We're including the official release on the Who's Who in interfaith circles gets invited to the April 17 papal audience at the John Paul II Cultural Center. Plans had been to slate the gathering on Friday the 18th; only that night is the first night of Passover, which made it quite a problem for Jewish guests.

Before we cut and paste the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops press release, I hope you all get to read my story on today's front page about one group that will NOT be attending the interfaith klatch: that is, the Sikhs, who aren't about to lay aside their ceremonial daggers for the meeting.

Having spent some time with Sikhs during a visit to India 18 months ago and knowing some of the persecution they have endured over 500 years AND knowing a little bit about the baptism ceremony where the dagger — known as a kirpan — is endowed, I can understand why they would not want to put aside something they consider just as sacred as would a Muslim woman her hijab.

Here is the link to that story.

Anyway, it didn't take long for the USCCB to sub in a smaller group: the Jains, an offshoot of Hinduism known for its care for animals and vegetarian practices.

JEWISH, ISLAMIC, BUDDHIST, JAIN, HINDU LEADERS TO MEET WITH POPE BENEDICT XVI IN WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON — Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Jain and Hindu communities will meet with Pope Benedict XVI April 17, at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center during the April 15-20 papal visit to the United States.

The meeting will include a papal address, greetings from inter-faith leaders and the presentation of symbolic gifts by young members of each community.

Bishop Richard Sklba, chair of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, noted that the theme Religions Working for Peace will run through the meeting, to which 200 leaders have been invited.

"The cry for peace in our world calls for religious bodies to come together," Bishop Sklba said. "This meeting denotes the Holy Father's belief in the need for religious bodies to stress the goal for peace which lies at the heart of all religions. It exemplifies what must happen all over the world."

The gifts symbolize the path to peace in the deepest teachings of each group. They include:

A silver menorah with seven lights. It symbolizes the perennial validity of God's covenant of peace. Silver is frequently used in the Eastern European Jewish tradition. The menorah recalls the seven branched lamp stand used in the temple in Jerusalem.


A small, finely crafted edition of the Qur'an, in green leather and gold leaf edging. The Qur'an is the revered word of God, proclaiming God's message of peace. Green is the traditional Islamic color.


A metallic cube representing the Jain principles of non-violence and respect for a diversity of viewpoints as a way to peace through self-discipline and dialogue.


The sacred syllable Om on a brass incense burner. Om is the primordial sound of creation itself, by which God's liberating peace is made known. Bronze or brass are widely used for Hindu liturgical ornaments. Incense sticks are used in ritual worship among Hindu believers.


A bronze bell cast in Korea. In various Buddhist cultures, the sound of the bell demarcates the times of meditation, which leads to inner peace and enlightenment.

Presenters of the gifts include:

David J. Michaels, director of Intercommunal Affairs at B'nai B'rith International, the oldest Jewish humanitarian, advocacy and social action organization. A graduate of Yeshiva University, he trained at the Foreign Ministry of Germany, the Embassy of Israel in Washington, Ha'aretz — International Herald Tribune, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, the United Nations, and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.


Saman Hussain, born in Pakistan and a graduate of the University of Virginia where she majored in religious studies and foreign affairs. Saman served as a leader of the Muslim Student Association and was a coordinator of the Unity Walk in memory of the victims of 9/11, organized by the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington.


Aditya Vora, a Jain young adult studying at Haverford College in Pennsylvania. He has been active since high school in the Long Island Multi-Faith Forum, dialogues with Holocaust survivors in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, and anti-prejudice, multi-cultural training programs on Long Island, NY. He received the "Student Human Rights Award" from the Smithtown, NY, Anti-Bias Task Force.


Masako Fukata, born in Tokyo, Japan, is an active youth leader of Rissho Kosei-kai, a socially engaged Buddhist organization headquartered in Tokyo with six million members world-wide. Inspired by Pope John Paul II's hosting of the global inter-religious assembly of the World Conference of Religions for Peace at the Vatican in 1994, Ms. Masako served an internship in the Religions for Peace International Secretariat in New York in 2003. She is a member of the newly developing North American Regional Multi-Religious Youth Network.


Ravi Gupta, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Religion at Centre College, Kentucky. With a doctorate in Religion from University of Oxford, he is the author of The Caitanya Vaisnava Vedanta of Jiva Gosvami: When Knowledge Meets Devotion. He participated in a recent USCCB-Hindu consultation and is committed to pursuing interreligious dialogue in both his professional and personal capacities.

Ten participants will personally greet the pope. They include:

Rabbi Gilbert S. Rosenthal
Executive Director, National Council of Synagogues
New York, New York
Consultant, Catholic-Jewish Advisory Committee


Rabbi Joel Myers
Executive Vice President, The Rabbinical Assembly
New York, New York
Consultant, Catholic-Jewish Advisory Committee


Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Executive Vice President of Orthodox Union
New York, New York
Member, USCCB-Orthodox-Union Dialogue


Dr. Sayyid M. Syeed
National Director, The Islamic Society of North America
Washington
Co-Chair, Midwest Muslim-Catholic Dialogue


Dr. Muzammil H. Siddiqi
Chairman, Fiqh (Islamic Law) Council of North America
Garden Grove, California.
Co-Chair, West Coast Muslim-Catholic Dialogue


Imam Hassan Al-Qazwini
Religious Director, Islamic Center of America
Dearborn, Michigan
Member, Midwest Muslim-Catholic Dialogue


Arvind Vora
Chairperson of Interreligious Affairs,
Federation of Jain Associations in North America (JAINA)
Getzville, NY


Reverend Bishop Jongmae K. Park, Ph.D.
Korean Buddhist Taego Order
Los Angeles, California


Eido Shimano Roshi
Abbot, Zendo Shobo-Ji and Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji
New York


Uma Mayasekhara, M.D.
Sri Maha Vallabha Ganapati Devasthanam
Director, The Hindu Temple Society of North America
Flushing, New York

— Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times