wfn.org | Opening to Demonstrate Relevance of Parliament of World's Religions

[George Conklin <gconklin@wfn.org>]

Nov. 4, 1999
Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions
Mim Neal, 313 629 2990, mimneal@cpwr.org
John Dart, 818 363 3984, jdartnews@aol.com
http://www.cpwr.org

        CHICAGO, Nov. 4 - Opening day ceremonies for the 1999 Parliament of
the World's Religions will symbolize the relevance of religion and
spirituality to issues facing South Africa and the world.
        The Dec. 1 -8 event is expected to draw some 6,000 people from
around the globe to Cape Town, South Africa's 'showcase city.'  The first
activity will be held in Cape Town's Company Gardens.  At about 10 a.m.,
volunteers dressed in white will unfold sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt
during a World AIDS Day ceremony for a nation where AIDS is pandemic.
        Following the ceremony, Parliament participants will process from
Company Gardens to the city's District Six.  In the attire of their
respective cultures and religions, they will create a moving mosaic through
the streets of Cape Town.
        District Six is a largely vacant area, once home to a mixed-race
community of 60,000 residents.  Forcibly evicted by apartheid legislation,
residents saw their houses and shops bulldozed to the ground.  Many of
these emigrants - who still consider District Six their real home- will
participate in Parliament ceremonies commemorating both the dispossessed
around the world and the triumph of the human spirit.
        That afternoon, drums will call participants to the Good Hope
Center for the opening plenary session of the Parliament of the World's
Religions.  There, national and municipal officials will welcome the
audience of religious leaders, scholars, activists and others.
        For the next seven days, participants will sample an array of some
700 presentations, seminars, workshops and performances representing the
full spectrum of humanity and its challenges.  Nobel laureates Nelson
Mandala and Northern Ireland's Mairead Corrigan Maguire and Nobel nominee
Maha Ghosananda, Supreme Patriarch of Cambodian Buddhism, are among those
who will share their wisdom.
        Each evening session will celebrate Gifts of Service designed to
transform the human condition.  The Parliament Assembly will plan model
projects to illustrate how the religious and spiritual community can work
with other spheres of influence to create a more sustainable future in the
new millennium.
        On Wednesday, 8 December, after the closing plenary highlighted by
a keynote address from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the sound of drums will
lead people back to District Six for final blessings and a musical
celebration.
************************************************

Ms. Mim Neal
Public Relations Manager

Mr. John Dart
Media Consultant - CPWR / California
Tel. / Fax: 818-363-3984
E-mail: mailto:jdartnews@aol.com

CPWR Tel.: 312-629-2990
       Fax: 312-629-2991 / 3552 / 1287
Direct Line for Mim Neal: 312-629-1120

Web site:  http://www.cpwr.org
parliament General Info: mailto:99info@cpwr.org

***********************************************

Ms. Mim Neal
Public Relations Manager

Mr. John Dart
Media Consultant - CPWR / California
Tel. / Fax: 818-363-3984
E-mail: mailto:jdartnews@aol.com

CPWR Tel.: 312-629-2990
       Fax: 312-629-2991 / 3552 / 1287
Direct Line for Mim Neal: 312-629-1120

Web site:  http://www.cpwr.org
parliament General Info: mailto:99info@cpwr.org