25-30 September, 2005, at Union Theological Seminary
in the City of New York, United States
• The 2005 meeting of the Peace Council was held in New York City from Sunday, September 25, to Friday, September 30, 2005. On Monday, September 26 at 5:OO pm the Peace Councilors presented a public interfaith service at Riverside Church in New York City, with the theme, Peace is Possible. More than 2,000 persons attended. Peace Councilors Dr. Chung Hyun-Kyung, Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman, H.H. Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama, Ven Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, Rev. Gonzalo Ituarte, OP, Swami Agnivesh, Rev. Thomas Keating, OCSO, and Sr. Joan Chittister, OSB, addressed the gathering.
• Peace Councilor Professor Chung Hyun-Kyung was the host Councilor and provided the venue for the Peace Councilors' annual meeting. The gathering included opportunities to meet with students and faculty of Union Theological Seminary. Also, the "Peacemakers in Action" — persons who have been honored by the Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding — joined some of the Peace Council’s working sessions. Another session included representatives of women’s NGOs at the United Nations.
• A major theme of the meeting was the increasing political and cultural influence of religious extremists in the world and in the United States. On Tuesday morning, Dr. Joseph Hough, president of Union Theological Seminary, opened discussions on the growing political power of the “religious right” in the United States and its influence on domestic and foreign policy. Dr. Hough is widely known as a strong advocate for liberal religious and political principles. The discussions included theologians and scholars from Christian evangelical groups. Dr. Hough's presentation, "The Religious Situation in America," presents an overview of the issues.
• During the week the Peace Council also reviewed progress and decided on future programs. Topics included ways to advance the work on women's issues begun at Chiang Mai. Councilors decided to meet with European Muslim leaders in 2006. As usual, there was time for private and informal discussion, time to renew friendships, and time for prayer together.
• The meeting supported the work of Peace Councilor Chung Hyun-Kyung and her students and contributed to and benefited from the interfaith commitment of Union Theological Seminary, where she teaches.
Ninth Annual Meeting of the Peace Council