Opening Prayers, Opening Address & Session One

Shalom. Shalom, and welcome. I am so honoured to be here to offer a blessing at the One World: One Humanity Summit.

We need only look to our Torah, our scripture, for inspiration as we begin this conference. The words from Deuteronomy - Devarim, the fifth book of the Five Books of Moses - help us set the stage for the journey we are about to embark upon: the journey of both our intellects and our souls.

Through this verse, which is read this particular Shabbat, Sabbath, in Jewish synagogues throughout the world, God offers the blessings to the children of Israel: “Baruch atah b’vo’echa, baruch atah b’tzeitecha.” Blessed are you in your comings, blessed are you in your goings. Your comings meaning everywhere you go, all of your activities. Your goings meaning as you complete your tasks, whatever they are.

We might expand this to mean something more related to us today. Blessed shall we be as we begin here, as we begin the process of dialogue, understanding, and repairing. Blessed shall we be as we complete this summit, while we continue this journey toward dialogue, understanding, and repairing.

We pray that the words and the spirit of the Torah of Deuteronomy serve to inspire us all as we begin and as we continue.

Om asato ma sad gamaya, tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, mrityor ma amritam gamaya. Om shanti, shanti, shantihi.

Dear God, supreme reality, creator of the universe: lead us from the darkness of falsehood in which we suffer and bring suffering unto others. That falsehood in which we identify only as these physical bodies - their sizes, shapes, colours, races, and religions - these physical bodies which are born, which change, and perish. Lead us from that darkness of falsehood to the light of wisdom and truth, in which we re-remember that we are not only our bodies, but we are soul, divine soul: one with you, one with all of creation, one with all.

Om. Peace, peace, peace.

This is a prayer from both the Lutheran and the Episcopal traditions - a prayer for our national life, a prayer for our communal life, and that we may be one.

“Blessed are you, our Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has given us this good land and this time for our heritage. We humbly ask you that we may always prove ourselves to be a people mindful of your favour and glad to do your will. Bless our land with honourable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in your name we entrust the authority of government and the care of one another, that there may be peace and justice at home and throughout the world, and that through obedience to your laws we may show forth your praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the days of trouble, suffer not our trust in you to fail. And we ask all of this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

“O my God, O my God, verily I invoke Thee and supplicate before Thy threshold, asking Thee that all Thy mercies may descend upon these souls. Specialize them for Thy favour and Thy truth.

O Lord, unite and bind together the hearts, join in accord all the souls, and exhilarate the spirits through the signs of Thy sanctity and oneness. O Lord, make these faces radiant through the light of Thy oneness. Strengthen the loins of Thy servants in the service of Thy kingdom.

O Lord God, make us as waves of the sea, as flowers of the garden, united, agreed through the bounties of Thy love. O Lord, dilate the breasts through the signs of Thy oneness, and make all mankind as stars shining from the same height of glory, as perfect fruits growing upon Thy tree of life.

Verily, Thou art the Almighty, the Self-Subsistent, the Giver, the Forgiving, the Pardoner, the Omniscient, the One Creator.”

- ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

O Great Spirit, I give you thanks for gifting us with one more day of life. I want to thank you, Father, for being here together, reunited through the energies of today. And the Maya calendar is 13 Kawak, 11 Kawak - and Kawak is the day of the family. And here we are together, gathered as one precious family. May all our inspirations and the outcome flourish and be spread around the world. And I give you thanks, Father.

Bless us all. Bless this gathering. Bless each one of us, and each person who has been involved by creating this. Like the prophecy says, not one group will be left behind the rest. So together we will walk together, and together we will see that place from where we have come from. May peace [prevail] on Earth.

We all come from the same source, so we are one. So this is oneness. Gratitude for this opportunity to meet everyone. We all have our responsibility to share with the Earth. Thank you so much.

Muslim community; Interfaith Alliance of Irving

Greetings, everyone. It’s an honour to be amongst you all today, to recite the Saturday prayer written by Imam Ali Zayn al-Abidin, great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.

[Recitation in Arabic, 00:09:54 - 00:11:21, approximately one minute twenty-seven seconds. Not captured by the auto-captioning.]

May peace prevail in the world.

I would like to present the Namaskar Mahamantra.

[Recitation in Prakrit, 00:11:29 - 00:12:37, approximately one minute eight seconds. Not captured by the auto-captioning.]

Salutation to enlightened beings, liberated beings, acharyas, the guru, upadhyaya - the religious teachers - and all monks and nuns in this universe. This auspicious mantra opens the door of peace, progress, and prosperity for the whole of humankind. Thank you.

[00:13:02 - 00:14:07, approximately sixty-five seconds, is not captured by the auto-captioning. The program places an invocation by Most Venerable Guang Guo Shih within the Call to Prayer; no such invocation appears anywhere in the captions. See Open Questions.]

Please welcome the Secretary General of the World Council of Religious Leaders, His Excellency Bawa Jain.

Good morning. Good morning.

Your Holinesses, Your Graces, Your Beatitudes, Your Eminences, Most Reverends, the Very Reverends, Venerables - I could go on. That is the reality of the religious world, the diversity that is reflected in this room today.

Thank you so much for coming and joining us at this critical moment in history. Over the last few weeks you’ve received a series of articles from us. From the beginning we argued, “Let’s set the table.” Thank you for coming and setting that table. That is the beginning. This is not the end.

But before I begin - this is a very historic day in many ways. I’ll come to that. But first and foremost, I must thank the people who have tirelessly worked with us over the last few months. I must actually qualify that first with an apology. We gave you very little time. We organized this on a Shabbat, and my Jewish brothers and sisters are here - this is not a small feat, because this is work on the Shabbat. And third, this is supposed to be the holiday weekend in New York, and yet this room is full. You have come. That is testimony to your commitment to the cause that we are gathered here for today.

And the people who made this possible - we start with that. I want to call out Mukunda Ji, Sumitra Ji. Please come up. Please come. Sudesh Ji, [Hande Rao] Ji, [G.R.] Ji, Jagdish Ji, Amol Ji. Where is Chandru Ji? Where is Chandru Ji, too? He was very busy. See, these are the people who are the silent workers. Day and night they have worked tirelessly to support every effort. So please thank these lovely human beings. Please.

So you see, it takes an army. I’m blessed to have this army. Thank you. Thank you very much.

I’m keeping these two gentlemen here. You know why? This all started with a conversation almost a year ago. I get a call from Sumitra Ji: “Bawa Ji, Mukunda Ji is coming. Please come to New York. I want you to meet him.” I came. We met at the home of my New York family, [Cheryl Kishwine and Phil Shatten]. They hosted us. Those who know me know that’s my family here. I come and stay there. I’m blessed for that.

We were sitting there, and we had some other leaders coming, and what touched me was they said, “This is the centenary of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.” Centenary - one hundred years. Remember, this is the world’s [oldest] organization, the largest volunteer organization. And we know there have been some controversies in the past. I want to be straightforward. We are convening a table here. But they reached out to me. What touched me was that on this centenary, the Hindus want to reach out and work with the other religions. That is the commitment they came for. I was deeply touched with that. It took a while, but in the last few months it was put together. But the seeds were sown by these two leaders. Thank you so much.

Now, any of these things is not possible without some support. Two of them are here in this room today. Dr. S.V. Anchan, his son Yash Anchan, Mr. Samir Kalra. Please come. This is from the [Safe Sea] Group and the JSW. What is particular in this is, this is showing you the kind of human beings that we have here. Dr. Anchan is the CEO of the [Safe Sea] Group. He’s sending us support. His ship in the [unclear - possibly the Horn of Africa] gets hit, is destroyed. Some of his people are killed. So where would your mind be on that? No - his mind was on supporting what we are doing, because he believes in the cause of what we are gathered here for. So thank you so much. And Mr. Samir Kalra is here on behalf of the JSW. They’ve been stalwart supporters of our Guest of Honour and all the movement to support Bharat, India. So thank you so much.

Many of you in this room would remember: twenty-six years ago, to the date, we assembled in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations for the historic Millennium World Peace Summit. You all know that we had a big delegation come from Bharat. We had over two thousand - the General Assembly Hall was full, about a hundred and twenty countries represented. But today I’ll tell you the person who made that possible: Her Excellency Mrs. Gillian Sorensen. Please.

Everybody knows about His Excellency Kofi Annan, our boss. It was his [unclear], but the person who on a daily basis was helping make that happen was Her Excellency Gillian Sorensen. She also headed up the United Nations fiftieth anniversary, so I have a long history with her.

And I have to also tell my sister Karen something today. Last night, Karen, you asked how and when did I meet Rabbi Schneier? Everybody knows that he’s my father. He couldn’t be here today because of Shabbat, and he was not happy. He says, “Bawa, why are you doing this meeting on a Shabbat?” I said, “I wish I had the possibility of changing it. I don’t.”

But how I met Rabbi Schneier was when I came into this country and I started work at the United Nations. I was seeing Her Excellency Mrs. Sorensen, and she said, “Bawa, you’re getting into this work” - do you remember? - and she says, “You go and see Rabbi Schneier.” This is what, thirty-five, thirty-six years ago? So that’s the history that we have with her. And look today: on Shabbat, so many of the Jewish leaders are here.

But at the Millennium Summit we came together at a critical point in history. We signed a commitment to global peace. Today we are gathered here for One World, One Humanity. My brothers and sisters - are we one human family? Is this a question we should be asking ourselves in this day and age? That we are so divided. People don’t have hope. There’s despair all around. I think the only hope at this time is the world’s religious leaders.

And we gather at a time when today also is historic in another way. It’s a very somber moment today. It is the day [of the] call for the abolition of nuclear weapons - the weapons which can annihilate all humanity in a split moment. But what if I were to tell you the greatest threat to humanity is not the nuclear weapons? You know what the greatest threat to humanity is? It’s humanity itself. Our moral fabric is torn to its seams. We seem to have lost our humanity.

I have not seen our country or the world so divided. My lament at three o’clock in the morning is: how did we get here? What can we do? I know that the world’s religious leaders, who represent two-thirds of the world at least - if they come together and say, “We will not be divided. We will stand in solidarity with each other. We’ll work with each other. We will not let our humanity be destroyed” - that is our call today.

So your coming here today is a commitment that from this day on, when we finish our deliberations today, we are going to carry this work forward wherever we can: to heal, to convene a table, especially with those with whom we have fundamental disagreements.

And for that I have to thank my new sister, the Very Reverend Winnie Varghese. I went to see her two days ago. I was deeply touched and moved. Why? Because she said, as a child, “I just felt that - why can’t I just live in my own country? Why is my existence threatened?” So I promised her, I said, “We will have a frank conversation.” So I told our honourable guest, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat Ji, whom I have known for all my life, literally, growing up - especially because my guru was involved with them.

And when I mention my guru - actually, this is a very sacred year for that, too. This is his centenary also. And everything that I’m doing today is because of him. I was a businessman; that is not my calling. And Guruji and Dr. Mohan Bhagwat Ji, all the Sangh Parivar - they all knew each other very well. They have committed on the same path. So in many ways this is a historic day. So that’s why when Mukunda Ji and Sumitra Ji came to me and said, “We want to do this on August 29th,” I looked up and I smiled. I said, “Thank you, Guruji.”

There’s a message here. The message is: we must come together now. I can only say, I beg you, each one of you - we must reach out, do what we can. If there is hope in the world, it is religious leaders. And I know that we need instruments of influence. And what motivated me for this more than ever was when Sumitra Ji and Mukunda Ji said the Hindus want to reach out to the other world religions. Now imagine - this is one billion people, and if you want to reach the one billion people, the one source, in my humble opinion, is the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. You will hear from him.

And what touched me is, I sat down with our honourable guest, the Sarsanghchalak, and had a very frank conversation with him. I asked him, “Why do you want to do this?” You know his answer? “I want to be a bridge builder.”

At this time in history, when the world is so divided and there’s so much misperception, misunderstanding - if we don’t have it within us, especially the people who have influence, to reach out and get the people with whom we have fundamental differences, how will there be a solution? It is going to be very uncomfortable to begin with. It’s not easy. And all I ask of you, each one of you, is: engage in this. Put your egos aside. Forgive me for saying that, but I felt the biggest stumbling block is our ego and pride.

We can be bold, but anchor it in courage and humility. That’s what I see in Dr. Mohan Bhagwat. He’s very clear in his vision. Yes, he knows there are misunderstandings, misperceptions, and oftentimes, unfortunately, the misperceptions trump reality. And the only way to solve it is: engage in dialogue. Come together on a table. This is our One World, One Humanity, and one human family. That is our call today, and I hope that each one of you will ask yourself these questions: What can I do?

And before I end on that part, I will just say I’ll be passing on to Father Nicolas Kazarian, the moderator for the first session, who will introduce the session. But I leave you with this. Just reflect. You know I’m a Shakespeare buff, going back to my British boarding school days, so I’ll just ask you a question: To be, or not to be?

Thank you.

Well, thank you very much, [Bawa], for this introduction and the recognition of the many talents and the many riches that we have in this room.

So I’m Father Nicolas Kazarian, with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. It is a pleasure to be with you all and to facilitate a conversation during this first panel.

You all have on your tables - I’m not going to do so much housekeeping - but if you want to know more about our panelists, just check out the QR code; you will have their entire bio. I will still introduce them, for the sake of the pleasure of making sure we all know who are those wonderful religious leaders that we have with us this morning, and especially not only the variety of faith traditions that are in front of us today, but also the depth of their commitment, engagement within their faith community, but also in the interfaith arena.

So I will start with Mr. Muath Alamri, who will be introducing a video from His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa in a moment. It’s a pleasure. You come from the Muslim World League, and it is a pleasure to have you. Welcome. Please, we can clap and give them a round of applause.

Following, [Sadhvi] Shilapi Ji Maharaj, who comes from the Jain tradition. In the pursuit of her vision of a more unified and solicitous world, [she] is a great philosopher and an eloquent speaker and a multilingual writer. She has travelled to over twenty-five countries, touching the hearts of millions of people through her sermons and igniting a light of change. Welcome.

His Eminence Archbishop [Anoushavan Tanielian], whom I know, so I don’t need to read my notes for him. He represents the Armenian Church in New York and North America, from the See of Cilicia. Your Eminence, welcome, and we look forward to listening to your words of wisdom.

[The Very Rev. Winnie Varghese] is new - we can still say new, because it’s not even a year since you’ve started your ministry at St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York City. It’s a pleasure and honour to have you on the panel. Thank you, Reverend.

And please allow me one second, because I’m mixing up all my papers here. And Reverend Monsignor Lucio [Sembrano], who comes from Rome - thank you very much for being here. He comes from the Holy [See’s] Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, and he is the man that is behind a lot of dialogues between the Catholic Church and other faith traditions. So it is an honour to have you, Monsignor.

With that, I think I need to turn over to a short video - or you also have a word of introduction. But before we do that, I would like to remind you all of the eleventh commandment that I learned from my dear friend Rabbi Joe Potasnik, which is: “The one who speaks briefly will be re-invited.” So you all have between five and seven minutes to talk. Bawa, you take note on who is talking too much.

With that, I turn over to you for a word of introduction.

Thank you. Well, thank you so much for your kind introduction, and it’s a great pleasure to be with you today in the morning.

I will take less than two minutes, and I’ll contribute the rest of my minutes to my colleagues. Is this a deal? I love you already. Thank you so much.

I am motivated by Dr. Bawa’s speech. The story started when we talked about the event. There is a phrase that we share, which is “interfaithism.” So I talked to Dr. Bawa and I said, “Is this going to be interfaithism or not?” He said, “[Muath], you know me. I’m a man of action. Today is going to be different.”

We will gather here not because we want to share speeches. We want to take action. Yes, we are divided. However, being here today in this room with this diversity, it’s a clear message that faith leaders have the moral obligation to lead their people and to go towards peace. So that is what we want to focus on. And I like his message when he said, “At the end of today, we are going to be committed to take action.” One World, One Humanity. It’s a clear message. It’s a beautiful message.

We have in Islam - there is an ayah; Allah said, “We created you, men and women, to get to know each other and to work with each other.” So we are going to listen from His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed Al-Issa, the Secretary General of the Muslim World League, about what is the perspective of Islam for getting together, working together, and the reason of our diversity.

And thank you so much. I think this is the time - two minutes.

Thank you very much. And I think there is a video now.

We gather this morning under a simple, urgent premise: that human dignity is not conferred by status, origin, or lineage. It is inherent, and belongs to every person equally, as it is granted to us by the Creator. The Quran tells us, “We have honoured the children of Adam” - Quran 17:70. That honour was never bounded by border or belief. It’s the birthright of every human being God created.

And when the Quran speaks of our differences, it doesn’t speak of division. It speaks of purpose. “O mankind, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes that you may know one another” - Quran 49:13. Not to compete, not to fear one another: to know one another. And from that knowledge, to build trust; and from trust, peace.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in his final sermon to humanity, made this covenant explicit: all mankind is from Adam and Eve; an Arab has no superiority over a non-[Arab], nor a non-Arab over an Arab, except by righteousness. And he taught his companions a simpler test each of us can carry home: none of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself - Bukhari and Muslim.

This is the faith I bring to this room, and I know each tradition represented here carries its own version of that same command: that the stranger is our neighbour, that the vulnerable are our responsibility, and that despair is not a place faith allows us to stay. We at the Muslim World League carry out this mission everywhere, throughout our sixty offices around the world.

We are one human family. The world does not need more rhetoric from its faith leaders; it needs conscience translated into commitment. So let this morning end not in applause, but in a declaration we are willing to be held to - one that carries our shared conviction beyond this room, into the communities and institutions each of us leads. One world, one humanity, one responsibility, held together.

Thank you.

I think we will honour the applause. So, following up on what Sheikh [Al-Issa] just said, and the dialectic between fear and hope - the response to fear being hope - I turn over to [Sadhvi] Shilapi Ji Maharaj. You have the option to either speak from your seat or go to the podium. Not a problem. Seven minutes. We’re playing with limits here.

Veerayatan

Good morning, all of you. Before I start talking of this subject, I would like to share one of my small experiences with you all.

As you all know, we spiritual people meditate every day. Meditation is part of our daily routine. One fine morning I was meditating, and I felt that God was personally talking to me. I said to the Almighty, “God, you often talk about heaven. Heaven is so beautiful, and people in heaven are also so wonderful. Is there any place on this earth where we can find wonderful people like they are in heaven?” And you know what God answered? God replied to me that on the 29th of August, go to New York, One World, One Humanity conference. “You will find my people there. Just wonderful people, like they’re in heaven.”

I convey my warmest greetings to all of you, to this divine assembly. It is very inspiring to see that so many passionate people are working together to make this world a better place, and I’m sure these efforts will not go in vain. All of us together will be able to make humanity understand that the only way to live in this world is to let live. Without compassion, we live in chaos, not in cosmos.

My brothers and sisters, I agree that we are all going through very hard and challenging times. Every single day we hear horrifying news of crimes, rapes, murders, terrorism, and many things. But friends, I think that we’re not here just to discuss the problems. We know what the problems are, and with what kind of tragedy and challenges the human race is facing at the moment. We’re also not here just to discuss the solutions. I strongly feel that we are here to become an integral part of the solution.

We have all signed up for this conference because we all believe that if we all work together, hate, violence, and war can be combated, and peace can be brought to this world. We may not want to confine ourselves to just holding or organizing such interfaith conferences. Rather, in these conferences, I feel that we charter practical plans to work together to eradicate hate, violence, war, and terrorism.

Friends, I strongly believe that if we want to have survival, ahimsa is the only way. However, nonviolence is not only not to commit violence: the proactive practice of peace, love, compassion, and tolerance for everyone completes the definition of nonviolence. Normally people say, “I never do anything wrong. I live my life very peacefully. I go to work every morning, come back in the evening, spend time with my kids, watching TV, going to the gym. What wrong do I do to make this world a violent place?” But I am saying that not doing wrong is not enough. Actively doing good is also required to make this world peaceful and compassionate.

I think that we all agree that the key teachings of all religions are peace, love, compassion, and harmony. No religion has ever taught to kill and harass other people. The fundamentals of all religions are to bind people together and to bring them closer. However, the outward structures of all religions differ. Some of us prefer to wear white clothes. Some traditions allow saffron clothes. Some other faith may like black attire. Our methods of worshipping may be different. Symbols for God may also vary. But there is no difference in the core messages of all the religions. They are all the same.

My brothers and sisters, I think we have fought enough in the name of religion, nation, colour, race, or whatever. Now the time has come to set aside all these outer differences - differences of caste, creed, race, religion, colour, nation - and join hands to make this world a beautiful place, full of love and compassion. We may belong to different communities, different religions, different nations, but the blood flowing in our veins is the same. Our anger is the same, our hatred is the same, so our love has to be the same.

Friends, if there is God in this world, it must be one God. If there is heaven in the world, it must be one heaven. There cannot be Muslim heaven, Jain heaven, Hindu heaven, Christian heaven, Buddhist heaven. Then why are we having differences, and for what are we not together?

Friends, I believe the power of negative people is not that huge. But if good people are not active, the bad certainly will be, and their action will cause society to suffer. Therefore good people must make special efforts to bring peace on this earth. We cannot afford to remain inactive.

In the Jain tradition there was one princess called Jayanti - a very courageous and wise princess. Once, at one of the large religious gatherings, Princess Jayanti asked, “Bhante, is it good to remain awake or good to be asleep?” [Bhagwan] Mahavir said, “Those who are powerful, positive, and can bring welfare to this world - they should stay awake. And those who are negative, weak, and bring misery to the world - it is better they remain asleep.”

Friends, needless to say, the audience in this conference, all the members of One World, One Humanity, are powerful, positive, and capable enough to bring a change in this world. So we all need to remain awake, alert, and make our world a better place.

Be quick to do good. Set your heart on doing good. Do it over and over again until you are filled with immense joy. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you, [Sadhvi Shilapi Ji], for this beautiful sharing of wisdom, and I want to point out too the importance of togetherness that you underlined as a focal point of building unity in humanity. Thank you very much for that.

Your Eminence, Archbishop Anoushavan, you can either stay where you are or go on this podium. That’s more official. Wonderful. Thank you. Please give a round of applause for His Eminence.

The main speaker was supposed to be His Holiness [Aram I]. I would like to convey to the participants of this august assembly the greetings of His Holiness [Aram I], who sends the message from the biblical land of cedars, Lebanon, which over the past half century has been bleeding due to political and military conflicts, yet, as a phoenix, rises from the ashes with hope of peace.

[Reading the message of His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church - See of Cilicia:]

Dear friends, I warmly welcome this gathering initiated and organized by my friend, Dr. Bawa Jain. This is indeed a timely event at this critical period of human history.

We are living in perilous times, facing huge challenges and multiple crises of different nature and scope. Humanity is at a crossroad of modern history, wavering between hope and despair, advances and setbacks in multiple spheres of society life. Human dignity is at stake. Peace with justice is denied to several communities. Injustice in all its forms and manifestations is strongly impacting human life with far-reaching consequences.

The present situation of the world calls the religions, first, to reactivate the self-understanding of the human being created in the image and likeness of God, according to the teachings of the monotheistic religions. What does it mean to be human? What is the unique vocation of the human being vis-à-vis the other, the environment, and God?

Second, it calls to reaffirm the pivotal importance of the sense of responsibility, accountability, and transparency, which are in constant decline in present societies dominated by the kind of trends and practices that keep far away the heavenly in human life.

Third, it calls to re-emphasize the particular role of religions, which I perceive to be of crucial importance out of my several years of experience in the area of interfaith dialogue, common reflection, and action.

Therefore, the religious leaders are challenged to play a pivotal role. One: at a time when intolerance is generating inner tensions in many communities, the fundamental task of religious leaders is to eradicate this evil from the fabric of society. Two: at a time when hopelessness is establishing its dominance in communities torn apart by violence and injustice, poverty and denial, the essential vocation of the religious leaders is to give the message of hope. Third: at a time when injustice is becoming an existential reality, deeply affecting and disintegrating the life of societies, the cardinal task of the religious leaders is to become the messengers of God-given justice. Four: at a time when polarization is causing conflicts and creating divisions in various parts of the world, the primary mission of the religious leaders is to act as bridge builders. Fifth: at a time when estrangement is replacing rapprochement and war is substituting diplomacy, the basic responsibility of the religious leaders is to call for dialogue and mutual understanding.

In fact, broken communities, forgotten societies, marginalized people look at religions for healing and reconciliation, justice and dignity, mutual respect and acceptance. Indeed, a religion acquires the true meaning and genuine vocation when it acts on the basis of its values and teachings. Hence, in the face of crises confronting humanity, the religious leaders should not remain sheer observers. They are urged to act together with firm commitment and profound sense of common responsibility.

Thank you.

Thank you, Eminence. Thank you for sharing this message and the importance of dialogue through mutual understanding, not only as a way to respond to fear, but also fear that is created by polarization - and I really appreciated that point in that message.

Now, turning over to Dean Varghese. Everybody is taking the podium, so I’m not even asking at this point.

Let me not be disrespectful and stay at my seat. Good morning. Good morning. I hope I don’t steal the thunder of another Christian, but let me read for a moment.

“Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”

So this is the function I serve everywhere: I will take you from the grand and idealistic to the mild. I hope that we can be evangelical together in our pursuit of justice and wholeness, especially for the most vulnerable in all of our communities. And I hope that we are inviting and good neighbours to one another as we pursue this work across our religious difference and diversity.

And I want to say how encouraging it is for me as a person of Indian descent to be sitting in a room with so many South Asian people, with the great diversity of religion of South Asia in front of me, as a person who grew up in the United States. My parents are both from India. They’re both immigrants. We are immigrants in this country at a time where it is difficult for many to be immigrants, where the culture and the tolerance for immigration has shifted radically in my own lifetime in the last few years, and we should speak it. The diversity that many of us bring to the table of America is not welcome in this time in many rooms in this country because of who we are, and we should name it.

And it is very encouraging for me as an Indian, who is rarely with other Indians because of the religious community I’m privileged to lead, to be with so many of you. I’m honoured, and I’m grateful to see in this room the great religious diversity of South Asia here - when also in South Asia, religious diversity is contested in this time. We are Christians from South India. We are from one of the historic Christian communities in India, but even for us, as for the newer Christian communities in India, it is a difficult time. It’s a very difficult time, because of the politics and religion used in the name of politics in India.

So both here in the United States and in India, which are by definition diverse societies in every way - faith, my faith in this country, is used to exclude others and used as a tool of government to exclude religious diversity. That’s happening here; and there, to people of my faith, we are excluded by another faith. So let me say the thing that we’re all thinking, which is my gift.

There are our high ideals of religious pluralism and diversity, and we absolutely aspire to them and we hold them dear, but they play out in people’s lives, and they play out, most importantly, in vulnerable people’s lives. In this country: by immigration status, by race, by poverty, by incarceration. They play out in real people’s lives. In India right now, in the communities I’m from: by religious community, by who is in political power, by who is called an Indian in this time.

So I’m honoured to be invited here, to be invited here as an Indian Christian, to be invited here as the dean of the cathedral here in New York, to which you are all welcome anytime, as you are - but particularly on September 20th, when we get to invite the President of the General Assembly of the United Nations to be with us: United Nations Sunday. If anyone has any free time on that Sunday, please know you’re very welcome. We’d be honoured to have you and to include you on that day. And may we all with courage stand up for the most vulnerable in all of our communities and work for justice, equity, and peace together. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you for lifting up also the role of religious leaders and people of faith when it comes to serving the most vulnerable. It is an important reminder of our mission and the responsibility that we all share towards those for whom we need to be a blessing and a grace. Thank you very much. And you said September 20th?

September 20th at St. John the Divine.

What time?

10:30 AM, if you are available.

Thank you very much. And now, turning over to Monsignor Lucio, if you would like to share a word with us.

Thank you. So I’m here on behalf of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See. I’m glad to see that there are other representatives from the Catholic Church, my colleagues from the Permanent [Observer] Mission [of] the Holy See, and even a cardinal.

So, esteemed Mr. [Bawa Jain], respected religious leaders from different parts of the world, and dear brothers and sisters: I am pleased to greet you as we gather to reflect on what unites us far more than what could ever divide us - our common belonging to one human family, willed and loved by God.

In a world tired of conflict, your presence here across so many traditions, cultures, and languages is itself a quiet sign of hope. It tells us that dialogue is possible, that trust can be built, that peace is not merely a word for treaties, but a work established and entrusted to every believer.

I say this not as a theory, but because our presence here - Jews, Christians, Muslims, Confucians, Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Shintoists, Taoists, Zoroastrians, Bahá’ís, Indigenous believers, and every tradition seeking truth in sincerity of heart - is itself proof that another way is possible. Every time we choose the slow work of listening over the quick comfort of blame, we are already living the peace we speak of, already refusing the resignation that says nothing can change.

So I want to focus our attention on three points. I start from the end. One concerning artificial intelligence. Technologies can serve the human family remarkably, but just as easily turn against human dignity without a conscience to guide them. This is why in 2020, leaders of many faiths and disciplines signed their own call for ethics, calling for [algor-]ethics: the conviction that no technology, however powerful, is exempt from the moral law written on the human heart. Let us insist together that artificial intelligence remain transparent, inclusive, and always at the service of the person, woven into the fabric of peace, not division.

And peace cannot be separated from the health of our common home. This is my second point. Eleven years ago, Laudato si’ reminded us that the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor rise up as one, bound together in a web of relationships we cannot honestly ignore. Care for creation is not a secondary concern to be taken up once peace is secured. It is part of the very same conversion of heart. A world at war with itself easily makes war on its soil, water, and air. A world that learns fraternity naturally learns reverence for creation. As spiritual guides, let us lead our communities toward what Laudato si’ called the ecological conversion - a real change of heart in how we consume, what we believe we own, and how we understand our place in creation.

The third point, which was the first in my speech, but I changed it, is a call against war. Even Pope Francis, in Fratelli tutti, reminded us that war is never a distant political affair. It is the negation of a right, an aggression against creation itself, a death dealt to children who never chose it. He asked us to set aside the old idea that any war today could still be called just, since that ancient standard has been twisted by governments to excuse unnecessary conflict. In its place, Pope Francis pointed to something harder and more beautiful: the patient work of encounter, truth-telling, and solidarity with those the world casts aside. Fraternity, not as a distant ideal, but as a daily practical commitment.

We have just been listening to the end of the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus welcomes those who have helped the poor. And so even Pope Leo XIV, in his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, builds on this. He names a temptation common to all: mistaking resignation for realism, the belief that violence is simply written into human nature and always will be. He asks us not to believe this. Peace, reminds us Pope Leo, is not naive hope or merely the silence between warring parties. It is the fruit of justice and charity, always within reach. This is, in fact, the deeper realism: the recognition that human beings and the institutions we build are capable of change. History bears this out. Torture, slavery, the death penalty - once thought as fixed as the sky - have receded in much of the world through the slow growth of human conscience. Why should war be any different? It too can end through that same patient work.

So let us carry this hope back to our mosques and temples, synagogues and churches, pagodas and gurdwaras, monasteries and meeting halls. Peace is not naive. Care for creation is not optional. Both are [the] harder realism. Billions across the earth long for peace at this very hour. Let us join our voices to say: the age of justifying war in God’s name, and of treating our common home as disposable, must end.

I close with these quotes. Jesus said, “I come to cast fire on earth” - “Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν.” He meant that his mission would bring radical, disruptive change, and did not draw back from the suffering that awaited him, but set his face toward Jerusalem and walked forward. My wish for every believer is that same courage - that we do not draw back from the road to peace, but press forward together, so that the home we share remains one worth inheriting.

May God bless this summit, your families, communities, and the work of peace that begins, as it always has, in the quiet decision of the human heart to hope rather than despair.

With fraternal affection and gratitude, Cardinal George Jacob [Koovakad], Prefect, Dicastery for [Integral Human Development].

Well, thank you very much for sharing this message that really points to the role of faith leaders as peacemakers as well. So it’s an important aspect.

We have fifteen minutes. First of all, congratulations. You’ve been amazing keeping in the time. But we have fifteen minutes, and it is a panel discussion, so let’s have a discussion.

The question I would like to put in front of you now is twofold. First of all, what are some of the practical ways that you find successful in your ministry to bring hope to people? And the second aspect of that question is: what do we do for youth? Because youth is really the first segment of our population, of our faithful, that are losing hope. Losing hope because of the environment and social media environment in which they are. Losing hope because they don’t see people that are embodying the values and the virtues of their faith.

So what should we do to bring hope, to communicate hope, to use our mission as religious leaders to really inspire hope in the next generation, which is today’s generation as well? For that, if there is anyone who would like to take the question - otherwise, I’m going to turn to my friend, [Winnie] Varghese, to put her on the spot. And we’ll just do it from the seat this time.

Thank you. Okay. I guess I’m starting. I’ll start.

There’s a trend among Christians - I wonder if this is true in other groups - where young adults and youth are joining us. There’s more writing about it when it’s far right, frankly, the trad people, but it’s happening to us too. It’s happening across the board, that young people are coming, and for one reason: because social media is isolating, we are actually a place you can come to be together. You don’t need permission to join us. It’s why we have these large volunteer groups. We’re inviting young people. People are invited in faith community to come and be with us. We’re teaching in those groups what we think a good life is. We are very open and listening to what people seek in their lives.

But one of the things we’re seeing is that there are very few places casting a moral vision for a different kind of world, and people are seeking us to do the thing that I think we know most easily how to do and might underestimate its importance. We think we’re supposed to do something more sophisticated that needs an app or a - I don’t even know what is a fancy thing for young people. But my experience is that casting a moral vision for the world that can be in New York, that is diverse, it’s inclusive, it’s just, it’s able to talk about race and sexuality and gender - it is of the culture and of the time, and casts a vision greater than anything our politics is offering us - that that is as compelling to the young as it is to the old. And for many, for younger people, it is the only place that you hear something like that.

So again, this vision that I think for many of us feels a little old-fashioned is something that we’re finding we’re getting a very strong response from young adults.

Thank you very much. [Sadhvi Shilapi Ji], I think you want to piggyback on the topic of the conversation now.

Yes. I just comment here? So I work in many countries with the young people - very vibrant, very energetic, and very intelligent young people. And I think that challenges the faith. Faith in the sense of belief of soul, belief of God, belief of heaven, and many different things like that. And sometimes you wonder whether you should believe in these philosophies or not.

But I strongly feel that if we can unite young people on the ground of humanitarian causes, I think we’ll be able to unify all the young people across the world, because they worry about the problems of water in the world, problems of illiteracy in the world, problems like healthcare issues. So if we leave aside all the faith beliefs on one side, and let’s join hands, all the youth across the globe, to solve the problems of this earth, I think we can do wonders with the young generation. Because the young generation wants to see the result right now. They want to make this world beautiful. They want to make this humanity beautiful. They want to solve the problems of everyday life.

They probably don’t worry about heaven and hell and other world, or realization of soul. They really don’t worry about these things. They worry about the practical solution for everyday problems. And if we can inspire young people for this conference - I believe I may have different beliefs, you may have different beliefs, other people may have different beliefs, that’s fine. Let’s respect each other’s beliefs, but let’s join hands to solve everyday problems of this earth. I think we will be able to unify all the young people. Thank you very much.

Monsignor, what is your opinion?

I would like to share some experience concerning our commitment to youth. I think, and this experience in the Dicastery, that women and youth are the most forgotten.

So some years ago we started a network of women for interreligious dialogue. Women from different religious traditions came to Rome. They spent three days together. We had different religious leaders who talked about the present issues of the world - of course, peace, poverty, education, dignity of women. And then the result was that a marvellous friendship came to birth among them. They continue this online.

The same experience we started last March in Turin, but it was even trickier, because we invited young people from different countries and different religious traditions from Europe, but others together were there. And the result was that adults who were specifically personally in charge of interreligious dialogue in different dioceses or interreligious commissions in the Catholic Church, they were astonished and admired of how young people could be together. The meeting lasted three days, but from the very beginning it was as if they had been acquainted forever. They played, they talked, they did things together in such a beautiful way. So this means that we, as adults, we have to learn from young people. If you want to see hope, they are already hope.

And we are going to redo this next year in Málaga, in Spain, just after Ramadan - because we had a problem, we had not checked about the end of Ramadan. So it will be from the 12th to the 14th of March, and it will be nice. There will be three hundred people from all over Europe, but if you want to send anyone, you can. And they will be together talking about problems such as migration, which is one of the most relevant challenges in the world in the present time, and I don’t think the present solution is a good one.

And we are also planning to do a meeting in Asia, because in Korea the World Youth Day is going to take place at the beginning of next August, 2027. So probably many young people will come from different countries from Asia. They will spend time together. They are going to visit religious places with different traditions in Korea, which is a multireligious country, and then also share experience, and they will meet with Pope Leo, who will be there too. This lets friendship grow. Where friendship and confidence grow, there is no place left for war, for suspicion, for anything.

Well, thank you very much. And I think if you can share more information about the March meeting through the organizers, perhaps you can disseminate the information so we can have the ability of sending a representative to that meeting. That would be great.

[Muath], do you want to say a few words as well, and then we’ll turn over to His Eminence, and we’ll wrap up.

Well, thank you so much. I like the question of how we can have a practical hope. I think the responsibility here is upon the religious leaders themselves. They don’t speak the same language that youth speak - unfortunately. I would say not all of them; some of them.

We’ve conducted a survey in the US and UK to understand the topics that the young generation came up with, and to understand their perspective: what do they think of religious leaders? Most of Muslim youth, around sixty-nine percent, they go to mosques and they meet with the religious leaders. That means they go to the place, they meet, they listen - but they don’t take the messages. They don’t go and implement. There is a gap of speaking their language.

I think that what we want to do is we want to educate ourselves as religious leaders: how we reframe our messages, how we work on the ground with the youth. They are there. The future leaders, they are full of excitement, and they have hope, and they want to change, and they are motivated by change - but it is our messages. So we need to fix and change the messages to fit their interests and work together. That is the practical hope that you asked for. Thank you very much.

About translation and being able to speak the language of the youth - that’s a very good point. Your Eminence, your turn. You have three minutes.

Okay. Thank you very much once again. I would like to highly appreciate - heartfelt expressions to the organizers. My wish is that it’s a botanical garden, not of flowers, but of spiritual flowers: religions. And I wish that the spirit of oneness we can take to our respective communities, always emphasizing that as much as we are individuals, we are groups, we are organizations, we are nations - but also we should focus on oneness, on our commonality as humanity.

In that sense, I have read so many books, but I like to share one episode from Talmud. Once a group of people were crossing a sea, and an old man noticed that a gentleman next to him was digging a hole beneath his chair. He asked, “Gentleman, what are you doing?” The answer was, “Old man, don’t bother me. It’s not your business. I’m just doing whatever - it is my seat, not yours.” And the old man says, “After all, my son, not you, but all of us - we are going to sink together.”

Therefore, I wish that all of us, if we can take the spirit of this commonality, of our oneness. After all, when God created Adam, he said it’s better to create a companion to him. Companion is not only the spouse, not only family, not only organizations, nations, et cetera, but within the light of divine wisdom, I said togetherness - all mankind.

God forbid - I have one minute fifteen seconds, I know - God forbid, if any accident happens in the solar system, not me, you, or others, any nation is not going to survive, but all of us, we are going to be doomed. Therefore I wish that this spirit of oneness and togetherness we can bring and share, let’s say, with our respectful communities, and that’s how this assembly would be indeed one of the best lights within darkness, and it will lead us to a better society. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much. And with that, join me, please, in applauding and thanking especially our distinguished panelists. Thank you very much.

[Recording ends at 01:20:25.]