Largest global interfaith gathering coming to Chicago this week

Five days in Chicago next week could change the world when 8,000-10,000 people gather at McCormick Place, August 14-18, for the largest, worldwide gathering of global, faith-based, and social change leaders.

“A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights,” presented by the Chicago-based Parliament of the World’s Religions, will feature more than 200 influential luminaries from faith organizations and leadership backgrounds who are concerned about issues facing people and the planet today. They represent more than 80 nations.

Program participants include those from every faith background, plus global leaders in human rights, climate change, sustainability, women’s rights, gun control, and social change.

The event’s goal is to ignite discussions about and present solutions to some of the most pressing crises facing the globe today with a goal of achieving a just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

“A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights,” McCormick Place, August 14-18, for the largest, worldwide gathering of global, faith-based, and social change leaders.

Nancy Pelosi, Cardinal Cupich, Governor Pritzker, Mayor Johnson, Alexi Giannoulias, Kwame Raoul, among many others, will play a role. The event is open to the public.

The 130-year-old Parliament, which first convened in Chicago at the 1893 World’s Fair, was established to foster harmony among the world’s spiritual and leadership communities.

This year’s gathering is focused on defending freedoms and human rights under the theme “A Call to Conscience.”

Speakers and sessions will focus on ways to combat the rise in authoritarianism and defend democracy as well as cultivating solutions to serious world issues.

“A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights” is open to the public.

For more information on the program, logistics, or to purchase tickets, visit http://2023powr.org/.

More information:

The Chicago-based Parliament of the World’s Religions, is the world’s premier interfaith gathering of civic, spiritual, and grassroots changemakers. The Parliament was founded in 1893 to create a global platform for engagement of religions and leadership. Previous events have featured international changemakers such as the 14^th Dalai Lama, Jane Goodall, Desmond Tutu, and Jimmy Carter, among others.

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will give the keynote address on August 14 at 10 a.m. at McCormick Lakeside Center. There are many luminaries who will be present including Paster/former Congressman Bobby Rush and Cardinal Blaise Cupich.

This year’s theme:

“A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights,” spanning four days at McCormick Place Lakeside Center, features more than 200 influential luminaries from faith organizations and leadership backgrounds, representing more than 80 nations. Participants include those from all faith-based backgrounds, in addition to global leaders in human rights, climate change, sustainability, women’s rights, gun control, and social change. In this open-to-the-public event, participants will ignite discussions about and present solutions to some of the most pressing crises facing the globe today with a goal of achieving a just, peaceful, and sustainable world.

The Parliament will be doing vast community outreach to provide services, including migrants throughout the city. In addition to the luminaries below, please also see the numerous faith leaders from Arab countries who will be in attendance:

Featured luminaries include:

Cardinal Blasé Cupich, Archdiocese of Chicago,

Video messages from Nancy Pelosi and Jane Goodall

Stephen Avino – Executive Director

Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres: https://parliamentofreligions.org/speakers/secretary-general-antonio-guterres/

Susan Abadian – Iranian Born
Dr. Muhammed Hamadeh – Syrian
Wa’el Alzayat – Syria American Muslim
Khaled Abu Awwad- Palestinian Muslim
Mustafa Abu Sway – born in Jordan, one of the 500 most influential Muslims in the world, Based in Jerusalem
Anila Ali – Pakistan native from Cali, Practicing Muslim
Ambassador Rashad Hussain is Indian American Muslim
Wajahat Ali is Pakistani American born in Cali, practicing Muslim
Prof. Azza Karam (female, Muslim) – American Living Born in Egypt
Parisa Khosravi CNN Journalist born in Iran ( and Zoroastrian)
Dr. Mahan Mirza – Islamic – Christian Relations Scholar, head of the Ansari Institute at Notre Dame, unsure of his religious or ethnic background
Rami Nashashibi – American Muslim Activist considers himself Palestinian American born in Jordan grew up living in Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Italy before moving to Chicago at age 19
Khalil Sayegh – Palestinian Christian from the Gaza Strip

ALSO:

· Steve Sarowitz, billionaire founder and chairman of Paylocity, film producer, business leader, humanitarian, member of the Baha’i faith, Executive Producer of Peabody Award-winning “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise.” He will speak on the cross-section between wealth and faith.

· Jennifer Butler, founding Executive Director of Faith in Public Life and former chair of the White House Council on Faith and Neighborhood Partnerships

· Kehkashan Basu, an iconic global influencer, educator, environmentalist, champion of women and children’s rights, and recipient of Canada’s Meritorious Service Medal

· Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein, designated by Newsweek as the most influential rabbi in America and by the Washington Post as the ‘quintessential religious lobbyist on Capitol Hill.

Karen Freeman-Wilson, CEO of the Chicago Urban League: https://parliamentofreligions.org/speakers/karen-freeman-wilson/

· Reverend James Lawson, widely recognized as the pioneer of nonviolence in the American Civil Liberties Movement, is an activist, minister, and living icon embodying the power of nonviolence in securing justice and peace.

· Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder and CEO of Agape International Spiritual Center, Los Angeles, a global community dedicated to recognizing, honoring, and nurturing the dignity and uniqueness of all. He has ties to Oprah, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, and Markle’s mother Doria Ragland.

· Dharma Master Cheng Yen, who left home at 23 to become a Buddhist nun, founded the Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation which ‘helps the poor and educates the rich’ to give material aid to the needy and inspire love and humanitarian spirit in both the giver and receiver. She was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by TIME in 2011 and in 2014 she received the Rotary International Award of Honor.

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Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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