The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, noted that this gathering is taking place at a unique time. The last Friday of Ramadan, when Christians celebrate Easter, Jews mark the end of Passover and Sikhs celebrate the Vaisakhi festival.
“Even the calendar sends a message of unity,” he remarked.
Let us hold firmly to the common faith that unites the human family. Let us come together as communities and countries. Let’s pray for peace
“Today, in this blessed moment of interreligious renewal, let us lift up our hearts and our voices for peace – our guiding star and our most precious goal,” the UN chief said.
Today more than ever
Mr. Guterres said peace is needed more than ever today, as wars and conflicts breed devastating poverty and hunger, forcing tens of millions of people to flee their homes.
The entire planet is grappling with climate chaos, and even peaceful countries face stark inequality and political polarization, he added.
“Let us hold firmly to the common faith that unites the human family,” Mr. Guterres said. “Let us come together as communities and countries. Let us pray for peace”.
Incorporate many religions
The ceremony took place in the Visitors Square of the United Nations Headquarters in New York, in front of the iconic sculpture of the knotted gun, which has become the symbol of the Organization’s commitment to world peace.
UN staff, members of the diplomatic community and UN visitors were present.
Representatives of major religions offered prayers, and a minute of silence was observed to include those of secular belief and to remember vulnerable people affected by conflict around the world.
ONU Info spoke with the Reverend Chloe Breyer, an Episcopalian priest in New York, who represented Christianity at the time of prayer this Friday. She said she was honored to pray for peace alongside counterparts of different faiths.
“This is an opportunity to express the long-standing resources for peace that the world’s religious traditions have to offer and, in doing so, to align with the goals of the United Nations,” she said. .
Women, peace and security
Reverend Breyer and Reverend Doyeon Park, a Won Buddhist, were the only female religious leaders to participate in the ceremony, prompting Reverend Breyer to reflect on their role in global peace.
“When I think of the United Nations and women religious leaders, I think of Security Council resolution 1325 and the need to have women around – and more women around – the tables of peace, whether they be religious or not,” she said.
“It’s definitely something our world needs right now. One need only think of Afghanistan, Iran and the changes taking place in our own country to understand how essential it is that women, whether religious or not, speak at the table of negotiations,” said Dr. Breyer.
Celebrate what unites us
Simran Jeet Singh, Sikh Representative and Executive Director of the Religion and Society Program of the Aspen Institute, an international non-profit organization, said the fact that people from different religious traditions have come together for peace is an important lesson for humanity.
“Often in our society, we use religion to divide us between individuals and between communities, and we see the consequences of this all over the world,” he stressed.
“What I love about this idea of coming together for the holidays is that so many different communities are celebrating; they reflect on so much in common and so much that unites us,” the Sikh religious leader shared.
Live in harmony
Taking the floor to close the moment of ecumenical sharing, the High Representative of the United Nations Alliance for Civilizations (UNAOC), Miguel Ángel Moratinos, described the ceremony as “a magnificent moment of harmony”.
He said it demonstrates how to mobilize action and act in solidarity, and how to show compassion and mutual respect.
UNAOC encourages cross-cultural understanding and cooperation, and Moratinos stressed its continued support for efforts to “build bridges of understanding, not walls of hatred and division.”