It’s always good to have friends in times of crisis. But it’s even better to have friends all the time.
A panel of religious leaders encouraged faith communities to talk, learn and celebrate together.
More than 160, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus gathered in Atlanta Feb. 2 to mark the first United Nations World Interfaith Harmony Week. Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory, who is also chairman of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ committee on interreligious affairs, was among the panelists asked to speak at the gathering.
Jewish Rabbi Analia Bortz, of the Congregations Or Hadash, Ahavath Achim Synagogue, recited a biblical verse, “Happy is the heart who seeks for God.”
People should be constant seekers, trying to understand each other and God, she said. Spiritual knowledge should be dynamic, she said.
“We are here to respect our differences and celebrate our similarities,” she said.