Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 138

involved in interfaith encounters through his ministry and as a faculty member at GTU. He has coordinated a number of interfaith events and conferences, the most recent at Mahidol University, Thailand.
Janet Bregar, Ph.D. is a Lutheran Minster at the Village Church in Los Angeles, and the Executive Director of the Santa Monica Bay Interfaith Council. She has sponsored interfaith dialogues and events in her local area as well as for national television.
Chao-Ti Wh, Ph.D. is a Buddhist nun in the Department of Philosophy at Ching-Ming College, Chinese Culture University, Taiwan. She lectures to lay groups in both Taiwan and the United States. She has a special interest in interfaith mortuary and memorial rites.
Pinit Ratanukul, Ph.D. is the Director of the College of Religious Studies, Mahidol University, Bangkok Thailand. He has been working to increase the capacity for interfaith conversations in Thailand for the past 25 years; organizing series of seminars amongst Buddhists, Christians and Muslims.
Stephen Myers, a graduate in Theology and the Arts, is a poet, performance artist, activist and public school teacher. He is active with the Redwood Sequoia Congress, an annual community forum on Human Rights, the Environment and Civil Justice.
Secularism and Spirituality in the City: The Experience of Interreligious Dialogue in Perpignan
Jean-Paul Alduy
Rev. Jean-Baptiste Blondeau
Jean-Marie Bricout
Michel Bougnol
Michel Bolassell
Maurice Halimi
Mourad Oubaya
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Panel Discussion
Panel discussion between different religious authorities and believers living in Perpignan, a city in the south of France where laicism is an element of living together.
Jean-Paul Alduy is Mayor of Perpignan and Senator of Eastern Pyrenees; co-author of "Secularity, Spirituality in the city", he is secular and promotes the interreligious dialogue.
Jean-Baptiste Blondeau is Archipriest of the Cathedral "Saint-Jean Baptiste" in Perpignan, involved in the first interreligious initiatives since 1988.
Jean-Marie Bricout is in charge of the Orthodox parish "Saint Pierre Saint Paul" in Perpignan and very involved in interreligious dialogue.
Michel Bougnol is in charge of the Buddhist Center of Perpignan and has introduced Buddhism in the interreligious dialogue of the city.
Program Descriptions Friday, July 9, 2004
INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION 11:30 AM 1:00 PM
Michel Bolassell is a journalist and writer, author of "This other, my friend", "Spirituality in the city" and active member of "JewishChristian Friendships" in Perpignan.
Maurice Halimi is an Adjunct of the Mayor of Perpignan, expresident of the Israelite Community of Eastern Pyrenees, he made the interviews of the book Secularity, spirituality in the city and organized a travel for Israelians, Palestinians and French people of all the religions in Auschwitz.
Mourad Oubaya is a City Council member of Perpignan, and Director of Youth Activities for the Muslim Association; he participates in meetings on the international conflicts and in prayers'meetings in favor of peace in the Near East.
Universal Message of the World's Religions Seyed Ali Kianfar
Aisha Rafea
Aliaa Rafea
Rev. Charles Gibbs
Room 134, English
To attain inner and outer peace is a shared goal among all religions and spiritual paths, ancient and modern. World religions came to guide humankind to the path of spiritual development, and show us how to transcend our small egos to see the whole encompassing Self. The core message of world religions is to realize peace on earth by awakening us to discover our connection to the whole and the holy, become spiritually liberated, and not lost in the abyss of matter. Panelists are international leaders from multi faith traditions who will share their wisdom and view on the universal message of the world's religions. This program is part of a series organized by the International Association of Sufism. (www.ias.org)
Shah Nazar Seyed Ali Kianfar, Ph.D. is the co-founder of the International Association of Sufism, and Editor-in-Chief of Sufism: An Inquiry. Dr. Kianfar is a publisher, author and lecturer, having taught Sufism and Islamic philosophy internationally for over 30
years.
A Muslim writer of several books and numerous articles, Aisha Rafea is the daughter of the prominent Egyptian Sufi Teacher Rafea M. Rafea. With the support of her present Teacher, she is an advocate of spiritual awakening for all humankind.
Aliaa R. Rafea, Ph.D., is a writer, scholar and spiritual activist. She is a daughter of the Sufi Master Rafea Muhammad Rafea, and a faculty member at Ain Shams University in Egypt.
The Rev. Charles Gibbs is Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative (www.uri.org). He is co-author, with Sally Mahé, of "The Birth of a Global Community."
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