27.09.2022
Encounter, dialogue and reflection key to cultivating peace – Interfaith event hears
“Unless we cultivate peace we risk drifting away from it,” Dublin’s Lord Mayor Caroline Conroy told a Dublin City Interfaith Forum gathering which marked the UN International Day of Peace last week. The gathering took place in the Peace Park at Christchurch Place in Dublin and the Lord Mayor noted that: “Even the absence of war is not enough for a lasting peace.”
The Lord Mayor said that Dublin was becoming more multi–ethnic, multi–cultural and multi–religious. She said this was a source of strength and vitality and faith communities were integral as they were at work in every community. “They are increasingly recognised as important partners in working for the common good at local level. Faith communities are committed to the values of hospitality, justice and mercy and peace–making. They are committed to working towards developing better understanding and relationships of deeper respect and acceptance of each other as human beings,” she commented.
But she said that the world was changing with deeper divisions and polarisation, a war on the borders of Europe, energy and health crises, climate change, economics and reckless politics all presenting challenges.
She urged people to recognise that there were shared values and differences but they must continue to be fully inclusive, to invite all to dialogue and discussion, and to build on common ground. “Encounter, dialogue, and reflection are good ways to begin this effort to cultivate peace as a deeply rooted value, one that is reflected in our actions, in the education of our children, in our celebrations and stories, in our policies and commitments, and in our relationships near and far,” the Lord Mayor stated.
Chairperson of Dublin City Interfaith Forum, Archbishop Michael Jackson, noted that the event to mark the UN International Day of Peace was taking place in the Peace Park which lay in the heart of the old city of Dublin. Looking out to the crossroads beyond the railings he said that the city stood at a crossroads which was represented by the event’s theme: ‘End Racism – Build Peace’.
“Racism is a very targeted expression of an instinct and an activity which diminishes the things that someone, whom we think of as other, holds dear and which make their identity. Courage, protection, perspective and compassion are the values and virtues needed to combat and eradicate racism in Irish society,” he stated. “The contributions of people from many World Faiths to today’s event and the contribution of the Lord Mayor point us to shared humanity and values of generosity as together being a roadmap for peace as the antidote to racism.”
The attendance at the event was drawn from the faiths represented by DCIF and a number of other contributions were made. Among those present were: – Myozan Kodo – Zen Buddhism Ireland; Ms Hilary Abrahamson – Dublin Jewish Progressive Congregation; Dr Mudafar Al Tawash – Islamic Foundation of Ireland; Mr Shaheen Ahmed – Islamic Cultural Centre of Ireland; Swami Purnananda Puri – Eire Vedanta Society; Dr Hemant Kumar – Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre of Ireland; Mr Patrick Dawson – Baha’i Community; Dr Jasbir Singh Puri – Sikh Community & Gurdwara Guru Nanak Darbar; Ps Dare Adetuberu – Redeemed Christian Church of God; and Mr Sudansh Verma – Vedic Hindu Cultural Centre of Ireland.