The Parliament’s website says, “Welcome to the Oldest, Largest and Most Inclusive Convening Organization of the Global Interfaith Movement” – and it’s not just boasting. If you believe in the interfaith movement and you enjoy meeting people from all religions and countries, the Parliament of the World’s Religions is a “bucket-list” event.
Each Parliament is built around a central theme – in 2018, the theme is “The Promise of Inclusion, The Power of Love: Pursuing Global Understanding, Reconciliation and Change.” (The 2015 theme was “Reclaiming the Heart of our Humanity: Working Together for a World of Compassion, Peace, Justice and Sustainability” with a focus on indigenous traditions and Earth-based religions.)
Thirteen people from the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council attended the 2015 Parliament in Salt Lake City, Utah (which attracted over 10,000 people from 50 faith traditions and 30 countries) and several GKCIC Directors and Alternates also plan to attend the 2018 Parliament in Toronto, Canada, during the first week of November, 2018. Since the United States and Canada, respectively are hosts of the 2015 and 2018 Parliaments, it is likely that the next Parliament will be held overseas – so this may be the last opportunity for several years to attend a Parliament without extensive (and expensive) travel.
By Rev. Mary Gibson McCoy