Interreligious service - International Day of Peace

UPF-Austria: Vienna, September 21, 2008

After words of introduction by Peter Haider, Secretary general of UPF in Austria, explaining the history of this special UN Day, Dr. Alfred Kührer read the message of Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, where he noted that the International Day takes on special meaning this year because 2008 also marks the 60th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Bashir Mirco took us away into the cultural world of the Middle East playing Sufi tunes on his flute. Then Mr. Thomas Fiedler, a main organizer of the “Platform for Interreligious Exchange” introduced this initiative, which works in several districts of Vienna where centred on the local Mayor the different religious and ethnic groups are introduced to each other and meet regularly. Being a Buddhist himself he ended his speech by citing a famous text from his tradition. An Unificationist quintet delighted the audience by singing “Be Thou my vision” and “I want to be ready”.

Two films about the recent Global Peace Festivals (GPF) in Kenya and Mongolia gave to the audience a taste about the worldwide dimension of ongoing GPFs and how they bring a new spirit of hope and a determination for peace to the respective societies. Baasanjav Bayanjav, who will organize the European Convention of World Mongolians in Vienna at the beginning of November, reported about the GPF in Mongolia and John Morris, who represents the NGO Austria for Africa, explained how his participation in the International Leadership Conference and the GPF in Nairobi opened for him many doors for microfinance projects in Kenya. Mr. Bayanjav was appointed as an Ambassador for Peace.

Dr. Dietrich Seidel, who is now teaching in private American universities in Vienna, was honoured for 40 years as a member of the Unification movement. He gave a short overview from the beginnings of a small movement in the late 70s in his native town Vienna to his work with the movement in the US, his studies of Unification theology and his work teaching World religions as a professor, being a graduate of studies in Electrotechnics and holding a PhD in theology his interest and research work about science and religion and together with his wife Elisabeth their “marriage enrichment” seminars.

The “Song of Peace” to the melody of Finlandia was an appropriate conclusion before Rev. Peter Zöhrer said a final prayer. Among the 80 participants of the event where several Ambassadors for Peace and also as a private visitor a representative of the UN in Vienna.