The fourth Parliament of the World’s Religions, will be held from 7th to 13th July 2004 in Barcelona, Spain. The Parliament will carry the theme “Pathways to Peace: the Wisdom of Listening, the Power of Commitment”, with the aim to:

- Seek peace, justice and sustainability and commit to work for a better world;
- Acknowledge the humanity of the other and broaden our sense of community;
- Foster mutual understanding and respect and learn to live in harmony in the midst of diversity; and
- Deepen spirituality and experience personal transformation.

Participants will have opportunities to select from over 400 carefully selected programs and performances relating to spiritual practice, religious identity, and intra and interreligious dialogue. The 2004 Parliament of the World’s Religions will also highlight strategies to help communities of faith transform the world through real action. Throughout this gathering, participants will be invited to commit to “simple and profound acts” to take home to improve their communities.

Christian Today managed to get an exclusive interview with Rev Dr William Lesher, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Council for the Parliament of the World Religions. Below are his responses in the interview:


1. How many people altogether do you expect to attend the Parliament? Among them, how many religious leaders will you be expecting and which religions are they from?

Currently, we are expecting between 4 and 5 thousand people to attend the 2004 Barcelona Parliament. This could increase when the Parliament actual begins. Some will be luminaries in the religious world like the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Rabbi Henry Sobel from Brazil, Dr. Abdullah Omar Nasseef, former president of the World Muslim League and the Archbishop of Barcelona. Most of the attendees will be followers of the various religious and spiritual traditions. Believers from all the major world religions will be in attendance along with members of new religious movements and spiritual traditions.

2. Is there any special meaning behind the title "Pathways to Peace: the Wisdom of Listening, the Power of Commitment"?

Yes. Organisers of the Barcelona Parliament which include the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, The UNESCO Centre of Catalonia and the Universal Forum of Cultures adopted this theme nearly two years ago. It clearly states the conviction that at their core, religions are all pathways to peace. The Parliament draws people together who live out of the depth of their traditions where all religions embrace a message of personal and social peace. The phrase, “the wisdom of listening” is a reference to the need to be attentive to these foundational elements in all of the religious traditions. It is also a reference to one of the principles of a Parliament gathering, namely that they provide a unique opportunity to listen to people of other faiths and spiritual traditions in an environment that promotes understanding and mutual respect. This Parliament, in particular, will emphasise commitments that people will make to carry out the insights and learning gained in Barcelona in their local religious and spiritual communities.

3. This Parliament aims to promote harmony among the world's religions; could you briefly tell us what are the current problems that exist between different religions? What are the practical actions that the Parliament can do to help tackle these problems?

One could list many problems that exist among particular religions in specific locations around the world. Generally speaking, misinformation and exclusivism are two main causes for religious conflict. The Parliament is an ideal venue to address the first. A common experience of people who have attended previous parliaments (or other large interreligious gatherings) is that they quickly can identify with people of other religious and spiritual traditions. Often they find that they share many values that rise out of their different beliefs. This forms a basis for them to find harmony between themselves and their faith traditions. Sometimes this results in the adoption of a more inclusive or pluralistic view of the relation among the various religions. Some people maintain an exclusive view of their own religious tradition while adopting a stance of harmony with people of other traditions and a search for ways to work together for the common good.

4. There are many religious conflicts in the Middle East and in some South East Asian countries between Muslims and Christians, are there any special sessions for religious leaders from these two religions to meet and discuss these issues?

Yes. Many of the areas of religious conflict will be on the Program at the Parliament. There will be a series of seven programs on the Middle East. In all these instances, the emphasis will be on clearly listening to one another and searching for “points of convergence” that might result in common action rather then a goal of finding consensus on long standing areas of conflict.

5. What do you want to achieve in the interreligious dialogue sessions?

Several things. The interreligious portion of the program will deal with many different topics where two or more religious and spiritual communities will engage each other. Some sessions will be on textual and theological issues, many on social concerns where efforts will be made to seek common ground and some on “hot button” issues. The goal of all these sessions will reflect the overall goals of the Parliament, to search for greater understanding, to grow in respect for each other, to demonstrate the capacity for religious communities to carry on such discussions and, especially in areas of conflict, to seek for “points of convergence.”

6. The first Parliament was held in Chicago in 1893, but the second one was held in 1993, there was a 100 year gap in between - How did the Parliament start again after 100 years?

The idea of a centennial was initially proposed by the Vivikandan Society in Chicago to mark the anniversary of their founding in the West. The notion got picked up by a number of Chicago religious and spiritual communities who formed the Council for a Parliament of the World’s religions for the purpose of planning the centennial event. When the 1993 Parliament ended, the council decided to continue and host a Parliament every 5 – 7 years.

7. How did the committee finally decide to hold the Parliament in Barcelona, Spain? Are there any criteria to choose which country will hold the Parliament?

Barcelona was chosen as a result of an extensive process that began with a “Request for Proposals” to which over 50 cities made an initial response. Finalists answered a 70 page document with details about the nature of the interreligious movement in their city, the city infrastructure and willingness to support the interreligious movement and to see the Parliament itself, as a means to strengthen the movement in their city. Barcelona was chosen, among other reason, because of the lively interest interreligious development and for the opportunity to be part of the Universal Forum of Cultures being held in Barcelona during the summer on 2004.

8. There was a serious terrorist attack in Madrid, Spain in March. Are there any safety concerns about holding the Parliament in Spain? Will any extra security be put in place?

Security is a concern for everyone holding or participating in public events today. The Forum complex in Barcelona has been build for this summers event and included state-of-the-art securing design and equipment

9. Could you tell us the importance of religions in achieving world peace?

Religious identity is a guiding force in the lives of many people in the world today. It is important that religious and spiritual communities make clear to themselves, their followers and to others in the world that at their core, their tradition represents a pathway to personal and social peace. It is also important that the world has a chance to see how much people who are living out of the deepest meaning of their religious and spiritual traditions are doing for the cause of peace in the world. The Parliament gives a unique opportunity to express both of the dimensions of the contribution of religions to peace.