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 First
held in Chicago in 1893, the Parliament of the World’s
Religions brings together the world’s religious and
spiritual communities, their leaders and their followers
to a gathering where peace, diversity and sustainability
are discussed and explored in the context of interreligious
understanding and cooperation.
As the world’s largest interreligious
gathering,
the Parliament will
- Convene religious and civil leaders and people of
faith,
spirit and goodwill from
at least or more than
80 countries
- Foster interreligious, civil and cross-cultural
dialogue
on important local, national, and global issues
- Invite over 10,000 participants to work together
for
a just, peaceful, and
harmonious
society
- Have global appeal, covering social concerns including
understanding and respecting diversity, peace and
Indigenous
reconciliation
- Engage worldwide religious, spiritual, secular,
environmental, business and educational leaders to
seek commitment and practical solutions through dialogue.
- Promote and encourages social cohesion within
societies
locally and across the world.
THE 2009 PARLIAMENT OF THE WORLD’S RELIGIONS
IN MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA
 Since
1993, a Parliament of the World’s Religions has convened
every five years in a major international city (Chicago
1993, Cape Town 1999, Barcelona 2004). Sponsored by the
Council for
a Parliament of the World’s Religions, the 2009
Parliament will take place in Melbourne, Australia. A multi-religious,
multi-lingual, and multicultural city, Melbourne offers
an ideal location for the 2009 Parliament. Culturally vibrant
and global in vision, Melbourne and Victoria are home to
indigenous and Aboriginal spiritualities as well as the
major world religions – Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity,
Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism among others. Over
10,000 participants will come to Melbourne for the Parliament.
The 2009 Parliament will turn worldwide attention to Melbourne
as a destination city with international appeal. The Parliament
will run for seven days with approximately 450 events including
keynote addresses, seminars, conferences, debates, performances,
concerts and exhibitions.
Parliament participants will work with others and within
their own traditions to craft faithful responses to:
- indigenous reconciliation
- global poverty and global warming
- environmental care and degradation
- education of the young and the challenges of social
disengagement
- voluntary and forced migration
- artistic expression and spirituality and
- the value of sports
In today’s world, understanding between people
of different traditions is not optional. It is essential.
The 2009 Parliament will give people of faith, spirit and
goodwill new reason to say that peace is still possible.
 WHY A PARLIAMENT?
‘There will be no world peace until there is peace
among the religions.’
Hans Küng
The Parliament engages religious and spiritual communities
by:
- Focussing on Indigenous and Aboriginal spiritualities
at the Parliament to honour these communities and encourage
reconciliation.
- Facilitating cooperation between all of Australia’s
religious and spiritual Communities.
- Enabling religious and spiritual communities to increase
social capital by building lasting cross-cultural networks
of understanding and cooperation.
- Challenging religious and spiritual leaders to
craft
new responses and solutions to religious extremism,
wherever
it occurs and increase human security.
- Helping religious and spiritual communities to confront
homegrown terrorism and violence at the local level.
The Parliament educates for global peace and justice by:
- calling people of faith, spirit and goodwill to understand
and respect differences.
- exploring religious conflict and globalisation as defining
challenges in the twenty-first century and provides tools
for responding effectively.
- creating cross-cultural networks that empower peace
and reconciliation.
- helping participants identify religious and spiritual
responses to local, regional, and international challenges
to peace and justice.
- sensitising religious and spiritual communities to
racial, ethnic and religious violence and provides strategies
for defusing tensions.
The Parliament engages civil society by:
- effectively mobilising religious and spiritual communities
for a positive response in times of national and global
crisis.
- exploring the cultivation and governance of religious
and ethnic diversity.
- sensitising political and religious leaders to their
responsibility for national social cohesion.
- helping participants to deal with ethnic and religious
tensions.
- educating civil societies to deal with global and regional
issues.
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