7th ACRP ASSEMBLY LAUNCHED IN UST

THE ASIAN CONFERENCE OF RELIGIONS FOR PEACE (ACRP-Philippines), Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and the University of Santo Tomas co-hosted the Seventh Assembly of the multi-religious ACRP held in Manila from October 17 to 21, 2008.

About 300 delegates from various religions all over Asia coverged at the UST Campus and the Manila Hotel for the organization's assembly, with the theme: "Peacemaking in Asia"  The Goal was to merge the wisdom of all religious traditions of Asia to help contribute to the realization of peace through through inter-religious cooperation.

This was the first time the 32 year old ecumenical group to Asian Religions met in Manila.  ACRP was born of the Second World Assembly of Religions for Peace held at the Catholic University in Louvain, Belguim in 1974.  Since that time, the multi-denominational conference has initiated various projects such as the Boat People rescue project; the launching of the Human Rights Center in New Delhi and Bangkok; and the creation of the Peace Education Center in Seoul Korea.

The Manila assembly brough people of various faiths together to share experiences and lessons learned in peacemaking activities,  particularly in conflict-ridden countries.  It also identified best practices in conflict resolutions, peace making, social justice promotion, and sustainable community development programs.

article taken from The Academia, December 2008 issue.