September 2011

Rissho Kosei-kai Attends International Meeting
of Prayer for Peace in Munich

The 25th International Meeting of Prayer for Peace was held September 11-13 in Munich, Germany, under the theme "Bound to Live Together: Religions and Cultures in Dialogue." Some 400 religious leaders from 60 countries took part in the annual event, organized by the Community of Sant'Egidio, an international Catholic lay organization based in Rome. Rissho Kosei-kai's eight representatives included Dr. Munehiro Niwano, dean of Gakurin Seminary.

The meeting opened with a commemoration of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001. On September 12 and 13, thirty-five sessions were held. At one of the sessions on September 12, which focused on the plight of Japan after the March earthquake and tsunami, Dr. Niwano served as a panelist. He reported on the massive scale of the disaster and said human progress depends on acknowledging human helplessness against the forces of nature. He also reported on a relief project for disaster victims that Rissho Kosei-kai has conducted since late March, under the motto "United in One Heart."

On the afternoon of September 13, representatives of the various religions prayed for peace. Dr. Niwano served as an assistant leader in the prayer by Buddhists. The meeting closed with the adoption of an Appeal for Peace, which underlines the importance of dialogue as the only way to peaceful coexistence.

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