North America
Garden Grove, California.
Co-Chair, West Coast Muslim-Catholic Dialogue
Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini
Religious Director, Islamic Center of America
Dearborn, Michigan
Member, Midwest Muslim-Catholic Dialogue
Arvind Vora
Chairperson of Interreligious Affairs, Federation of Jain Associations
in North America (JAINA)
Getzville, NY
Reverend Bishop Jongmae K. Park, Ph.D.
Korean Buddhist Taego Order
Los Angeles, California
Eido Shimano Roshi
Abbot, Zendo Shobo-Ji and Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji
New York
Uma Mayasekhara, M.D.
Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam
Director, The Hindu Temple Society of North America
Flushing, New York
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SOURCE U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
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CONTACT:
Sr. Mary Ann Walsh of the U.S. Conference of
Catholic Bishops, +1-202-541-3200, +1-301-587-4762 (h)
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