Twelve New Luminaries Will Keynote the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions
Twelve new speakers join the 2018 Parliament of the World’s Religions as Voices of PoWR, bringing excellence and world-changing ideas to the 7th Parliament this November 1 – 7 in Toronto, Canada.
- Among them is the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Arun Gandhi, who has built his life’s work around the pursuit of understanding, service to others, and nonviolence. His words call to mind the vision of the Parliament: the dignity of people belonging to diverse faith and spiritual traditions must be respected and celebrated in the pursuit of our common goal of a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world. Participants can hear Dr. Gandhi speak at the Peace & Love, Not War, Hate & Violence Assembly.
- In a country as forward-thinking in its approach to the dignity and security of all peoples as our 2018 meeting place, it is a privilege for the Parliament of the World’s Religions to welcome to our stage the nineteenth and first female Prime Minister of Canada. The Right Honourable Kim Campbell will hold court at the Parliament November 6th in a major session with founder and CEO of the Global Security Institute and Honorary Parliament Ambassador on Nuclear Non-proliferation, Jonathan Granoff.
- Another returning luminary to the Parliament is the Rev. Jim Wallis, the founder of Sojourners whose books and activism compel a critical mass of Evangelical Christians (and neighboring communities) to reconcile their faith and their social behaviors, especially concerning the oppression of racial and ethnic minorities. Wallis will appear November 1 in the Opening Ceremony of the Parliament where he will address the theme of the convening: The Promise of Inclusion and the Power of Love.
- Experts and activists alike will be eager to connect with Abubakar Khan, a Next-Gen Assembly leader showcasing the love of our neighbors through platforms and community organizing around issues of Islamophobia and other social problems.
- The Assembly on Peace & Love, Not War, Hate & Violence will present the esteemed Dr. PL deSilva, who has worked extensively with combatants and non-combatants of the Sri Lankan Civil War, and has authored and established literature and institutes around healing from psychosocial trauma.
- Carol P. Christ finds the spirit within the body and nature while leading Goddess Pilgrimages to Crete and will deepen Jimmy Carter’s insight about the role of religions in sanctifying the abuse of women and girls in her address sponsored by the second Women’s Assembly.
- Naomi Lanoi, coming from Kenya’s East African Indigenous Maasai tradition, is a successful and prominent activist for the equality of women in global Indigenous Peoples’ communities and organizations, and will lend her expertise and inspiration to the Parliament in the Indigenous Peoples’ Program Assembly.
- The Parliament wouldn’t be the Parliament without sage and spiritual illumination. Honoring the legacy of Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of the World’s Religions is the eminent Swami Sarvapriyananda, who travels from the Vedanta Society in New York–first established by Swami Vivekananda after his engagement at the 1893 Parliament. Swami Sarvapriyananda will speak in the Parliament’s Anniversary Banquet.
- The Venerable Dharma Master Hsin Tao–a longtime Parliament friend and supporter–returns from Taiwan, where his Buddhist and social organizations channel great wisdom and love for humanity which he amassed on his path of spiritual healing from a childhood spent suffering in conflict and trauma.
- Dr. Ingrid Mattson, a household name for Muslim intelligencia in North America and beyond, joins the Parliament of the World’s Religions for the first time to address the Climate Action Assembly.
Text and Photo : https://parliamentofreligions.org
