Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 5, 1993 TAG: 9309050020
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: CHICAGO LENGTH: Medium
Roman Catholic Cardinal Joseph Bernardin and the Dalai Lama were among signers of a declaration for a global ethic that seeks interreligious cooperation for peace and justice.
"All religions carry the same message: compassion, forgiveness, love . . . and each philosophy, each tradition has a powerful mechanism to do good," the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader, said at a news conference.
A formal signing ceremony was scheduled later Saturday at the Art Institute of Chicago. The declaration already had been signed by 20 major religious figures serving as presidents of the historic, eight-day parliament.
The statement of ethics condemns environmental abuses, calls disarmament the commandment of the times and deplores "sexual exploitation and sexual discrimination as one of the worst forms of human degradation."
The religious leaders reserved their harshest criticism for the sins of their own faiths in a world where up to two-thirds of armed conflicts invoke the name of religion.
"Time and again we see leaders and members of religions incite aggression, fanaticism, hate and xenophobia - even inspire and legitimize violent and bloody conflicts . . . We are filled with disgust," the declaration said.
The gathering of 7,700 participants from about 250 different traditions, ranging from American Baptists to Zoroastrians, dramatically illustrated changes in the interfaith movement since the only other such parliament, held in Chicago in 1893.
Among the traditions left out of the first parliament were American Indian religions, Tibetan Buddhists and Sikhs. Islam was represented only by an American convert.
But the diversity of this year's gathering produced its share of tension. The Orthodox Christian Host Committee withdrew in protest of the inclusion of Wiccans, or witches. Four Jewish organizations canceled their sponsorship to protest the appearance of Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan.
Bernardin said Saturday the parliament should be seen as a microcosm of the religious world, so the disputes are not surprising.
"All we can do is to say `Let's take the first step toward understanding,' " Bernardin said. "We still have a long way to go."
The global ethic, which organizers hope will be one of the main legacies of the parliament, attempts to set minimal ethical standards to which all faiths and individuals can be held accountable.
by CNB