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1. INTRODUCTION
Marcus Braybrooke
Jean Potter
Occasions when people of different faiths come together to pray raise both theoretical and practical questions. The questions are not themselves new, but they are today asked more frequently as it becomes more common for people of different religions to join together in prayer.
Twenty five years ago, the World Congress of Faiths set up a small working group to consider the issues which arise when people of different faiths pray together. WCF had been a pioneer of 'All Faiths Services'. At the time, there was disquiet amongst some Christians about such services. The membership of the group therefore was confined to Christians and the discussion was, in effect, addressed to fellow Christians, although members of other faiths were consulted and some of their views were recorded.
In the subsequent twenty five years there has been a great increase in the number and variety of occasions on which people of different faiths come together to pray. Sometimes such prayers are part of big public events. For twenty years, Commonwealth Day has been marked in Britain by an observance at Westminster Abbey in which representatives of all faiths take part and which is normally attended by the Queen. At the opening of the new Parliament buildings in Canberra, Australia, prayers were offered by members of different faiths.In South Africa, the National Peace Convention which paved the way for democracy was opened in prayer by representatives from four religious traditions. This was the first time that such interreligious prayer had happened at an official state-sponsored event in South Africa. In San Francisco in 1995, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter an interfaith service was held in Grace Cathedral. Some of the services held in tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales, were interfaith in character. It is likely that the Millennium will be the occasion for many interreligious services.
On many occasions, people of various faiths have come together to pray for peace, particularly during the Gulf War, or for prisoners, or to voice their concern for the environment, as, for example, at the World Religions' Vigil during the 'Earth Summit' of United Nations Environment and Development Conference in Rio in 1992. Services related to the work of voluntary organizations are now likely to be interfaith in character (1). During or at the end of a
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