WOMEN OF FAITH IN DIALOGUE- RELIGION FOR PEACE

Written by: Elizabetta Nistri

On November 9, 2022, Elisabetta Nistri, President of WFWP Italy, was invited to join the organization, Women of Faith in Dialogue Religion for Peace, as part of the papal audience. A significant delegation of women from various faiths including Catholic, Evangelical, Adventist, Hindu, Buddhist of the Zen tradition and Soga Gakkai, Bahai, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, and Unificationist gathered at St. Peter's Square, waiting to give the Supreme Pontiff a plaque as a souvenir for his visit as well as a painting entitled “Phoenix” by the Iranian painter Rasta Safari, which represents the battle between darkness and light.

The Pope, who recently returned from his visit to Bahrain, gave a powerful message. He said "Dialogue between religions is like oxygen for peace. Dialogue is also fundamental in the family for the achievement of peace and harmony.” The Pope added “I felt this need and wished that all religious leaders would learn to look beyond their borders and their communities to take care of the whole. Only in this way can some universal issues such as the forgetfulness of God, poverty, hunger, the custody of creation, and the lack of peace can be faced and overcome.”

The representatives of Women of Faith in Dialogue felt welcomed during the meeting with the Holy Pontiff. Few people had the opportunity to present their organization and their various commitments, such as religious freedom and stopping violence against women. The representative of Judaism also donated an autobiographical book.

"We are a group of women, different in age, geographical origin, and creed united by the feminine-spirituality binomial and the desire to promote a culture of peace, dialogue, and encounter between people of different religious traditions,” said coordinator Francesca Baldini.

Elisabetta thanked the Holy Father for the beautiful speech, reiterating the importance of collaboration between all religions, and handed him a Voices of Peace magazine and leaflets of WFWP activities.

The morning ended with a recording of a video message stating “no to gender violence” and conversations about future plans in a nearby coffee shop.