12th Scriptural Reasoning by Zoom in France - Dialogue and Alliance

Some participants in person at the Espace Barrault in Paris. Many others connected via Zoom and Facebook in several countries, in particular: Austria, Canada, Congo, United States, France, Mali, Switzerland, etc.

12th Scriptural Reasoning by Zoom in France, Sunday 6 February 2022, from 5 to 6.30 pm.

On Sunday 6 February 2022, “Dialogue & Alliance” Cooperation Circle organized its monthly interfaith meeting on the theme: “LIVING WITH GOD IN DIVERSITY” during the World Interfaith Harmony Week. To begin with, a micro-trottoir that had been made for the 25th anniversary of the Geneva Interfaith Platform on the theme “Is interreligious dialogue a necessity in Geneva?” was presented;. The first reading brought a Christian perspective. It was a text taken from the Acts of the Apostles 10, verses 34 and 35, and was commented on by His Eminence Cardinal Philippe BARBARIN. In his speech, he spoke about a little explored element of interreligious harmony: the fervor of others, of those who do not believe as we do, sharpens our desire, when it is dulled. In general, the emphasis is rightly on the universal principles and common values that foster interreligious dialogue, but he spoke of the subjective dimension of inner thirst, based on his own experience. The second reading brought a Muslim perspective. It was verse 69 of Sura V of the Koran. It was commented by His Excellency Doudou DIÈNE, a Senegalese jurist and diplomat working with UNESCO and the UN. His speech had many parameters: the role of the UN, his own view steeped in Sufism, and the reference to African spirituality and the theme of the roots of the tree embracing each other, while the branches can appear to be struggling in the storm. This wise metaphor was very well received. As a musical interlude, offered by the Fo Guang Institute, located on the esplanade of religions and cultures of Bussy-Saint-Georges (“city for interreligious dialogue”), Anita CORRELI performed “Love and Peace”, a song written by Buddhist Master Hsin Yun. Finally, the last reading brought a Sikh perspective. It was the text Ang 1182, extracted from the Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, which was read and commented by Mr. Bhai Mehtab SINGH, chaplain of the Representative Council of Sikhs in France. He made us discover the great resources of the Sikh tradition to establish the bases of a dialogue between the spiritualities.

Mr Laurent LADOUCE, researcher at the Universal Peace Federation, then led the question-and-answer session. To conclude, Mr Jean-François MOULINET, coordinator of the Dialogue & Alliance CC, briefly presented the brand-new French translation of the collective work, entitled Sacred Texts of the World - A Comparative Anthology (940 pages). This edition is aimed to help the development of interreligious dialogue and cooperation throughout the Francophonie. He also paid tribute to the Vietnamese Buddhist Master and peace activist Thích Nhất Hạnh who died in January 2022. The next Scriptural Reasoning is scheduled for Sunday 6 March 2022 on the topic: DISCOVERING GOD IN ART. To receive an invitation to this event, please contact dialogueetalliance@gmail.com .

P.S. Recording of the event: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbmX15EDuYo .

Dialogue & Alliance is a French-speaking interreligious cooperation circle affiliated with the Interreligious Association for Peace and Development (IAPD) - France and supported by the United Religions Initiative (www.uri.org) and the Geneva Interfaith Intercultural Alliance (www.giia.ch), etc. https://textes-sacres-du-monde.fr  dialogueetalliance@gmail.com