wfn.org | Episcopalians: Rio hosts first United Religions assembly

[dmack@episcopalchurch.org]

August 26, 2002

2002-195

Episcopalians: Rio hosts first United Religions assembly

by Dennis Delman

(ENS) With its theme of "Sharing the Sacred, Serving the World," 
the United Religions Initiative's first Global Assembly opened 
its weeklong meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 18, 
2002. 

Attending were some 300 delegates representing 185 "Cooperation 
Circles" (CC's), spanning 47 countries and coming from 80 
religious traditions and spiritual expressions.  

With a primary emphasis on peacebuilding, three of the 
assembly's plenary sessions had delegates looking at religion as 
a source, rather than an obstacle for peace; URI's  
peacebuilding role, and at beginning to craft "The URI Spiritual 
Agenda 21." 

In his welcoming remarks, URI's executive director, the Rev. 
Charles Gibbs, noted the continuing expansion of the Cooperation 
Circles from the 85 that existed when the URI charter was signed 
two years ago in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Asking "how will we 
grow over the next three years [when the assembly next meets], 
Gibbs answered his question saying, "We will grow and flourish 
because of the spirit of the people in this room. We will grow 
and flourish because of the skills you offer. We will grow and 
flourish because we established a donor driven financial base."

Spirit of URI 

In his keynote address Monday evening, California bishop William 
Swing, founder and president of URI, spoke of the spirit of the 
United Religions Initiative from the organization's origins and 
into the 21st century. He also told delegates  a "global 
inquiry" was underway that would produce a "vision for peace 
among religions in the 21st century."

Recounting URI's beginnings, Swing said he felt that spirit 
first when five people in his living room said, "Let's go for 
it." He felt it a second time two years later at a conference, 
when 55 people produced three guiding principles: URI must 
involve both men and women together; URI must come from the 
grass roots, rather than from the top down; and URI can't 
consist simply of recognized mainstream religions, but all 
religious traditions and spiritual expressions.

"What we said spontaneously at the end of that conference, in 
that room, was the beginning of changing world history for us. 
That was the spirit of radical, extravagant openness," Swing 
said. It "was the spirit to reverse the flow of authority among 
religions." Authority flows into the hierarchy of the religions, 
he said, but in the United Religions Initiative authority flows 
to the grass roots. "That's where the power is. That's where the 
authority is," he said.

Ecumenical versus interfaith 

Seeing the spirit in the contrasts of the ecumenical and 
interfaith movements, and observing that "they are not the 
same," despite attempts to make them so, Swing observed that 
ecumenical work is detail-driven: "Tell me your systematic 
theology, I'll tell you mine. We'll compare yourecclesiology 
with my ecclesiology. Interfaith is much more 
spontaneousEcumenical is about organization, while interfaith 
is like an organism."

In the 20th century, the sense was that time is on our side, 
said Swing. In the 21st century, he warned, "there is an urgent 
sense that time is running out." 

"The new impetus in the 21st century is going to be 
collaboration," said Swing. Additionally, it will not be "the 
home office" that directs action in the field, but "the action 
in the field (that) directs the home." International interfaith 
work will change from being the 20th century "religious 
enterprise" to "vastly expanded circles of inclusiveness" in the 
21st century "that go way beyond religions."

Tests for URI  

Among the "coming tests" for URI, said Swing, is to move away 
from funding by a few, as he echoed Gibbs's call for 
"donor-driven financial base." If the money comes only from a 
few people, warned Swing, those people will have the power. 

Swing said that URI had to find its own voice in addressing the 
issues of the world. Authority to respond to a particular matter 
rests with the Cooperative Circles scattered across five 
continents. URI must be able to speak with a strong voice as 
soon as possible.

Saying he was deeply touched by the presence of the Parliament 
of World Religions, Swing spoke of the mutual collaboration 
between the two organizations. Beyond that, he said, "I hope 
that this generosity and our partnership will start in motion 
something good beyond our highest hopes."

Swing concluded: "No one can see spirit but no one can disguise 
spirit.  When the spirit is moving, the spirit has its way. I do 
believe the spirit is creating the United Religions Initiative. 
"

Honoring spiritual traditions 

Sacred practices from many of the spiritual traditions 
participating in the Global Assembly were offered each day, as 
each one of the seven URI regions hosted that day's activities. 
Regional festivities each afternoon shared the offerings of the 
multiple cultures present at the assembly.

Assembly participants also had a choice of three tours: one to 
Rocinha, one of Latin America's worst slum areas, to see the 
projects of Viva Rio, one of the major hosts for the assembly; 
another to Ciadade de Deus for a gathering of the youth culture 
in Rio; and a third to Floresta da Tijuca, the largest urban 
rain forest in the world.

------

--Dennis Delman is editor of  the Pacific Church News, the 
Diocese of California newspaper.