Parliament of Worlds Religion 2009 Melbourne Australia

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

Page 156

PROGRAM Friday, December 4, 2009
11:30am-1:00pm INTERRELIGIOUS SESSION
The Crisis and the Opportunity: Wisdom from Faith Traditions and Communities Cardinal George Pell Dr Fahad Alhomoudi Others to be Announced Room 110 The 2008 financial crisis prompted re-examination of the broad trust that had been placed in free markets. Faith leaders from many traditions warned from the onset that the crisis revealed fundamental ethical weaknesses in institutions but above all called for a rethinking of underlying values and reforms across the global market system. Central to critiques from faith communities was a concern for the impact of the crisis on the poor, who bore the brunt of the social and economic devastation. This session will explore what has been learned and point to directions for reform. It asks whether there are common lessons from different faith traditions and discusses the significance of differences and the path ahead. Cardinal Pell served as Archbishop of Melbourne before his appoint ment as Archbishop of Sydney He has attended the Asia-Pacific Interfaith Dialogue as part of the official Australian delegation. Cardinal Pell's longstanding commitment to ecumenism was recognised in 1998 with the conferral of the Grand Cross of Merit of the Order of Saint Lazarus and in 2003 with his promotion to Ecclesiastic Grand Cross of Si Lazarus, the Order's highest ecclesiastical rank. From 2001 to 2007, he served as the Order's National Chaplain. Dr Fahad A Alhomoudi obtained his PhD in Islamic Law from McGill University (2006). He was appointed a Vice-Dean for academic research at Imam University in Saudi Arabia (2007) and was awarded a Fulbright scholar award (2008). In addition to his native Arabic. Alhomoudi speaks English and French and can read Persian Alhomoudi has published two books and several articles. His research covers Islamic Law, Environmental Law, Prophetic Tradition, and Interfaith Dialogue.
2014 Site Selection Orientation Part 1 Helen Spector Zabrina Santiago Ellen Grace O'Brian Speakers from Melbourne, Barcelona and Cape Town organising teams Room 111 Seminar The first of two programs describing the 2014 Parliament Site Selection Process will help teams from interested cities understand the requirements of hosting a Parliament event and prepare them to decide whether to engage in the proposal process. This session will help teams to understand how engaging in the process of bid preparation can positively impact the development of their local interreligious movement. This session will specifically focus on: 1. Details of the 2014 Site Selection Process, including the timeline and criteria for evaluation; 2. The process of self-assessment of the local interreligious movement and the social and civil context of which it is a part. We will also distribute the Request for Proposal document for 2014.
Helen Spector serves on the Board of Trustees for the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions ICPWR). She joined the Board of CPWR in 1990 to help plan the 1993 Partiament Centenary Celebration and has served as co-chair for the Site Selection task forces that selected Barcelona (2004) and Melbourne (2009) for Parliament gatherings. Helen lives in Portland, Oregon. Zabrina Santiago is Depuly Executive Director and Partner Cities Director for the Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions. She brings over 15 years of experience in executive leadership, strategic planning, and relationship management to the Council. She is recognized for her work in over 25 international cities in developing the Partner Cites Network of the Council. The Partner Cities Network serves to connect organizations, guiding institutions, and religious and spiritual communities in cities around the globe who are working toward creating more just cohesive, and sustainable communities. Zabrina, an active leader in the Presbyterian Church (USA), holds a Masters in Theology from McCormick Theological Seminary Rev Ellen Grace O'Brian is the Founding Minister and Spiritual Director of the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment, a ministry rooted in the spiritual tradition of Kriya Yoga. She was ordained in 1981 by Roy Eugene Davis, a direct disciple of Paramahansa Yogananda. She serves on the board of trustees of the Parliament as Partner Cties Task Force Chair and is the President of Meru Seminary as well as leading a thriving congregation and maintaining an international teaching outreach
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