Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation
Press Release. April 2014
International Symposium on Forgiveness and Reconciliation,
2 April 2014, Nishkam Centre, Birmingham, UK
A very successful Symposium co-sponsored by the Fetzer Institute, the Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha (GNNSJ) and the Guerrand-Hermes Foundation for Peace took place on 2 April in Birmingham, UK.
Leading thinkers and activists from many peacemaking and reconciliation organizations gathered in Birmingham both for networking and for the preparation of future collaborative activities. The event was led by Bhai Sahib Bhai Mohinder Singh, spiritual leader and Chairman of GNNSJ and Co-convenor of the Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation Project and by Dr. Josef Boehle, Director of the Charter Project. Dr William F. Vendley, Secretary General of Religions for Peace International is also a Co-convenor of the Charter project.
The day’s agenda for discussion about the development of the Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation included deliberations on some key questions and critical issues such as the role for forgiveness within the contexts of justice, reconciliation and peace-building. Please review the schedule for the symposium with a list of the presenters, chairs and moderators Symposium 2014.
The Symposium served as a springboard to action on establishing the Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation in 2015. The proposed Charter aims to inspire and engage individuals, groups and communities, in public processes and in private settings, appealing to humanity to practice genuine forgiveness and reconciliation, seeking justice and sustainable peace.
The proposed Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation will draw upon values, stories and examples from sacred texts and from different spiritual traditions, from religious/spiritual communities, and from the lives of outstanding individuals. With such paradigms, the Charter will direct commitment and activities towards a growing practice of forgiveness and reconciliation which humanity desperately needs in a fractured world.
The draft text for the Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation is now being developed. The whole collaborative chartering process is likely to take a number of years, to allow for substantial input from a wide range of worldviews, backgrounds, expertise and insights.
The vision behind the Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation is that forgiving is an activity necessary for healing and reconciliation to take place, when seeking justice and sustainable peace.
Please also refer to the co-sponsor, Fetzer Institute Charter feature page.
