Montreal, Canada - Ambassadors for Peace and friends gathered in Montreal on the evening of Sept. 22, 2014, to commemorate the UN International Day of Peace. The meeting brought together representatives of Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant Christian denominations, Muslims of different persuasions, Hindus, Sikhs and Unificationists.
The meeting began with a Hindu song for peace sung by long-time Ambassador for Peace Mrs. Pushapa Banga and a quote recommended by a Muslim Ambassador for Peace from the Hebrew scriptures:
"God shall judge between the nations and shall decide for many peoples and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation; neither shall they learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4)
Mr. Franco Famularo, in his introductory remarks, explained about the United Nations’ efforts to promote the International Day of Peace and the support that UPF offers through its worldwide network of Ambassadors for Peace. He then provided a pictorial report of the World Summit on Peace, Security and Development, held in Korea this past August.
Ambassador for Peace Rev. Dr. Anthony Mansour, who participated and spoke at the World Summit, shared about his personal experiences and emphasized that one point that is often missed by those engaged in social media is the fact that the networks established by religious bodies are usually the largest and most involved in activities for the sake of goodness. He encouraged each one present to bring one friend or co-religionist to the next meeting.
A lively discussion among the participants continued late into the evening.