Düsseldorf, 21 September 2024 - To mark this year’s UN International Day of Peace, UPF Düsseldorf organised an interreligious walking tour round the Oberbilk district of Düsseldorf, visiting various religious communities and uniting in prayer for world peace.
The participants gathered in the UPF Centre in Düsseldorf and were warmly greeted by Anja Brina. She explained the significance of this day, established by the UN to remind us of the value, but at the same time, fragility of peace. She stressed that it is our responsibility to be involved in activities to preserve and promote peace. However, despite the United Nations‘ successes in promoting peace and development, many goals are yet to be realised, since individual nations often pursue their own interests, making global solutions more difficult. To counteract this, the founder of UPF, Reverend Moon, advocated a renewal of the UN, and in particular the establishment of an interreligious chamber, where representatives of various religious communities could cooperate to address global challenges.
Our first stop on the tour was an Albanian mosque, where we were warmly welcomed by Mr. Musa Ferati. He showed us round the premises and told us about the history of the Albanian community as well as various aspects of the history of Islam. He touched on how Islam came to Albania, and how, despite the strict prohibitions on religion under Communism, a time when all activities were carefully monitored, spirituality could not be crushed and experienced a revival when Communism collapsed.
We then had the opportunity to ask questions which were answered by young members of the community before a deeply connecting unison prayer brought the visit to an end.
Before continuing our tour, we returned to the UPF centre for lunch and lively discussions.
The Place of Worship of Merciful Jesus was our first stop after lunch where we were greeted by Mr. Hermann Müller. He began by offering a prayer and related the impressive story of his life, which was profoundly changed by an apparition of Jesus on December 9, 2004. After this experience, he determined to establish a place of prayer – a project that he was able to realise through donations as he lacked the financial resources. On April 7, 2013 the inauguration ceremony was held. On parting Mr. Müller presented us with pictures of Jesus, rosaries and the Miraculous Medal of Mary, the mother of Jesus.
The next stop was St Joseph’s Catholic Church. We were given a guided tour of this impressive church, built in 1896 in the neo-gothic style and rebuilt in the 1950s after extensive war damage. Particularly impressive are the colourful, modern glass windows representing Christian motifs which lend a special atmosphere to the interior. Here too, we offered a prayer for peace. We studied a war memorial in front of the church to those who fell in WW I, which also serves as a reminder of peace.
The tour ended in a café where we reflected on the impressions of the day and exchanged thoughts on how to promote a culture of peace. The conversations revolved around topics such as non-violent communication and respectful inter-personal interaction. It was an inspiring day that brought representatives of different religious and ideological backgrounds together in order to set an example for peace.
The enriching experience reawakened our awareness that peace is a common task that we can only achieve through dialogue, understanding and mutual respect.
Report: Anja Brina (English: Catriona Valenta)