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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| Pope's interfaith pledge: Terrorism never again |
| 2011-10-29 |
| The ceremony began with lively music and dancing by young men and women from the Focolare movement, performing choreographies to symbolise their search for peace, while the Pope and the other religious leaders sat watching on the stage or filling the square below the lower basilica. One by one, Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Sikh, Baptist, Muslim, Taoist, Buddhist, Shinto, Jewish, Reformed and non-believers stepped up to the microphone. They spoke of their hopes and dreams for peace and justice, for security and freedom, for solidarity and dialogue as the only way to resolve tensions and conflicts between peoples and nations. Finally, Pope Benedict brought together that multi-faith, pluri-ethnic pledge with the words spoken from the heart by so many different Popes over the past century, Violence never again, War never again Terrorism never again. Young volunteers then moved slowly through the crowd distributing small glass oil lamps with lighted wicks that participants struggled to keep alight, a powerful symbol of the struggle that so many of them face in their own countries to keep the voice of peace and justice alive and audible above the noise of oppression and conflict... |
| Posted by:American Delight |