Korea – While daily confirmed cases of COVID 19 continue to increase worldwide, world religious leaders from the seven major religions are gathering online for the World Interfaith Conference of Prayer on October 26.
About 600 people from Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Sikhism, Confucianism, Christianity and Islam in 19 countries on five continents attended the conference to unite voices of prayer for the eradication of COVID 19.
This conference was organized by Budaya Surgawi (Heavenly Culture), Perdamaian Dunia (World Peace), Restoration of Heavenly Culture Light, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL) with the support of religious leaders in collaboration with HWPL. It aims to bring together various religious groups to convey a message of hope to the world’s religious people and communities suffering from COVID 19 and create programs to address crises that cross religions and continents.
HWPL is an international peace LSM (non-governmental organization) based in Korea for global peace and an end to war. Affiliated with UN ECOSOC and UN DGC, HWPL has carried out a global peace movement, including an interfaith dialogue meeting called the Office Meeting of the World Peace Religion Alliance (WARP).
WARP Office meetings have been held in 128 countries since 2014 to strengthen communication between religious leaders based on mutual respect and to bring about interfaith reconciliation that resolves all global conflicts caused by religion and achieves world peace.
Even after the global COVID 19 outbreak, an average of 107 WARP offices in 70 countries have online WARP Office Meetings around the world every month.
Iftikhar Ahmad Ayaz, Chair of the International Human Rights Committee, said “Right now the whole world is facing the COVID 19 pandemic, and thousands of people continue to die. Mankind must turn to prayer and seek the mercy of the Creator to bring peace and harmony to our lives.
HWPL deserves to be congratulated for taking the initiative to unite all people to pray together. I believe that religious leaders from around the world who take part in such conferences have an important role to play. Together, we can shine the light of hope and unite humanity in prayer to keep peace.”
The conference consisted of several events from the HWPL delivering remarks and conference objectives, congratulations and speeches from six religious leaders representing Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism and Sikhism.
Marcel Andres Tanguilan, Administrative Pastor of Knox United Methodist Church, said, “For me, it has been five years working with HWPL. Through the dialogue of religious scriptures, we always discuss the correct understanding of the scriptures. I know that we are having a hard time because this pandemic. It will be difficult alone, but it will be possible for us to win together, and we can handle it as we gather with one heart at HWPL, despite our differences.”
In their speeches, religious leaders introduced their prayer methods based on the traditions and scriptures of their respective religions and conveyed messages to defeat the COVID 19 crisis with collaborative efforts made by religious communities.
Dawud Noibi, former Executive Secretary of Muslims in southwestern Nigeria, said, “Fellow religious leaders around the world, let’s do all we can, to provide comfort to patients in our respective countries who are suffering from COVID 19. Let’s we help spread HWPL’s praiseworthy work by regularly praying together in our respective countries for divine intervention to end the COVID 19 pandemic and a speedy recovery for those who are still suffering from it.”
In the prayer session, all participants prayed together for the restoration of the world through spiritual reflection and for the end of COVID 19 in each language and religious tradition. At the end of the conference, a peace song with each participant’s wishes echoed harmoniously through the zoom.
Ashin Htavara, Secretary General of the Representative Committee of All Burmese Monks, said “HWPL is organizing this prayer conference with various religious leaders from around the world. This is an unprecedented prayer conference for people of various religions to pray together with one heart. . God will hear our prayers.”
As an extension of the WARP Office Meetings, HWPL held a series of global interfaith prayer meetings on a relay basis in October, with the hope of ending the coronavirus crisis soon. HWPL has hosted more than 20 online interfaith prayer meetings with participants in 70 countries this month.
Anang Fadhilah
