Fr. Charles Durante, pastor of St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Community in Carson City was among a gathering of Catholic, Muslim, Hindu, Protestant, Buddhist and Jewish leaders who gathered Jan. 9 in Sparks. They had a serious dialogue to find connections among Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism.
"Together, we can make a difference," said Durante, who facilitated the dialogue and talked about "raising our voices in diversity.
The conference, organized by Catholic Diocese of Reno, compared, contrasted, and commented on similarities and differences between Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism as viewed through their respective sacred texts and religious worship/prayer.
Participants also included Episcopal Rector Emeritus Rev. V. James Jeffrey, Imam Abdul Rahim Barghouthi, Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, Buddhist priest William Bartlett, and Jewish elder Jeffrey S. Blanck.
Rajan Zed has congratulated the Catholic Diocese efforts in reaching out to other religions for a dialogue. "Religion is a complex component of human life. Dialogue helps us to see interconnections and interdependencies between religions and even similarities in doctrines," Zed adds.