Global religious leaders gather to send message to G8/G20
WINNIPEG, MB—An exotic assortment of religious leaders in colourful array—Shinto, Hindu, Christian, Jewish, Baha'i, Muslim, Buddhist—stepped solemnly into a light rain, stooping to enter a teepee and toss a red-wrapped tobacco packet offering into a sacred fire. The symbolic actions mingled each prayer for the success of the gathering with the smoke of countless others.
"Welcome to our homeland," said David Courchene of the Anishnabe Nation at the opening ceremonies of World Religions Summit 2010, a June 21-23 gathering of 71 senior religious leaders (formal delegates) from every region of the world. Another 130 observers were registered for the summit.
Courchene spoke of "a prophecy amongst our people that tells of time that we would gather at the centre." And, he continued, "Here in Manitoba, Canada our people have referred to our most sacred site as Manitou Api ("Where the Great Spirit Sat") in the centre of the continent of North America."
According to Courchene, the ancient prophecy foretold a time when representatives from throughout the world would come to this place and help to reveal spiritual truths of human existence and our responsibilities in taking care of the earth. "This gathering in our area helps fulfill the prophecy of our people," he said.
Key message
Indeed, the goal of the gathering was to send a concerted message from the broadest possible religious community to the leaders of the G8 and G20 countries, whose policies and practices control or influence the lives of most of the people in the world.
The key elements of the religious leaders' message highlight the need to end poverty, care for the earth and promote peace. "We urge the political leaders to consider first the vulnerable among us, particularly our children, and to work together to address the dehumanizing scourge of poverty and injustice, and to practice and promote care for our common environment, the Earth," states the final communiqué from the summit.
After two full days of speeches and consultations, the four-page "A Time for Inspired Leadership" document was ceremoniously presented to MP Stephen Fletcher, who was to pass it along to Stephen Harper to present to the G8 and G20 gatherings in Ontario.
In essence, the religious leaders are pledging their support to governments attempting to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to encourage greater collaboration among the various faith traditions. Plenary speaker John McArthur, executive director of Millennium Promise, observed that the MDGs have already "become the world's goals," and that they "form a remarkable fulcrum for solidarity."
Summit host James Christie, past-president of the Canadian Council of Churches and outgoing dean of the faculty of theology at the University of Winnipeg, agrees that the MDGs provide representatives of all the world's major religions with "a common language to speak with political leaders, a "Rosetta Stone of sorts."
Evangelical Christians were well represented at the summit. They include: Evangelical Fellowship of Canada president Bruce Clemenger; World Evangelical Alliance international director Geoff Tunnicliffe; World Vision president Dave Toycen; Salvation Army commissioner Bill Francis, and more.
"A lot of the work we're already doing contributes to the MDGs," says Clemenger. "It's not just the government sending money. Around $1 billion flows overseas from religious charities. And well over half of the money coming from Christian charities comes from evangelicals. If we are calling on governments to give, we need to call on our own constituencies to do the same. We need to learn to categorize things in those terms. That legitimizes our advocacy."
"It is a sin"
Early on the conference was galvanized by a hard-hitting address from Canadian Senator Romeo Dallaire, the former general who led the ill-fated UN peacekeeping forces during the Rwanda genocide in the mid-1990s.
The old world order of the Cold War has been replaced by a "new world disorder," he said. And he warned of a "new, low-technology weapon" created in recent years—the child soldier. "With the proliferation of small arms, they can be very effective. There are more than 300,000 of them at any one time involved in 30 different conflicts.
"This is not just a crime against humanity," insisted Dallaire. "It is a sin."
Dallaire lamented the short-term thinking that drives today's political decision-makers. "They are swimming in the complexity and ambiguity of our times. They are thinking about tomorrow's headlines, not of what will still be significant five years from now." They need "the depth that faith provides," he said.
Salvation Army commissioner Christine MacMillan echoed the sentiment, observing that "people of faith are people of eternity, people of hope—people of the long-term."
Youth delegates injected a dose of idealism into the proceedings, calling for a greater sense of urgency and action. "The issue of the environment is really important," said Shannon Kaur, 20. "We cannot continue to let other people suffer due to our selfishness."
The president of the U.S. Council of Churches, Michael Kinnamon, acknowledged how "in the job it's easy to become cynical about the possibility of effecting change. We lose the urgency; we lose the edge."
But for Sojourners Community founder Jim Wallis, "the prophetic vocation is to proclaim the impossible and then make it possible." And, says Courchene, "Politicians have leveraged the greatest scientists and economists. When are they going to leverage the people of the heart?"
For his part, Christie believes the event has enduring value. "It's likely that this sort of impetus helps to at least keep the MDGs on the G8 and G20 agendas. Beyond that, it's good for people anywhere to know that religious leaders are concerned and taking action. And it's certainly good for the people who are here."
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