The upcoming Parliament of World’s Religions will focus on the crucial topic:
A Call to Conscience: Defending Freedom & Human Rights.
McCormick Place, Lakeside Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA, 14-18 August 2023
The full program is now available online along with an overview of the schedule.
The Temple of Understanding (TOU) will be offering a number of sessions at the Parliament. All times are in US Chicago time, CDT, and further room assignments will be added when known.
Our colleagues from the Temple of Understanding – India are offering sessions on the first and second days of the Parliament:
- Syncretism in the Indian Subcontinent Over the Ages: Challenges in the Modern World will be held Monday August 14 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm, Hall E-257 and Dr. Jyotsna Singh will be a featured speaker, including a video from the Honorable Dr. Karan Singh.
- Prof. Kavita Sharma & Dr. A. K. Merchant will be esteemed panelists speaking on Education, Sustainable Development and Values, Tuesday August 15, from 10:30 am to 12:00 noon, Hall E-Room 9.
Later on Tuesday, the TOU’s session will feature graduates of our internship program, with introductory comments by Executive Director Alison Van Dyk, Director of Education Amy Pacula, and Director of Global Advocacy Grove Harris. Please join us Tuesday August 15th from 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm CDT USA in Hall E- 266, for Interfaith Youth Leadership and Action, featuring:
- Lauren Liotti, Innovation Consultant, recent graduate ’21 London School of Economics International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies
- Rufus Roby Mathew, Cloud DevOps Engineer at Paychex and has extensive international experience in using technology to promote human rights and religious freedom.
- Sude Kinik, a 21-year-old law student at a Franco-Turkish university in Istanbul, with a particular focus on international law and human rights law.
Topics will include human rights law, cyberspace, digital technology, humanitarian emergencies, and youth empowerment as the graduated interns reflect on their interfaith education and visions for defending human rights and religious freedom in our sorely troubled world. There will be ample time for Q & A.
The next TOU event will feature our film, Temple of Understanding at 60: Peace, Justice, and the Planet 2020 which will be shown Friday, August 18th from 8 am – 9 am CDT USA in room E352. Please join us for the conversation, led by Rufus Mathew, after the 13-minute showing.
https://templeofunderstanding.
https://templeofunderstanding.
In addition, Grove Harris has been invited to join the panels of five sessions:
Sacred Water in a Climate Changed Era, Thursday, August 17, 2023 from 8:00 am to 9:30 am, Hall E-Room 1.
The Women’s Task Force is offering a panel titled “Climate Action: All Can Help.” Grove will join Lauren Van Ham, Jacqueline Patterson, and Rev. Susan Hendershot. The panel is scheduled for Thursday, August 17th from 5 pm – 6:30 pm, E253b.
Women’s Leadership in Interfaith Spaces, Friday Aug. 18th, 10:30 am – noon, Room: E451b
Grove will also speak on Religions for Peace- USA’s panel discussion of Interfaith Engagement: Past, Present and Future, Friday Aug 18, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, E451b.