Tent of faith in Londonís finance centre

-24/05/06

A pitched Bedouin-style tent on a s


Tent of faith in Londonís finance centre

-24/05/06

A pitched Bedouin-style tent on a site where a bomb once devastated a church, forms a striking counterpoint to the steel and glass towers of the London’s financial district which overlook it ñ writes Martin Revis for Ecumenical News International.

Made from goat hair, the 12-side tent stands in the garden of St St Ethelburga’s Church, which was destroyed by a bomb planted in the area by the Irish Republican Army in 1993.

The 800- year-old church named after a seventh century abbess was reconstructed and opened as a centre for peace and reconciliation in 2002. Adjacent to it, the Saudi Arabian-built tent now promotes interfaith dialogue.

“If only we could understand each other’s groupings to understand the mystery, not try to overdo the way in which we decide that we know everything, we might perhaps reduce the level of conflict and violence, and misunderstanding,” said Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, when he formally opened the site in May 2006.

The ecumenical and inter-faith Centre for Reconciliation and Peace is an initiative led by the Anglican Bishop of London Richard Chartres who saw a facility open to people of all faiths and none as the best response to the bombing, which had been aimed at nearby finance houses.

Speaking after Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian representatives had laid copies of their scriptures on a central table, Prince Charles called for a greater respect between religions.

He warned that an excessively literal interpretation of texts could lead to fundamentalist extremism. Bishop Chartres noted that the three Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam had begun in desert tents. Sir Jonathan Sacks, Britain’s Chief Rabbi, pointed out that the tabernacle of the Hebrew Scriptures was a form of tent.

“There are limits to what you can do in a Christian building. For instance, it is very difficult to find orthodox rabbis who will enter and similarly some Muslims don’t feel comfortable,” Centre director, Simon Keyes, explained to Ecumenical News International. “Here in the tent there is neutral space open to people of all faiths and none, who can sit in a circle and feel equals, with no one faith in the host role.”

Designed to withstand the rain, the heated tent is carpeted and is the gift of anonymous Christian, Islamic and Jewish donors.

[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Conference of European Churches.]


Tent of faith in Londonís finance centre

-24/05/06

A pitched Bedouin-style tent on a site where a bomb once devastated a church, forms a striking counterpoint to the steel and glass towers of the London’s financial district which overlook it ñ writes Martin Revis for Ecumenical News International.

Made from goat hair, the 12-side tent stands in the garden of St St Ethelburga’s Church, which was destroyed by a bomb planted in the area by the Irish Republican Army in 1993.

The 800- year-old church named after a seventh century abbess was reconstructed and opened as a centre for peace and reconciliation in 2002. Adjacent to it, the Saudi Arabian-built tent now promotes interfaith dialogue.

“If only we could understand each other’s groupings to understand the mystery, not try to overdo the way in which we decide that we know everything, we might perhaps reduce the level of conflict and violence, and misunderstanding,” said Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, when he formally opened the site in May 2006.

The ecumenical and inter-faith Centre for Reconciliation and Peace is an initiative led by the Anglican Bishop of London Richard Chartres who saw a facility open to people of all faiths and none as the best response to the bombing, which had been aimed at nearby finance houses.

Speaking after Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and Zoroastrian representatives had laid copies of their scriptures on a central table, Prince Charles called for a greater respect between religions.

He warned that an excessively literal interpretation of texts could lead to fundamentalist extremism. Bishop Chartres noted that the three Abrahamic religions of Christianity, Judaism and Islam had begun in desert tents. Sir Jonathan Sacks, Britain’s Chief Rabbi, pointed out that the tabernacle of the Hebrew Scriptures was a form of tent.

“There are limits to what you can do in a Christian building. For instance, it is very difficult to find orthodox rabbis who will enter and similarly some Muslims don’t feel comfortable,” Centre director, Simon Keyes, explained to Ecumenical News International. “Here in the tent there is neutral space open to people of all faiths and none, who can sit in a circle and feel equals, with no one faith in the host role.”

Designed to withstand the rain, the heated tent is carpeted and is the gift of anonymous Christian, Islamic and Jewish donors.

[With acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Conference of European Churches.]