Jawel, in 2014 is het aan Brussel om het Parliament of the World%u2019s Religions op de kaart te zetten, en dat is mede dankzij de vele steun die de pagan community aan het project heeft gegeven. Phyllis Curott, één van de leden van de Board of Trustees van het Parliament, wilde graag persoonlijk iedereen bedanken die de kandidatuur van Brussel heeft gesteund. Hieronder vinden jullie haar brief:
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
As a Trustee of the Council for the Parliament of the World%u2019s Religions, and a member of Council%u2019s Site Selection Committee, I am delighted to share the exciting news that the Board of Trustees has provisionally selected Brussels, Belgium to host the 2014 Parliament of the World%u2019s Religions. This provisional selection will become formal and public upon Brussels securing full funding for the event. The formal announcement of this selection is anticipated for late October 2011.
The Council for a Parliament of the World%u2019s Religions is an international, non-sectarian, non-profit organization, established in 1988 to host the 1993 Parliament of the World%u2019s Religions. More than 10,000 people from diverse religious, spiritual and convictional traditions will participate in the 2014 Parliament, which will last for 7 days and will comprise more than 500 programs, workshops and dialogues, alongside music, dance, artistic exhibitions and related events hosted by religious communities and cultural institutions. Since the historic 1893 World%u2019s Parliament of Religions was held in Chicago, modern Parliaments have been held in Chicago (1993), Cape Town (1999), Barcelona (2004) and Melbourne (2009). These periodic Parliament events are the world%u2019s oldest and largest inter-religious gatherings.
It%u2019s been my pleasure to work with the Parliament since it%u2019s first modern convening in 1993 and to facilitate the participation of the Pagan community. I%u2019m looking forward with great enthusiasm to working with the Belgian and larger European Pagan community to assure your notable presence at the 2014 Parliament in Brussels. I want to extend heartfelt thanks to Hilde Roelandt, High Priestess of Arcadia Coven who also works with the Tradition of Ara for her work with the Brussels Steering Committee and to Coven Ni d%u2019Jenatche, Camelot, Jan de Zutter, Werkgroep Traditie, Sufi Rozentuin, the Pagan Federation International Belgium, New Order of the Druids, Ehipassiko Buddhist Center, The Druid Network and Greencraft Creations Belgium as well as many groups from Holland, Germany, Ireland, and the UK for their letters supporting the Brussel%u2019s bid.
Since 1993, the Parliament has provided a crucial platform elevating the visibility and concerns of our diverse religious community to the global stage. It has provided unique opportunities to correct negative stereotypes, build important interfaith relationships and alliances and bring our profound spiritual wisdom to a world in need. Our participation has grown over the years in its sophistication and support as hundreds of Pagans from all over the world have attended. We%u2019ve given talks, participated in inter-religious and intra-religious panels on critical issues, hosted rituals and had large and festive local events sponsored by the local Pagan communities.
It%u2019s been a great personal joy to witness the increasing respect with which our spirituality and our contributions have been received. One of countless examples is the difference between the 1993 panel in Chicago on the Divine Feminine and the 2009 panel in Melbourne, Australia. In 1993, there were perhaps 2 dozen people in the room. In 2009, I was joined on the panel by Mother Maya, the esteemed Hindu Guru and Sister Joan Chitester, the activist Catholic nun. It was one of the best attended events at the Parliament %u2014 the crowd overflowed the room of 500 seats into the outside hallway and there was a standing ovation at the conclusion. And the approximately dozen Pagan panels on a wide range of topics were also filled to capacity. As many religious leaders said to me, the world is ready for what we have to say.
In 2014 I believe this will be more urgently true. I look forward to working with you in the years leading up to this remarkable event to assure that the Parliament itself is a great success and that our community%u2019s participation is a rewarding part of that success.
Wishing you all a joyous Spring Equinox.
Warmest regards,
Phyllis W. Curott, J.D. President and Founder Temple of Ara www.templeofara.org, www.phylliscurott.com
Trustee, Council for the Parliament of the World%u2019s Religions www.parliamentofreligions.org www.Brussels2014.eu
