In the run-up to the Paris 2024 Games, the Dialogue & Alliance interfaith circle held its monthly meeting on Sunday 7 July 2024 on the theme of the Olympic motto: "Faster, higher, stronger – together".
Chantal CHETELAT KOMAGATA, Secretary General of UPF-Switzerland and Coordinator of UPF-Central Europe, led the main meeting from the UPF offices in Geneva. People from nearly fifteen countries followed the programme by videoconference, in particular at the Espace Barrault in Paris.
The first reading brought a Christian perspective, a text taken from the First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 9, verses 24 to 27. It was read to us and commented on by Mrs Rosa HÄNSELER, who is the Founding President of FAODE – Forum of Active Women for the SDGs and Emergence.
The second speaker brought a Muslim perspective: verse 60 of the 8th Sura of the Koran, which was read and commented on by Mr Hafid OUARDIRI, co-founder and director of the “Fondation pour l'Entre-connaissance”, in Geneva.
As a short cultural break, we then watched the song "One World, One Family" by NAELISE, author, composer and performer.
The third reading brought a Scientology perspective. It was a text by the founder of Scientology, L. RON HUBBARD, which was commented on by Mrs Francine BIELAWSKI, Member of CLIMS – “Centre de liaison et d'information sur les minorités spirituelles”.
The fourth reading provided a unificationist perspective. It was an extract from the speech given by Rev. Sun Myung MOON at the inaugural Peace Cup Banquet on 12 June 2002 at the Little Angels Performing Arts Center in Seoul, South Korea, which was commented on by Mr Radomir STANTCHEV, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Protestant Theology and is the President of the Swiss branch of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), an affiliated organisation.
The meeting concluded with a question-and-answer session, moderated from Paris by Dr Laurent LADOUCE, and a few remarks by Mr Jean-François MOULINET, coordinator of the Dialogue & Alliance circle.