ISKCON Leaders Brought Valuable Perspectives to 2023 Parliament of the World Religions Conference
Originally published by ISKCON News on August 22 by Thomas Haribol, ISKCON News Managing Editor
Last week, the Parliament of the World’s Religions (PoWR) gathered thousands of people of faith, spirituality, and ethical convictions to Chicago, USA, for their 2023 convention. This year’s theme was “A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights.” The historic gathering welcomed participants from around the world to the emblematic city where the first Parliament was held 130 years ago.
It is one of the world’s largest inter-faith gatherings, with 6,500 participating this year, and was held at the massive McCormick Place Conference Center August 14-18th. The festivities were inaugurated by an energetic and colorful Parade of Faith on August 13th.
ISKCON leaders actively participated in the multi-day gathering, which included plenary presentations from “luminaries,” interactive programs, and spiritual performances, all focused on the themes of peace, justice, and sustainability within interfaith movements worldwide. “Overall, the conference promoted a deeper sense of the importance of religion and spirituality across all human communities, heightened awareness of the need for better understanding between religious and spiritual communities, and increased cooperation in facing the problems that humankind is faced with today,” said Anuttama Dasa, Global Minister of Communications for ISKCON.
