|
WSC will stay away
from inter-religious meet with Pope
WSN Network
WASHINGTON:
The World
Sikh Council - America Region (WSCAR) was rendered unable from
attending the inter-religious meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on April
17, 2008 in Washington, DC due to the refusal of the US Secret
Service to accommodate the Sikh requirement of the Kirpaan. The
Kirpaan is one of the five articles of faith required of all
formally initiated Sikhs. The Kirpaan (literally meaning 'bringer of
mercy') represents the Sikh commitment to resist oppression and
injustice, but only in a defensive posture and never to initiate
confrontation.
The WSC-AR is a
representative and elected body of Sikh Gurdwaras and institutions
in the
United States
and its members include 45 Gurdwaras and other institutions across
the nation. The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB)
Secretariat for Ecumenical and Interfaith Affairs worked with WSC-AR's
Interfaith Committee to engage the US Secret Service in providing
adequate security arrangements for the event without curtailing the
practice of the Sikh religion at such important gatherings.
WSC-AR has said
it was deeply disappointment that the Secret Service was not able to
accommodate the Sikh faith and calls upon it to respect the
religious rights and freedoms of the Sikh community. "We have to
respect the sanctity of the Kirpaan, especially in such
inter-religious gatherings. We cannot undermine the rights and
freedoms of religion in the name of security. Pope John Paul II met
Sikhs in the
Vatican,
wearing their Kirpaans" said Dr. Anahat Kaur, Secretary General of
WSC-AR. In 2004, S. Kuldeep Singh, then Chairperson of WSC-AR, was
forced to decline an invitation to the White House when he was
similarly asked by staffers to compromise observance of his faith.
The National Council of Churches in the USA has supported the
position taken by WSC-AR. The WSCAR said it continues to be
concerned that at events organized by some Sikh organizations at the
White House and Capitol Hill, Sikhs are still refused the right to
wear their Kirpaan.
WSC-AR expressed
solidarity with the Sikh Federation (UK) when its Sikh
representatives refused to enter the EU Parliament in Brussels,
Belgium on May 31, 2006 when asked to first remove their Kirpaans.
The USCCB and WSC-AR have been conducting a bilateral interreligious
dialogue since 2006. The organizations held an initial consultation
in May followed by a retreat in October 2006. The second
Sikh-Catholic retreat was held in September 2007 on the theme
'Honoring Holiness In and Out of Our Faiths'. WSC-AR works to
promote Sikh issues at the national and international level focusing
on issues of advocacy, education, and the wellbeing of all
humankind.
5
March 2008
|
Read Also