The well-known German Catholic theologian, Hans Küng, wrote that there will not be world peace until there is peace among the religions. Working to bring about this peace is a crucial element of interreligious dialogue. Our war-torn and broken world is crying out for peace and Columban missionaries are convinced that an inter-religious approach to peace-building is the most likely to succeed. Around the world there are numerous inter-religious groups who, inspired by the resources of their respective faith traditions, are actively involved in this search for world peace.

Assisi Decalogue for Peace

On January 24 2002, at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, more than 200 leaders of the world’s major religions gathered together in Assisi, Italy to pray for peace. Their statement, the Assisi Decalogue for Peace, consists of 10 mutual commitments to work for peace and justice in the world. On 4 March, the Pope sent a copy to all of the world’s heads of state. http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_20020304_capi-stato.html

Religions for Peace

Since its founding in 1970, Religions for Peace has been guided by the vision of a world in which religious communities cooperate effectively for peace, by taking concrete common action. It works to foster interfaith dialogue in 92 countries in six continents.  http://www.religionsforpeace.org/

United Religions Initiative (URI)

WE UNITE to bridge differences between people of all beliefs, to create community, and to solve local and global challenges.

Website:  https://uri.org/

Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC)

The Interfaith Mediation Centre (IMC) is a non-profit, non-governmental faith based organization envisioning an inclusive society free from violent ethno-religious conflicts.  It aims to prevent violence and promote trust and relationship building by fostering dialogue among people of different faiths and communities in Nigeria and beyond. Specifically, IMC is a community-based organization that specializes in Muslim-Christian dialogue and mediation.

Website:  http://www.imc-nigeria.org/

Inter Religious Federation for World Peace  (IRFWP)

Discord, conflict, and separation lie at the root of human suffering and violence. These negative forms of relating are not limited to religions of course, but they do exist there as well. Religious evil especially violates our sensibilities, often is most enduring and intractable, and can generate extreme forms of horror.

The 38 year old Inter Religious Federation for World Peace exists solve these negatives in the religious world, to dissolve the evils that arise from these forms of conflict, and to instigate harmonious and collaborative relationships that then extend beyond religion to all parts of life, education, media, politics, arts and entertainment, and all else”.

For website see:  http://www.irfwp.org/wp/

Center for Peacebuilding (CIM)

The Center for Peacebuilding (CIM) seeks to rebuild trust and foster reconciliation among the people of Bosnia—Croats, Serbs, Bosniaks, and others—as well as support peace processes in other countries that have suffered from violent conflict.

CIM plays a critical role by providing a safe space for constructive interethnic and religious dialogue. Our activities promote human rights and intercultural cooperation. We also train individuals in practical conflict resolution techniques, equipping them with skills to respond to conflict, including potentially violent situations, through creative and nonviolent means.

For website see:  http://unvocim.net/eng/

Interreligious Action for Peace: Studies in Christian-Muslim Cooperation

This publication presents case studies on interreligious action, highlighting specific approaches and tools that CRS staff members created and the networks they helped forge. They address shortcomings as well as successes and delineate lessons garnered from everyday experience. They also point to the many challenges on the horizon, such as finding ways to better employ religious resources in the pursuit of peace; linking community-level attitudinal and behavioral changes to broader social and religious transformation; effectively addressing personal traumas and prejudices; and fostering women’s and young people’s leadership in and through their religious communities.

Website: http://www.crs.org/our-work-overseas/research-publications/interreligious-action-peace

PDF:  Interreligious Action for Peace: Studies in Christian-Muslim Cooperation

Inter-faith work for Peace in Southern Philippines

Silsilah Dialogue Movement

Touched by an experience of conflict between Muslims and Christians in Mindanao, the Silsilah Movement was started in Zambaonga City in 1984. In the name of God, the fountain and source of dialogue, Silsilah envisions a life-in-dialogue for all Muslims, Christians, and peoples of other living faiths in respect, trust and love for one another, and moving together towards a common experience of harmony solidarity and peace. www.silsilahdialogue.com

Silsilah produced a Formation Manual on Dialogue and Peace, A Path to Peace – Culture of Dialogue. The purpose of the Manual is to present a ‘formation’ program that brings people to action and face realities, especially in the context of the multi-cultural and multi-religious reality of Mindanao. The pdf can be downloaded at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3JP0zFXAPJVbXZXVkltQWN4dXM/view

Mindanao Peaceweavers (MPW)

MPW is a convergence of peace advocates in Mindanao, founded in 2003, and convened by seven peace groups working together towards a common advocacy peace platform. It currently represents the broadest network of peace constituency in Mindanao cutting across NGOs, academe, religious, human rights groups, people’s organizations and grassroots communities in advancing a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Mindanao.  http://www.mindanaopeaceweavers.org/

Panday Kalinaw

Columban priest, Paul Glynn, is a member of Panday Kalinaw.  The name means “Building Peace” in Binisaya, one of the main languages of Mindanao.  The group is comprised of Muslim and Christian volunteers who are committed to bringing about a lasting peace and a spirit of reconciliation and mutual acceptance between Muslims and Christians and Lumads (Indigenous Peoples) in Mindanao, Philippines.

For details see pdf:  Panday Kalinaw

Pace e Bene Nonviolent Interfaith Leadership Project

Pace e Bene Australia is a network of people from different faith traditions, committed to furthering the growth and expansion of the spirituality and practice of active nonviolence in Australia. http://www.nonviolentinterfaithleadership.org/

Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiative

The Abrahamic Faiths Peacemaking Initiative (AFPI) is a group of American clergy and religious activists who advocate peacemaking as an essential and defining mandate of the three faith traditions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

http://abrahamicfaithspeacemaking.com/

“For One Great Peace: An Interfaith Study Guide” – An exploration of the resources within the Abrahamic tradition for peacemaking:  http://abrahamicfaithspeacemaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/For-One-Great-Peace-Study-Guide.pdf

Initiatives for International Dialogue

The Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID) is a Philippines-based advocacy institution promoting human security, democratization and people-to-people solidarity. IID conducts policy advocacy and campaign programs on Burma, Mindanao, Southern Thailand, West Papua, and East Timor. http://www.iidnet.org/

Elijah Interfaith Institute

An international organization based in Jerusalem dedicated to fostering peace between the world’s diverse faith communities through interfaith dialogue, education, research and dissemination. The Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders brings together some of the world’s most prominent religious figures from Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and the Religions of India. The leaders they are involving (including the Dalai Lama, the Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and the Catholic Cardinal Jorge Maria Mejia, among others) represent several hundred million people or more. http://www.elijah-interfaith.org/

Inter-faith Peace initiatives in the Middle East

Tent of Nations

Tent of Nations, Bethlehem seeks to bring people from all over the world together to build bridges of understanding; connecting people to each other, and to the land to which we all belong. http://www.tentofnations.org/

The Interfaith Encounter Association

The IEA is dedicated to promoting peace in the Middle East through interfaith dialogue and cross-cultural study. They believe that, rather than being a cause of the problem, religion can and should be a source of the solution for conflicts that exist in the region and beyond. https://interfaithencounter.wordpress.com/

Interfaith Peace-Builders

Founded in 2001 it fosters a network of informed and active individuals who understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the United States’ political, military, and economic role in it. To build and nurture such a network, it leads delegations of people from diverse backgrounds to Israel/Palestine. These delegations emphasize listening to and learning from those immersed in the reality of the conflict, and advancing the work of Israelis and Palestinians committed to nonviolent struggle and peace with justice. http://www.ifpb.org/

Interfaith Initiative to Ban Nuclear Weapons

An inter-religious statement, signed by representatives of some 50 Christian, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish organisations, was presented as part of civil society presentations to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in New York on May 1, 2015. The statement, co-sponsored by the World Council of Churches, calls on the 191 Governments participating in the world’s largest disarmament treaty, to ban nuclear weapons. The signatories also pledge themselves to make their respective faith communities more aware of the inhumane nature of nuclear weapons. http://www.oikoumene.org/en/press-centre/news/interfaith-initiative-at-un-calls-191-governments-to-ban-nuclear-weapons

Link to the pdf file: http://www.reachingcriticalwill.org/images/documents/Disarmament-fora/npt/revcon2015/statements/1May_Faith.Communities%20.pdf

Pax Christi International

A non-profit, non-governmental Catholic peace movement working on a global scale on a wide variety of issues in the fields of human rights, human security, disarmament, de-militarisation, just world order, religion and violent conflict.

http://www.paxchristi.net/

http://paxchristiusa.org/

United Religions Initiative ~ Interfaith Peace-building Guide

October 2004

The URI Interfaith Peacebuilding Guide is a resource for interfaith groups — those “everyday gandhis” who are making a difference one meeting at a time in their local communities. It is for people of diverse faiths who have been strangers (or worse, enemies) to become friends and allies dedicated to peace, justice, and healing. The guide has been designed for groups that have just begun working together, as well as those that are more established and yet seek to strengthen their planning and sharpen their skills for building interfaith understanding and taking action.

For the website:  https://uri.org/what-we-do/resource-library/interfaith-peacebuilding-guide

To download the document click here:  URI 2004 Interfaith Peace-building Guide