25th Interreligioius Gathering of Prayer for World Peace will take place in August

The 25th Interreligious Gathering of Prayer for World Peace will take place August 3-4 at the Kyoto International Conference Center and at Enryakuji temple on Mount Hiei in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. It will be held under the auspices of the Tendai Association of Religious Cooperation for International Peace and Enryakuji temple. Because of the disasters in northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, the theme of the commemorative speech, symposium, forum, and Prayer for World Peace Ceremony will be "Forces of Natural Disaster and Roles of Religious Leaders - Reflections and Practices during the Great Earthquake of 3/11 and the Nuclear Accident." Brief information about this event was provided on July 6 at a press conference in Kyoto.

In 1987 the 253rd head priest of Tendai, Ven. Etai Yamada, initiated the first Religious Summit Meeting on Mount Hiei organized by the Japan Conference of Religious Representatives. Its purpose is to keep alive the spirit of the Day of Prayer for World Peace observed in 1986 in Assisi, Italy, at the initiative of Pope John Paul II. Ever since then, the Tendai Association of Religious Cooperation for International Peace has held Gatherings of Prayer for World Peace, and has offered sincere prayers with religious leaders from Japan and overseas, transcending religious differences.

This year marks the gatherings' 25th anniversary, and about two thousand Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, and Shintoists from 13 countries will gather. From Rissho Kosei-kai, President Nichiko Niwano will be adviser to the Executive Committee, and Chairman Yasutaka Watanabe will be its vice chairman. The Kyoto Dharma Center and External Affairs Department are organizing the event. After the Opening Ceremony at the Kyoto International Conference Center, Mr. Takeshi Umehara, a well-known philosopher, will deliver a commemorative address titled "Natural Disasters and Human Civilization." After that, there will be symposium on religious leaders' responsibilities in times of natural disasters, which have afflicted the world in recent years. Moreover, multiple issues of modern civilization and human lifestyles will be discussed. At the forum, the responsibilities of religious leaders during nuclear accidents will be discussed. During the Prayer for World Peace Ceremony at Enryakuji temple, prayers for peace will be offered by representatives of each religion, and the message of Mount Hiei 2012 will be announced.

Ven. Kojun Handa, the Tendai head priest and adviser to Executive Committee; Mr. Amin Kimiaki Tokumasu, president of Japan Muslim Association; and Executive Committee member Bishop Paul Yoshinao Otsuka of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kyoto, attended the press conference.

Ven. Handa mentioned the devastation caused by the earthquake and nuclear accident, saying, "In recorded history, human beings have used technology to overcome the forces of nature, but it seems we have neglected to respect the greatness of nature in order to satisfy our unbounded desires. The important missions of religious leaders include the holding of funerals and moving forward hand-in-hand with people who have feelings of loss and helplessness, and are stressed out by the problems of daily life. At the gathering, we would like to pray for peace together with world religious leaders, offer sincere prayers for the relief of people who are vulnerable, and rededicate ourselves to work for world peace."

Source: www.rk-world.org