Peace Mala Festival of Interfaith & Culture for Education

The Monastery, Gorton, Manchester – 4th October 2010

The first ever Peace Mala Festival of Interfaith & Culture for Education was held in the award winning, beautifully restored setting of The Monastery in Gorton, Manchester on the 4th October 2010.

The festival brought together Peace Mala with the Greater Manchester Authorities and representatives of local Faith and Peace groups to celebrate our humanity, unity and diversity. Guest of honour and main speaker at the Festival was Terry Waite CBE.

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT

First Minister for Wales – Carwyn Jones AM

Congratulations on the work of Peace Mala as it promotes equality, tolerance, and inclusion and for tackling all forms of inequality and intolerance.

I am unable to join you for the Peace Mala Festival in Manchester on 4th October due to a prior engagement. I wish everyone involved every success.

Carwyn

Carwyn Jones AM
First Minister for Wales
Welsh Assembly Government

The Most Reverend Dr Barry C Morgan

Archbishop of Wales

Peace Mala makes a significant contribution to the promotion of peace and respect for others in our world.

It is to be commended for its guidance of young people as they confront bullying, intolerance, injustice and prejudice of all kinds. Since education is an important element in creating a more compassionate society, the central tenet of ‘Treating others as you would like them to treat you’ is one from which we all benefit.

I am pleased to endorse the work of Peace Mala and wish the Festival on 4th October every success. I’m sure that it will be a stimulating and colourful commitment to the vision of peace, hope, and healing.

Archbishop of Wales

The Right Reverend Riah Abu El-Assal

Former Head of the Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East

Dear Pam

Salaam and grace be with you and with all participants in the Festival on October 4th, St. Francis Day, whose prayer did challenge and inspire many in our world.

The attention of our Global Village continues to be focussed on the situation in the Middle East. May I kindly ask you to pray for the negotiating teams, the Israeli and the Palestinian, ever reminding you of what I have once said to Mr Tony Blair, when still PM, “ONCE PEACE COMES TO JERUSALEM PEACE WILL COME TO THE WHOLE WORLD.”

So, please, and as the Psalmist calls us:

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem
May they prosper who love you
Peace be within your walls
And security within your towers
For my brethren and companions sake I will say
Peace be within you
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God
I will seek your good.”
Psalm 122

Again every blessing, and may all of us learn the art of peace-making as much as some excel in the art of peace talking, ever keeping the words of our Lord alive : “Blessed are the peace MAKERS for they shall be called the children of God :”

In Christ,
+Bishop Riah