Praying Together for Peace / Invitations to Renew our Commitment to Peace
29/05/2025 | Na stronie od 30/05/2025
Source: Elijah Interfaith Institute
As the sun was setting on Thursday, 8th May, the amphitheatre of the Church of St Peter’s of Gallicantu filled with worshipers of multiple faiths – Christians of all denominations, Jews from across the spectrum of belief, Muslims, Buddhists and spiritual seekers. Looking out at the walls of the Old City with the Temple Mount/ Har al-Sharif in the background, symbolic both of the current conflict and the hope for a different future, we opened our hearts to the idea of Peace.
This gathering was listed as one of the events in the 2-day "It's Time for Peace" event held throughout Jerusalem and many participants heard about us and joined us for the first time. Over sixty peace organisation joined in the event and Praying Together in Jerusalem was proud to be one of them.
Fifteen religious leaders, believers and students offered teachings and prayers, each in the language and form authentic to their tradition. We listened to and responded “amen” to universal visions of a redeemed world from the Biblical prophets, prayers directed towards the changing of hearts of our political leaders, prayers for healing and prayers to strengthen those in distress. We responded “amen” even if the prayer was not consistent with our own tradition, supporting and respecting the diversity of beliefs and the beauty and power of sincere prayer. We finished in a circle of silent prayer, with the sound of the oud behind us. While we prayed, the Church bells rang out and the voice of the muazzin was heard in the background, reminding us that we were not praying in isolation. We have created a short compilation video of the event, so that if you missed it, you can get a taste of our experience.
And the full recording is here.
Our next Praying Together event will take place on Thursday, 12th June at 6:00 pm in the amphitheatre of St. Peter's of Gallicantu. Teachers will include Sr. Mary Rearburn.
Join us in person or on Zoom. For details of the in-person component, please email elijahoffice1@gmail.com.
All are welcome.
- Zoom Details:
- Meeting ID: 896 5428 9538
- Passcode: Elijah
- Zoom Link
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Invitations to Renew our Commitment to Peace
The International Council of Christians and Jews is asking all of us to recommit ourselves to dialogue. In their recent statement they included the following:
"Our world is living through a time when relations among people of different faith traditions are under great stress. The ICCJ, being especially dedicated to dialogue between Jews and Christians, as well as trilateral dialogue with Muslims, believes that the violent and polarized world of today urgently needs such dialogues to continue and, indeed, to intensify in the months and years ahead."
The ICCJ has composed a declaration of recommitment to the work of dialogue, including specific practices to enhance it. We invite any individual, organization, or institution that cherishes interreligious amity to join us in our resolve by endorsing the declaration and enacting its values in their own lives and circumstances."
The declaration asks each of us to commit ourselves to eight pledges. We hope that all of you will sign onto it.
In a separate initiative, a member of the Elijah Academy, Professor Haviva Pedaya, has founded a movement known as "The spiritual movement for peace."
She has made a call to students and teachers in higher education to sign a petition calling for the return of the Israeli hostages in Gaza and for an immediate stop to the war. If you are an academic or student, please consider becoming a signatory.