Dr. Robert Cathey reports on the 2009 Parliament
by Robert A. Cathey, Professor of Theology at McCormick Theological Seminary
The presence and witness of indigenous religious leaders from Australia (the so-called ‘Aboriginals’), New Zealand (the Moira), Pacific Island nations, Africa, Asia, the Artic, North and South America was one of the most distinctive dimensions of the fifth Parliament of the World’s Religions that occurred in the Melbourne, Australia Convention and Exhibition Centre, December3 – 9, 2009. With strong financial support from the Australian government, the regional government of Victoria and the city of Melbourne, every plenary session and program session of this Parliament began with recognition of the indigenous ancestors and elders who cared for the region of Victoria and Melbourne before the arrival of European colonizers in the 1700s.
