Dialogue and Alliance Scriptural Reasoning by Zoom in France

On the left, some of the speakers in Lille (Nord); on the right, some of the participants in Paris.

Scriptural Reasoning by Zoom in France, Sunday, June 26, 2022, from 5 to 6:30 pm. On Sunday, June 26, “Dialogue & Alliance” organized its monthly interfaith meeting on the theme: “Reconciliation in Daily Life”. We received registrations from 13 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany, Iraq, Mali, Mauritius, French Polynesia, Switzerland, Togo, United States. The moderator was Mrs. Chantal NGA ONANA, general secretary of the association FNP (Familles du Nord pour la Paix). The first reading from the Bhagavad Gîtâ (chapter 12, verse 12) was commented by Mr. Yves-Henri DELZENNE, yogi and martial arts master. The second reading, Genesis 33.1-17, recalling the encounter between Jacob and his brother Esau, was commented on by Father Jean-Michel TCHITEMBO of the parish of N.-D. de Valenciennes, author of “Élan œcuménique et dialogue interreligieux”. As it is sometimes necessary to ask for forgiveness to be reconciled, we had as a short musical break, the song “PARDON” interpreted by the master of Ivorian reggae, Alpha BLONDY. Beyond his artistic career, he is very committed to the cause of reconciliation and, in 2005, he was appointed United Nations Ambassador for Peace in Côte d’Ivoire. Then, the third reading, taken from the Koran, Sura III, verse 35, was commented by Imam Othmane IQUIOUSSEN of the Raismes mosque (North), co-author of “Peace be with you, yes religions are made to unite”. The last reading was commented by Mr. Brice WETE-MATOUBA, kimbanguist and founder of the reflection group “Les lundis de l’humain”. During the question-and-answer session we were happy to hear a testimony by Mrs Lili OGBEIDE about the association “Concerned People” (https://concernedpeople.org/) which works for more reconciliation between our black and white brothers and sisters, and to reconcile, love and unite. The meeting concluded with the song “Céleste Jérusalem” performed at the Notre-Dame de la Treille Cathedral in Lille, during the closing concert organized by Ecclesia Cantic.

P.-S. You can see the recording of this program on: https://youtu.be/O-4bAhWWvrA .