World Religion Summit opens

UNITED NATIONS, AUG 29: Thundering drum rolls, prayers and benedictions in the UN General Assembly hall ushered in the millennium peace co...

UNITED NATIONS, AUG 29: Thundering drum rolls, prayers and benedictions in the UN General Assembly hall ushered in the millennium peace conference that is exploring ways for religion to help prevent wars and support the UN8217;s quest for global peace.

quot;Never before has the world8217;s religious leadership gathered at the United Nations to give their blessings and support to the enormous and challenging undertakings of this vital institution,quot; Bawa Jain, secretary-general of the Millennium World Peace Summit8217;, said at Monday8217;s opening. Wearing turbans, saffron robes, American Indian feathered headdresses, black rabbinical coats, more than 1,000 leaders filed into the hall to proclaim Monday the quot;Day of Prayer for World Peacequot;. The event, which ends on Thursday, is organised by a coalition of non-governmental religious groups, with coordinating help from the United Nations. Half of the conference will be held at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.

One of the main goals of the gathering is to create an advisory council to the UN Secretary General and build quot;an interfaith allyquot;, to work within the UN system, Jain said.

quot;There are so many regions with their own doctrines, we need to talk and create a dialogue to soften conflicts,quot; said Eshin Watanabe, the 225th supreme priest of the Tendai School of Buddhism in Japan.

The conspicuous absence of the Dalai Lama, one of the world8217;s most well-known spiritual leaders and 1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner, overshadowed the event even before it started. China put pressure on the United Nations and organisers to exclude the Dalai Lama from the UN compound because they view him as a political leader. He then declined a belated invitation to the summit8217;s closing ceremony at the Waldorf.

The Dalai Lama, speaking from his home in India, said he did not quot;want to create any embarrassmentquot;. But he told CNN in an interview he turned down a last-minute invitation, calling it quot;not smoothquot;. Jain, nevertheless, highlighted the breakthrough of allowing the Dalai Lama8217;s representatives, Tibetan Buddhist monks, to take part in Monday8217;s opening prayer ceremony and to address the delegates in the General Assembly on Tuesday.