International Meeting for World Peace

Meeting Internazionale per la Pace nel Mondo

Assisi, 4–8 November 2009

I had the honour of taking part in the international meeting for World Peace organised in Assisi by the peace association Byakko Shinko Kai – linked to the World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS) and the World Peace Foundation of New York – from 4 to 8 November, with people who came personally or representing associations from every part of the planet: Japan, Uruguay, Spain, the Basque Country, England, Scotland, Germany, Hungary, France, Italy…

The common denominator: a firm belief in the value of peace as an absolute priority, and working for it to be realised first within ourselves, in the hearts and minds of the new human beings, and then in every field, in daily and social life.

Art, with its powerful language, can communicate this value:

The Flag Ceremony

During the event the Flag Ceremony for World Peace took place: some sixty participants from different countries presented in turn the flags of all nations, sending each of them the wish and the energy of peace. Representatives of various religious and secular faiths also made their contribution.

The project

The Ceremony with the prayer for world peace is another initiative of the World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS): the flags of some 200 nations are shown one by one, while for each nation all participants are invited to repeat together: “May peace be in… (the name of the nation)”.

The Ceremony invites people of every race, creed and culture to join in the universal prayer for peace for all the countries of the world; it is a celebration of the unity of humankind. Everyone is invited to offer their own peace to each nation as its flag is shown. Since 1985 the ceremony has been held all over the world on many occasions, in public and in private, in large spaces and small rooms, and it suits both spiritual and secular events.

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and in the related article.

Peace Pole

To symbolise the possibility of achieving peace, a PEACE POLE was placed at the centre of the ceremony, brought specially to Assisi to represent the city of Potenza: on its four sides the words May peace prevail on Earth in black and gold, in Italian, English, Arabic and Japanese, to symbolise the union of peoples. On the base of the pole, which rests on a circular mandala-shaped base, the participants wrote in gold a phrase expressing their longing for peace.

The project

Peace Poles are a project proposed by the World Peace Prayer Society (WPPS): a pole, a symbol of peace, is planted bearing the words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in different languages. It can stand in a public or private place; since 1976 more than 250,000 have been planted around the world, creating a symbolic and energetic network that connects places of power and strength into a web of peace sustained by the affirmation “May Peace Prevail on Earth”. Peace Poles have been presented as symbols of peace to many world organisations: the United Nations, UNESCO, the Arab League, the African Union, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the International Red Cross, the World Bank and Rotary.

Peace Poles have also been planted near churches, mosques, temples and shrines all over the world, and have been accepted by many distinguished figures who have contributed to world peace, such as Pope John Paul II and the Dalai Lama.

In Italy there are Peace Poles in Rome, in the Vatican, in Assisi behind the Basilica of St Francis, in the Ananda community near Florence, in Padua, on some Alpine peaks, on Etna, Vesuvius and Stromboli, on Lake Maggiore, in Tione, Pavia and many other places.

Wherever it stands, this symbol invites us to think about peace and its universality. The place where the pole is planted becomes a place where people can meditate, pray and reflect on peace, joining other peacemakers of other cultures and religions who, at the same moment, stand before a peace pole elsewhere on the planet. Planting a Peace Pole creates a joyful moment dedicated to peace, a participatory way to involve the whole community in a constructive spirit of peace. The WPPS is a non-profit, non-sectarian association, supported by individuals of every nationality and faith who share the universal message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” and who commit themselves to promoting this universal prayer in order to bring peace to their communities and to every continent, encouraging encounters between cultures.

More information on creativiculturali.

Peace Mandalas

Beautiful Peace Mandalas from different countries were exhibited during the meeting and the Ceremony; I also presented the Mandala of the Green Earth, created with the pupils of two schools in Potenza, as a contribution to the expansion of peace consciousness, beginning with Peace with the Earth.