On Oct. 7, Fr James Puglisi, SA, director of the Centro Pro Unione in Rome, spoke at an interreligious event in Rome addressing climate change. Fr. Puglisi joined leaders from the Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu faiths to discuss the interconnectedness of all creation and the need to care for our environment. The event, “Praying in Jerusalem,” was sponsored by the Elijah Faith Institute and linked people from all over the globe.
The event celebrated the Feast Day of St Francis and his commitment to the earth, from the perspective of these four different faiths. The program began with Fr Jim introducing St Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of Creation and two paragraphs from Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’. Fr. Jim finished with a meditative prayer of the Canticle of Creation. He was followed by MariaReis Habito with a Buddhist teaching, Rabbi Yonatan Neril with a Jewish text and Shrivatsa Goshwami with a Hindu teaching.
All of these teachings showed that the varying religious traditions embrace the connection between humanity and all forms of life, which was directed to the divine.