Congressman Bobby Rush Affirms Commitment to Faith, Freedom, and Human Rights Efforts

Congressman Bobby Rush newly announced Chicago Host Committee Chair and Trustee of the Parliament of the World’s Religions invites faith, civic, and industry leaders to affirm their own commitment to the future of the City of Chicago and its place in the global interfaith movement by answering the call to conscience at the upcoming 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions. Answer the call, register today!

Transcript of Speech:

I want to thank the Parliament of the World’s Religions, members of the Chicago community, and the Chicago media for commemorating with me today my new role as Chicago Host Committee Chair of the 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions.

I was called to the Parliament of the World’s Religions, much like my fellow trustees with me today, the thousands of global attendees that have participated in the past eight Convenings, and the hundreds of luminaries like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, and the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu; with a sense of deep conviction to the legacy of this institution, to its vision of peace, justice, and sustainability, and particularly for me; to its call to conscience to defend freedom, democracy, and human rights for all.

It seems to me that the fates, or rather faith, aligned for just as I returned to Chicago from Washington DC, so did the Parliament return to the city it calls home, the birthplace of the interfaith movement.

It is my deepest hope that the legacy of the Parliament of the World’s Religions continues to segment our great city as a beacon of what people of faith, spirituality, and ethical convictions can accomplish when they come together committed to dialogue, to action, and to change.

In my role as Chair of the Chicago Host Committee, I am affirming my commitment to faith, freedom, and human rights efforts in the City of Chicago. And I invite everyone in the city —faith, civic, and industry leaders— to affirm their own commitment to the future of our city and its place in the global interfaith movement by answering the call to conscience at the upcoming 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions.

The time is now, let’s show each other and the world why Chicago is leading the charge toward a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world.