Some of the speakers and participants at the Espace Barrault in Paris listened to Professor Jacques GAUTHIER in Canada. Right: Ms. Anne-Sophie MONSINAY, one of only three women in France to be Imam; left: Ms. Marie-Christine ODENT
The Dialogue & Alliance interfaith circle organized its monthly meeting on the theme of “Cultivating Gratitude”.
The central face-to-face meeting was held at the Espace Barrault in Paris, with Zoom connections from several countries, including Algeria, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Canada, Congo, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, France, Haiti, Morocco, Pakistan, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, etc.
To begin the meeting, the moderator, Mr Dorian GRAVRAND, briefly presented the Universal Peace Federation-International’s call for action on Israel and Gaza.
In the first reading, Mr Jacques GAUTHIER, former professor of theology at Saint-Paul University in Ottawa (Canada), poet, and essayist (https://www.jacquesgauthier.com/), gave a brilliant commentary on the passage from Genesis 1.31, where God expresses His gratitude after the Creation.
The second reading brought a Muslim perspective. It was verses 151 and 152 of Sura II: The Cow. They were commented on by Ms Anne-Sophie MONSINAY, co-founder of the association “Voix d’un islam éclairé” (https://www.voix-islam-eclaire.fr/ ) and imam of the Sîmorgh mosque.
We then had a short musical break, with the poem by Francis of Assisi, ” The Canticle of the Creatures”, performed by Robert LEBEL (https://www.robertlebel.com/ ). A priest and singer-songwriter for over 30 years, he is well-known across Canada and Europe.
The third presentation was based on a quotation from Dr. Hak Ja HAN-MOON, founder of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP), which was read by Mr Modeste AMOUSSOU and then explained by Ms. Marie-Christine ODENT, marriage and family counselor and Vice-President in France of the Women’s Federation for World Peace (https://wfwp-france.org/ ). In particular, she showed the link between gratitude, forgiveness, love, and work.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session led by Dr. Laurent LADOUCE, a researcher with the Universal Peace Federation, and some remarks by Mr. Jean-François MOULINET, coordinator of the Dialogue & Alliance circle, who announced that the next meeting would be held on Sunday 19 November on the theme: “Cultivating hope”.
Here is a recording of the program
