Interfaith Prayers in Mendoza, Argentina
Representatives of various faith communities at the Mendoza conference. (ISKCON's Baladeva Das is on the left.)
On November 22 the Inter-religious Council of Mendoza, Argentina, held its yearly meeting entitled as “A Day of Reflection for Peace.”
Before entering the City Hall of Mendoza where the meeting was held, there was a peace march on the streets of the city with the participation of people of different faiths, including Jews and Muslims, which, in the light of the present-day war in the Middle East, had a special message.
Then the city’s vice-governor welcomed the religious leaders to the Legislature Hall.
After reciting the Mangalacarana (Hindu welcoming) prayers, ISKCON-representative Baladeva Das and his daughter Mangala Gita Dasi read mantras from the Srimad Bhagavatam and the Bhagavad Gita, including the following:
“One who is not connected with the Supreme [in Krishna consciousness] can have neither transcendental intelligence nor a steady mind, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?”
The "Peace March" in Mendoza
All religious leaders read extracts from The Koran, The Torah, The Bible and the Tibetan book of the dead called "Bard Thodol".
Then there were inspirational songs sung by local musicians.
All the participants agreed that interreligious dialog was an enriching experience.
ISKCON devotees distributed prasadam, which was appreciated by everyone.
Finally there was a wish of peace to everybody and all were encouraged to built peace through dialog in God's name.
