Some of the participants at the Espace Barrault Education Center in Paris.
To mark World Interfaith Harmony Week (1-7 February) and International Day of Human Fraternity, Dialogue and Alliance Cooperation Circle held its monthly meeting on Sunday 4 February 2024 on the theme of "Promoting interfaith harmony".
Mr Honoré MAMBUÉNI, coordinator of the Paris Unificationist community, led the main meeting at the Espace Barrault in Paris. People from more than twenty countries followed by videoconference.
The first reading provided a Christian perspective. Three extracts from the New Testament (Mt 5.8-9, 1 Co 1.10, Jc 3.18) were read by Mr Jean-Paul CHAUDY, coordinator of Dialogue & Alliance 69. This branch meets every week at Mains Ouvertes, an interfaith community centre in the Part-Dieu shopping centre in Lyon. The team includes several religious leaders: Jews, Buddhists, Christians, Muslims, Baha'is and religious minorities.
This reading was commented on by Marie-Louise TUZOLANA, President of the Bana Mboka Choir in Lyon, and an educator of young girls who have broken away from their families.
The second reading brought a Baha'i perspective. The text by their founder, Baha'u'llah (1817-1892), was read and commented on by Ms Malène GIROT-DAQUIN, also from Lyon. She is an author, scriptwriter, and actress.
We then listened to "Ahïya" by the Duo Les Frangines. This song exalts the will to love one another beyond our differences.
The third reading took a unificationist look. It was an extract from a speech given by the founder of the Universal Peace Federation, Reverend Sun Myung Moon, on 18 August 2000 at the UN headquarters in New York. He proposed that consideration be given to setting up a representative council of religions within the United Nations. Mr Jacques MARION, President of the Federation for Universal Peace in France, read and commented on this proposal.
The meeting ended with a question-and-answer session and some remarks by Mr Jean-François MOULINET, coordinator of the Dialogue & Alliance circle, who announced that the next meeting would take place on Sunday 10 March on the theme of "The contribution of women to interfaith dialogue" to mark International Women's Day.
The recording of this program is available here (In French).
