Paris, France—The 27th Francophone scriptural sharing was held under the title “Cultivating Humility.”
The monthly interdenominational meeting was held by Dialogue & Alliance on July 23, 2023. The main gathering took place in the northern Hauts-de-France region.
Around 20 participants also gathered in the Espace Barrault conference center in Paris. In addition, French-speaking participants in Belgium, Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Republic of the Congo, Switzerland and the United States joined the meeting online.
The moderator was Chantal Nga Onana, coordinator in Hauts-de-France of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an organization that is affiliated with UPF.
The first reading conveyed a Buddhist perspective on humility. A text by Shinran, a reforming monk in medieval Japan (1173-1262), was commented on by Daovy Ganserlat Pathoummaluangsy, president of the Buddhist Association of Northern France.
The second reading, providing a Christian perspective, was Philippians 2, verses 4 to 11. It was read by Jean Tuszewski of UPF and commented on by Father Jean-Michel Tchitembo, an associate priest at the parish of Notre-Dame du Saint-Cordon in the town of Valenciennes.
There was a short musical break in which a video was shown of the Nouvel Espoir (“New Hope”) choir from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, directed for two decades by José Mozart Mpungi.
The final reading provided the perspective of Kimbanguism, a Christian new religious movement that started in Africa. It was brilliantly commented on by Brice Wete Matouba, founder and principal moderator of Les Lundis de l'Humain (“Human Mondays”), a reflection circle that was set up in the town of Wattrelos in 2006.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session moderated by Laurent Ladouce, a researcher with UPF.
The next meeting, scheduled for August 27, will have the theme: "Blessed Are Those Who Mourn, for They Will Be Comforted."
The recording of this program is available here.