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Peace Tour Inaugurates UPF in Poland
Dr. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon’s party arrived in Warsaw, the first stop of their 13-city peace tour in Europe, on a cheerful autumn morning in late October. Mother Moon commented on the beautiful colors of the autumn trees. From their hotel they could view the panorama of Warsaw, a city completely reborn in the past 15 years.
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Volunteers had set up an exhibition about the Universal Peace Federation, organized in the center of Warsaw in the upper rooms of a well-known café.
As people came to the event in increasing numbers, it became clear that not everybody could fit into the hall. The hall had a capacity of 550, but there must have been a total of over 700 people. The doors at the entrance of the hall could not be closed, because people were crowding there and standing all along the wall.
Apart from Warsaw residents, there were a lot of international visitors: there were 240 from Germany and a busload of 50 from Holland.
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Before long, Father Moon was on stage in Europe for the first time in almost two decades, and he had plenty to say. He was full of vigor and stamina and stayed on the podium for over one and a half hours, giving the Peace Message of this global tour. At one point he said that he was feeling very close to the audience. “You may feel so close to me that you won’t want to leave me anymore,” he said as he explained about cross-cultural marriage as a way to create more bonds among people, and elaborating on the significance of this day for the UN.
After the speech Mother Moon joined him on the stage and they were given bouquets of flowers and a large trophy by a combination of Polish and German Ambassadors for Peace.
One German Ambassador for Peace, a long-term friend and Bishop of the Mormon Church, expressed his dismay at the fact Father and Mother Moon could not enter Germany: at this point. “Nobody understands this entry ban, when it is clear that Rev. Moon works for bringing peace and harmony among the nations, races and religions,” he said. Feeling the Spirit present, he urged all participants to join the work of Rev. Moon in “establishing God’s Kingdom on earth.”
Then, unexpectedly Imam Abduljalil Sajid from Great Britain took the podium and congratulated the Polish people on hosting such an event. He himself would always refer to Father and Mother Moon as True Parents, he said. Imam Sajid was followed by Christoph Gago, the Secretary General of for the Peace Federation in Poland, who called on the Ambassadors for Peace to make a commitment to develop the Universal Peace Federation in their countries.
The event included an invitation for couples to join in a world peace blessing toast of marriage rededication.
To read the inaugural peace message, click here.
To download a report booklet of the UPF Founders' 2005 World Peace Tour, click here.
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