GPIW Organizes First Asia-Middle East Religious Dialogue
 On November 12-15th, the Global Peace Initiative of Women joined forces with His Holiness Aram I, the Catholicos of the Armenian Orthodox Church, to bring to Beirut, Lebanon a delegation of religious leaders from Asia to meet with religious leaders from the Middle East. The theme of the dialogue was A Re-Commitment to Spirituality: Building Mutual Understanding and Peace. Religious and spiritual leaders from throughout the Middle East met with Hindu and Buddhist religious leaders from various countries in Asia to launch a new initiative that would build bridges and relationships between these two regions. Rev. Joan Brown Campbell, Sister Joan Chittister, Teny Pirri-Simonian and Dena Merriam represented GPIW at the Dialogue. For these two regions of the world, where women religious leaders have little visibility and prominence, it was a unique opportunity for GPIW to highlight the critical role of women not only in peacebuilding but also in cultivating greater understanding and goodwill among the religions.
 While in Beirut, the religious leaders from Asia met privately with the leaders of the Shiite, Sunni and Christian communities in Lebanon and were briefed on the current situation in the country. They came away with a much deeper understanding of the tensions dividing the region. They offered the Buddhist and Hindu perspectives on how to heal divides and build unity. One Hindu leader spoke of the need for silence as a means to overcome historical divisions and find common ground. His Holiness Catholicos Aram I, who presided over the meeting, confirmed the importance of silence as a means for building bonds among faiths.
 In his welcoming message, His Holiness Aram I explained why he was inspired to invite the group together. He said: “Confronting different religions is a must, whether we like it or not, in this globalized world. The question then becomes: how should we respect each other and live together, and accept the right to be different?”
Dena Merriam, GPIW Convener, was invited to give an overview on the goals for the three-day dialogue. She highlighted the importance of balancing understanding on both sides of the Eastern traditions  (Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim), and the contribution these traditions can collectively make globally toward more equitable economic and political influence. She asked the group to also revisit and explore the spiritual context of their respective religions without politicizing issues and emphasizing religious difference. She reminded the group that the reason for their religious life is because of spiritual meaning and fulfilment. Finally, her closing remarks encouraged the Middle East and Asia delegations to move beyond tolerance into respecting the other, but in order to do this she asked them to “come together and know each other in order to build trust.”
At the conclusion of the dialogue, there was general agreement that relationships between the religions of the Middle East and Asia must be cultivated and that this would be the beginning of the effort to build bridges between these two regions. A plan for follow-up activities is now being developed.
Photo Captions (top to bottom):
Photo 1 - His Holiness Aram I, the Catholicos of the Armenian Orthodox Church (Lebanon)
Photo 2 - GPIW Delegation and Sunni Religious Leader (Far Right)
Photo 3 - Presentation by Buddhist Monks from Taiwan
Photo 4 - H.H. Catholicos Aram I and Buddhist Monks from Cambodia
Photo 5 - Religious Delegation, Middle East-Asia Dialogue (Beirut, Lebanon)
Concept Paper » PDF Document 
Event Program » PDF Document
"Being Obedient to Our Common Calling": A Message from His Holiness Aram I » PDF Document
Biography of His Holiness Aram I » PDF Document
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