Latest News

Churches across Australia are invoking the historical concept of sanctuary, opening their doors to asylum seekers facing removal back to offshore detention centres.

One of Australia's senior Anglican leaders said places of worship were entitled to offer sanctuary to those seeking refuge from brutal and oppressive forces.

Read more >>

Source: ABC

The gathering here of about 300 muftis, theologians and scholars last month responded far more broadly by issuing the Marrakesh Declaration, which calls for Muslim countries to tolerate and protect religious minorities living within their borders — among them Christians, Jews, Hindus and Bahais as well as Yazidis and Sabians.

They cited the Charter of Medina, established by the Prophet Muhammad after he fled to Medina, in what is now Saudi Arabia, from Mecca in the seventh century to escape an assassination plot.

Read more >>

Source: The New York Times

The Victorian Government is implementing a professional program which will make learning about key premises of world views and major religions an important part of a contemporary Victorian school curriculum.

Learning about the key premises of world views and major religions is an important part of a contemporary school curriculum. It enables students to be more informed and engaged at both a local and global level, supporting an understanding of the perspectives of diverse local communities and the beliefs and practices of diverse traditions.

It assists students to recognise and appreciate both areas of commonality and difference between diverse faith groups and secular perspectives.

Read more >>

Source: Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority

When is it?  World Interfaith Harmony Week is celebrated annually on the first week of February (February 1st to February 7th).

What is it about? World Interfaith Harmony Week aims to promote harmony between all people regardless of their faith and non-faith. It provides a platform, one week in the year, where people of every group can recognize their common values, build ties with each other, and work alongside one another to bring peace and harmony to their communities.

For the first time, the global organizing body of Anglicans has punished the Episcopal Church, following years of heated debate with the American church over homosexuality, same-sex marriage and the role of women.

The Anglican Communion’s announcement Thursday that it would suspend its U.S. branch for three years from key voting positions was seen as a blow to the Episcopal Church, which allows its clergy to perform same-sex marriages and this summer voted to include the rite in its church laws.

It was also seen as a victory for conservative Anglicans, especially those in Africa,, who for years have been pressing the Anglican Communion to discipline the U.S. body.

Read more >>

Source: Washington Post

This multi-faith Australasian Conference ( 21 - 23 August 2016) is a rare opportunity to bring together people interested in understandings of sacred texts, and the experiences of people with disabilities and carers within the context of faith.

The Conference will draw on the wisdom of all faiths, and will deepen our understanding of the many aspects of disability and spirituality. We are interested in your experience, research, practice, and ideas and knowledge. Among the themes explored will be ethics, care, inclusion in faith communities, friendship, discrimination, love, justice, liberation.

In the state of Victoria, people practice more than 130 faiths, which means there are many significant holy days and festivals each year that are acknowledged. These significant moments, celebrated each so differently, all converge in their shared belief in something both within and transcendent of this world.

In this context, the Faith Communities Council of Victoria has put together a 2016 Multifaith Calendar honoring major holy days and festivals for the following faiths: Baha'i, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism.  To view this Calendar click here.

Nirvana Day is an annual Buddhist festival that remembers the death of the Buddha when he reached Nirvana at the age of 80. It is also known as Parinirvana Day.