Young Muslims, Jews and Christians Participate at an Interfaith Summer Seminar in the Outskirts of Geneva
From 7 to 31 July in Bossey, near Geneva, some 25 young adults – Muslims, Jews and Christians – from European, Middle Eastern, Asian, African and American countries are exploring together the question: “How can we affirm our religious identities not in separation or against each other but in relation to one another?”
From 7 to 31 July in Bossey, near Geneva, some 25 young adults – Muslims, Jews and Christians – from European, Middle Eastern, Asian, African and American countries are exploring together the question: “How can we affirm our religious identities not in separation or against each other but in relation to one another?”
The 7-31 July interfaith summer seminar at the World Council of Churches (WCC) Ecumenical Institute in Bossey includes spiritual and academic exercises as well as sports, recreation and everyday tasks.
Each day starts with a moment of prayer and spirituality, prepared alternately by the Christian, the Jewish and the Muslim participants. The experience of living under the same roof, sharing meals and prayers, is enriched by lectures offered by specialists from Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities as well as through participation in the religious activities in Geneva.
The monolithic society created on the pattern “one nation, one culture and one religion” is rapidly becoming a relic of the past. In this context, the one-month programme “Building an Interfaith Community” taking place in Bossey prepares the future generation of leaders in churches, other faith communities and society at large for the challenges of living peacefully in a world of religious plurality.
Ecumenical Institute in Bossey:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/activities/bossey.html
WCC programme on interreligious dialogue:http://www.oikoumene.org/en/programmes/interreligiousdialogue.html
The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 347 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, from the Methodist Church in Kenya. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.