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Peace Festival in Roxas Successful, Despite Controversy
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Universal Peace Federation partnered with the government of the Philippines to successfully hold one of its premier events, a Global Peace Festival (GPF), in the provincial capital, Roxas, Capiz, on November 18, 2008. This was the seventh GPF in the Philippines over the past two months.
It was estimated that more than 70,000 people attended the main program, which made it the largest gathering ever in this city known as the “Seafood Capital of the Philippines” (located 460 km southeast of Manila). The population of Roxas is 126,352 people, according to a 2000 census.
Founded in 2006, the peace festivals have quickly spread around the world uniting people as “One Family Under God” (the GPF motto). This year alone, festivals are being held in close to 20 nations, including two in North America, three in Central and South America, four in Europe, one in the Middle East, one in Africa, five in Asia, and one in Oceania.
The size of the crowds has ranged from the hundreds to the tens of thousands of people. Even more important is the revolutionary way of approaching socially relevant issues. GPF partners with all sectors of society and seeks to broaden the thinking of people because, after all, the preamble of the UNESCO charter says, “wars begin in the minds of men.”
Therefore, the GPF focuses on changing mind-sets by trying to raise cultural awareness to really "think globally." In essence it asks, "Do you really feel that everyone—regardless of race, nationality, or religion—is really part of your family?"
There are three main parts to the festival: community service, education centering on leadership and good governance, and the main festival gathering. All highlight the need to strengthen the family as the most fundamental unit for social change and renewal.
Sections of the Catholic Church opposed the event because the UPF was founded by Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon from South Korea. They did not understand that the purpose of the peace festivals was not to proselytize or convert, but to celebrate our commonality as a family on a worldwide level, transcending our skin colors, languages, religious rituals, and ways of dressing. The celebrations stand in stark contradiction to what some naysayers see as an inevitable “clash of civilizations.”
UPF organizers were thankful that the opposition in Roxas did not reflect the church’s stance nationwide. In other venues the vast networks of partners worked very well together, including government, non-government, entertainment, media, educational institutions, many branches of civil society, and all religious faiths.
In the closing session, held in the Hall of Governors, UPF organizers said the victory in Roxas was only half complete. The question posed was, “How can we truly be one family under God when our elder brother is not here to celebrate with us?”
Leaders of UPF were desperate to address any misapprehension or misunderstanding. Dr. Michael Zablan, the national director for the UPF-Philippines, has asked that a full report be sent to the church of Roxas. We all need to work together more effectively to address our common concerns of character education for youth and strengthening marriage and family — both pillars of Catholic teaching.