Christian Lepelletier

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T12:20:00.004-02:00

Merry Chrismas,

Happy Day of the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Yeshua of Nazareth, the Messiah or Christ, revered as the saviour of mankind by more than two billion Christians. He left us the promise of his return in order to establish the Kingdom of Peace on Earth and in Heaven, to save all mankind, and to put an end to all the problems and evil in this world forever. Alleluia!

http://youtu.be/76RrdwElnTU

http://youtu.be/4SMomjLoa04

Interfaith - UNILUX - Unification Temple

2011-12-03T16:10:00.000-02:00

Interfaith - UNILUX - Unification Temple

2011-12-03T16:01:00.001-02:00

UNILUX Interfaith Forum at the Unification Temple

The UNILUX interfaith group has been realizing interfaith dialogue events since 2002 and recently made a partnership with the Universal Peace Federation and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

The 17^th interfaith Forum took place at the Unification Temple in Sao Paulo, on Sunday November 27 with the theme Religion and World Peace.

Mr. Sidnei Carvalho, co-founder of the UNILUX, universalist, psychograph, TV speaker, coordinator of the event greeted the audience and invited the Unification Choir, directed by Mr Lukota, for the opening.

Sheikh Jihad Hassan Hammadesh, president of the Council of Ethics for the National Union of the Islamic organizations in Brazil and the World Association of Muslim Youth in Latin America (WAMY), represented the Islamic tradition for the first presentation.

Mr Alexandre Cumino, director of the newspaper “Umbanda Sagrada”, professor of Umbanda theology and director of the Spiritualist and Umbandista Association in the State of Sao Paulo (AUEESP) gave the second presentation [ http://youtu.be/8wEYDF0_WVo ] representing the Umbanda tradition, a religion that started in Brazil, 103 years ago.

After a short break the gypsy group “Oracle do Sol’’ performed beautiful and colorful dances.

[ http://youtu.be/OScp_7TSXv4 ]

Mr. Adão Nonato de Oliveira, co-founder of the UNILUX, lecturer, psychologist, therapist, radio and TV speaker, represented the tradition Spiritism for the third presentation. [ http://youtu.be/nDykwwXHwKM ] A religion that spread in Brazil based on the teaching of Allan Kardec, ou Hippolyte Léon Denizard Rivail, originally from France.

For lunch, a vegetarian meal was prepared, delivered and served by the Hare Krishna group.

Mr. Guilherme Botelho Junior, theologian, professor of the Church history and liturgy, member of the Afro descendant Pastoral of the Sao Paulo Archdiocese, represented the Roman Catholic tradition for the fourth presentation. [ http://youtu.be/AWdprsyDBqA ]

Rabbi Michel Schlesinger member of the Board of the Paulista Israelite Congregation (CIP), professor of Bar Mitzvah, first Brazilian rabbi graduated from the Hebraic University of Jerusalem, represented Judaism for the fifth presentation. [ http://youtu.be/oHRirVxlZx0 ]

Mr. Samuel Gomes de Lima, president of the Brazilian Association for the Religious Freedom and Citizenship (ABLIRC), professor and pastor of the Seven Day Adventist Church, represented Protestantism for the sixth presentation. [ http://youtu.be/uM9xNX7m024 ]

During the afternoon break the participants were invited by Mrs. Shellah Avellar, a metaphysical artist painter, to come at the back of the hall to put some paint on the canvas with the finger. Then she will conclude the painting according the instructions received from the spirit world and write down a psychographed message sent to her by a spirit messenger.

After the break, Indian classical dances performers came on the stage and created a beautiful and peaceful atmosphere. [ http://youtu.be/pyVVnRaojAE ]

Mr. Sidnei invited the following religious leaders representing a religious denomination to come up on the stage for the forum of debates: Mr. More Ventura representing Judaism; Mrs. Monica from the Sukyo Maharikari; Mr. Guilherme Botelho from the Roman Catholic Church; Mr. Juberli Varela, Presidente of the Umbanda Organization of the State of Sao Paulo (SOUESP); Mr. Simao Ferabolli, president of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification in Brazil representing Unificationism; Bishop Marcelo Resende from the Liberal Catholic Church; Father Ney Oliveira from the Vetero Catholic Church; Mahesvara Caithanya from the Hare Krishna Movement representing Hinduism; Professor Valdemar Setzer from the Anthroposophy; Pastor Samuel Lima representing Protestantism; Mr. Luis Gomes from the Seicho No Ie; Mr. Kazuya Nagashima from the Risho Kossei Kai representing Buddhism together his interpret; Mr. Adao Nonato from the Spiritism; Sheik Armando representing Islamism e Professor Alexandre Cumino from Umbanda. [ http://youtu.be/1uTln1gCTPI ]

Mr. Sidnei explained that he will accept only written questions and he will select only the topics that will benefit for the religious harmony and avoid controversial or critical question that may offend a religious representative. The first question that many guests were asking since they came for the first time in the temple was: What is the meaning of the huge golden Unification symbol which is on the back wall? That question was directly addressed to Mr. Ferabolli who was pleased to explain the signification of the Tong Il mark logo and briefly mentioned the Divine Principle explanation.

The next following questions for everyone who wished to answer were: What will happen in 2012? What is the relation between sin and violence? What is relation between family and peace?

Each representative gave his view on the topics, presenting diverse viewpoints mutually enriching and interesting, each participant felt inspired learning valuable content from each other. Mr. Ferabolli commented: ²It was the best Seminar on religions that ever participated in my life! The atmosphere was very good!²

Many participants felt delighted that they could learn and understand about each other religions from eminent speakers all in one place. We could feel the barriers and preconceptions breaking down and it is possible to build harmony between all religions. Mr. Ferabolli was so inspired for the participation of the religious leaders in this interfaith forum in the Unification temple that he decided to offer to each representative a copy of the Divine Principle book that everyone received with gratitude.

Mrs. Shellah Avellar showed the painting and read for everyone the message that she received from Ramatys, a member of the Universal Brotherhood in the spirit world, here is the conclusion: “Think of heroes, leaders, men and warriors, abandoning their weapons and artifacts, and running towards their opponents with a single thought: LOVE and PEACE! Mr. More Ventura, representative of the Judaism, was awarded and received the painting as a heavenly present.

To conclude, Mr. Sidnei asked everyone to embrace five persons before to leave as a gesture of unity and love between all religions.

Pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/116318122783288436070/UNILUXForumInterReligioso

Sarah, Christian, Pres Hyung jin, Yeon Ah, Hiroko and Jocelyn

2010-09-02T05:44:00.000-03:00

Holy Wedding Ceremoy for 43000 Couples around the World

2010-02-20T03:37:00.009-02:00

The “1.4 True Parents Cosmic Blessing Ceremony” was held at KINTEX, the Korea International Exhibition Center, located in Ilsan, South Korea, on February 17, 2010, the 4th day of January on the lunar calendar.

Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon were the officiators of the Inter-Religious Cross-Cultural Holy Wedding Ceremony, which was broadcasted via the Internet to 192 nations. Including the 7,000 couples present at the event in Korea, a total of 43,000 brides and bridegrooms participated worldwide.

After an opening Blessing Address given by Dr. Hyung Jin Moon, the Unficiation Church’s International President, special congratulatory prayers were given by leaders representing the world’s major religions, including Catholicism, Buddhism, Protestantism, Islam, Shintoism, and Hinduism.

The minister representing the Lutheran Church from Iceland proposed that the coming together of two people from two different directions does not need to be the cause of conflict but rather can represent the merger of open-mindedness, mutual respect, and love. “Love is above all cultural differences,” explained the Reverend. “It makes no distinction between different customs or religious traditions, knows no linguistic boundaries, and exceeds all borders. It has more value than any earthly belonging, and brings together men and women in both equality and happiness.”

Representing the Islamic faith, the Muslim Counselor for Religious and Racial Harmony in the United Kingdom (third from right)pointed out that “marriage and family are the first God-inspired institutions and are the cornerstone of society.” He went on to convey to couples participating that “marriage is one of the holiest things we can do in our lifetime, and you are blessed here today in agreement with each other to live with love, peace, and harmony. That is what we are witnessing today.”

Representing the Evangelicals, Bishop and Congressman Manoel Ferreira (second from right), President of the Assemblies of God, Madureira Ministry from Brazil, prayed for the blessing of God be upon all couples and their families in portuguese language.

Representing Catholicism and the married priests movement, Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo (first from right)offered prayers and blessing to all couples.

Next was the anticipated entrance of the officiators, the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Moon, which brought applause from attendees and couples around the world. Affirmations of vows between couples were shared in which each pledged to God, with a resounding “Yes,” to become an eternal husband and wife and to pass this tradition on to future generations. Next, the brides and grooms exchanged rings, followed by a proclamation of the Holy Blessing by the Reverend Dr. and Mrs. Moon.

Coming from America, the Lovin’ Life Ministries’ Band then performed a beautiful rendition of the song “What a Wonderful World,” originally written by Sam Cooke.

Final congratulatory remarks were given by the former prime minister of Guyana, the Honorable Hamilton Green, who stated that Rev. Sun Myung Moon has deeply affected both his life and human society with his guidance and has shown determination that has never decreased even at his 90 years of age. As he addressed Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon he acclaimed, “Father Moon, your great wisdom and gift to all humanity are your teachings of the sacred value of marriage and family. For this, you are indeed our True Parents.”

Based on Celine Tardy article for the USA-FFWPU

Unification Church

2010-01-15T15:28:00.003-02:00

UNIFICATION CHURCH

UNIFICATIONISM

The first religious movement to spread all over the world during the life time of his founder.

Our mission is to inherit the True Love of God, practice and pass it around to everybody. From True Love will come Peace, Prosperity and Happines for all.

We believe that the original purpose of God was to build a world of peace from the beginning in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1:31) Due to the fall of Adam and Eve, the original plan was destroyed. Evil and sin contaminated all mankind. (Genesis 3:24). It was the first great tragedy of the human history.

God worked hard through the history of the chosen people of Israel to send Jesus, as the second Adam to restore the failure of the first Adam hoping to establish the Kingdom of Peace. (I Corintian 15:45; Isais 9:6,7) But due the ignorance of the leaders and the people, and the lack of faith of the disciples, Jesus was murdered. (Acts 7:52) Jesus sacrificed his life to open the way for spiritual salvation for mankind. But the history of evil and sin continued, it was the second great tragedy of the human history, the second coming became necessary.

Jesus appeared to Rev Sun Myung Moon that became anointed to fulfill the mission of the Lord of the Second Advent, that is to restore the lost paradise and to establish the Kingdom of God, a world of Peace on earth and in Heaven.

But due to ignorance of the christian leaders, Rev Moon was rejected and persecuted, went to prison six times. He sacrificed himself and persevered, overcame loving his enemies with the True Parental Love of God. He eliminated the root of evil through the Holy Wedding Sacrament, established the tradition of the True Parents. That is the beginning point of the new era, inaugurating the Kingdom of God on Earth and in Heaven.

Christian Leaders Release Declaration of Conscience - US - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com

2009-11-21T09:09:00.000-02:00

Christian Leaders Release Declaration of Conscience - US - CBN News - Christian News 24-7 - CBN.com

Rev. Moon marries thousands in global mass wedding

2009-10-16T13:04:00.003-03:00

The Associated Press

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 | 12:07 a.m.

From South Korea to South America, the bride wore white for the Unification Church's largest mass wedding in a decade, with some 45,000 people participating in dozens of cities around the world.

The "blessing ceremony" was the church's largest since 1999, and may well be the last on such a grand scale officiated by the 89-year-old Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the controversial founder of the Unification Church.

More than twenty-thousand people gathered at Moon's Sun Moon University campus in Asan, south of Seoul, for the main event Wednesday morning while some 20,000 more joined simultaneous ceremonies Tuesday night in the U.S., Brazil, Venezuela and elsewhere.

Some were new couples who met for the first time recent months in unions arranged by the church; others were married couples renewing their vows. The brides wore veils and wedding dresses, or their national dress; the men wore black suits with red ties, with white scarves wrapped around their necks.

The mass wedding comes as Moon moves to hand day-to-day leadership over to his children, though the Rev. Moon Hyung-jin, the 30-year-old tapped to take over religious affairs, insists his father remains in charge of the church and in good health.

The massive global ceremony is meant to mark two key anniversaries in the leader's life: his 90th birthday and the 50th anniversary of his marriage to Han Hak-ja, church officials said.

Row after row of brides in veils and grooms in white gloves _ hailing from South Korea, the U.S., Japan, Europe and elsewhere _ posed for photos, sang and practiced shouting "Hurrah!" at a pre-ceremony wedding rehearsal.

"I'm a little bit nervous," admitted Rie Furuta. She had her groom, Tadakuni Sano, both 25-year-olds from Japan, have met only three times since their marriage was arranged in March.

During the ceremony, Moon sprinkled holy water toward the crowd before the couples exchanged rings. After blessing the newlyweds, he led them in a loud cheer amid a shower of white confetti.

"I pray that you become good husbands and wives, and men and women who can represent the world's 6 billion humankind," he told them as he clasped his wife's hands, sobbing at times. Many in the crowd shed tears as well.

In the past, the Moons wore elaborate, high priest-style white gowns and headpieces for the blessing ceremonies.

On Wednesday, Moon was dressed in a simple black suit, a rose pinned to his lapel; his wife wore a white blouse and skirt. Their austerity reflected the church's toned-down stance in recent years as it seeks to dodge the controversy that dogged it in past decades.

"I think my wife is the most beautiful bride here," said Lee Dong-seok, a 32-year-old computer programmer from South Korea who tied the knot with Japanese office worker Fumi Oshima.

His 28-year-old bride replied: "I'm so happy. I like my husband because he's very trustworthy."

Critics who accuse the church of engaging in cultlike practices say the mass weddings prove it brainwashes its followers. In the past, Moon routinely paired off couples, many of whom met for the first time at their wedding.

These days, even arranged couples have the chance to meet at least a few months before the ceremony, church officials said. But none are expected to skip off to a honeymoon; couples are required to observe a 40-day waiting period before they cohabitate to prepare for the marriage spiritually.

Many said they would celebrate with lunch afterward, and a select group was invited to a luncheon with Moon on Thursday at the church's waterside complex.

Moon, a self-proclaimed Messiah who says he was 15 when Jesus Christ called upon him to carry out his unfinished work, has courted controversy and criticism since founding the Unification Church in Seoul in 1954.

He held his first mass wedding in the early 1960s, arranging the marriages of 24 couples himself and renewing the vows of 12 married couples.

Over the next two decades, the weddings grew in scale; the first held outside South Korea was at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1982. That one drew tens of thousands of participants _ and protesters.

In many cases, Moon paired off many couples from different countries as part of his aim of creating a multicultural religious world.

"My wish is to completely tear down barriers and to create a world in which everyone becomes one," Moon said in his recent autobiography.

In New York, 22-year-old Krystof Heller said his parents married in a 1982 mass wedding. He has known his new wife, 23-year-old Maria Lee of South Korea, for about four months.

"It's something you grow up with. It something you anticipate through your whole life," he said. "It's not just about a mass wedding; there is the moral emphasis. The big crowd is just the perk."

In Washington D.C., children played in the back as churchgoers watched the ceremony on a large screen flanked by the flags of South Korea, Japan and the United States.

"This is the best way to make peace," said Fumi Oliver, a native of Japan who married an American, the Rev. Zagery Oliver, 12 years ago. "International, intercultural, interracial marriage is the best way to make peace."

Hundreds of brides and grooms gathered in churches in Australia, said Enrique Ledesma, Australian director of the church-affiliated Family Federation for World Peace and Unification.

"It was very, very nice," Ledesma said. "It's a serene mood, but it's also a very joyful mood."

The ceremony in Honduras marks a new start for the movement in the Latin American nation, said Omar Valle, president of the Unification Church in Tegucigalpa. He said 25 couples will renew their vows.

"Through this ceremony, we join a large global family, all as brothers," he said.

In Brazil, Laudicea Corina de Padua called her wedding a dream come true.

"It's the realization of a dream I've had for so long. Taking part in a mass wedding only adds to the profoundness _ I barely have the words to describe what I feel," the 40-year-old said in Sao Paulo.

Dressed in a shimmering white gown, she was among some 2,000 people in 40 Brazilian h leaders.cities who took part in the ceremony via simultaneous broadcast. Her husband, Manoel Marcelino dos Santos, a 38-year-old metalworker, was chosen for her by national churc

"Marrying in this way, with so many other people around the world, will give more strength to our union," he said. "It feels like they are all a part of us."

___

Associated Press writers Jean H. Lee in Seoul and Soo Bin Park in Asan; Bradley Brooks in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Catherine Shoichet in Mexico City; Jessica Gresko in Washington and Kristen Gelineau in Sydney contributed to this report. Suzanne Ma contributed to this report from New York.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/091013/koddities/as_skorea_mass_weddings

Theology: Major World Religions, Statistics

2009-08-22T21:59:00.000-03:00

Theology: Major World Religions, Statistics: "http://www.spaceandmotion.com/Theology-World-Religions.htm"

Ruth Institute - Making Marriage Cool

2009-06-20T16:24:00.001-03:00

Ruth Institute - Making Marriage Cool

Shared via AddThis

Global Peace Festival Brasil

2008-12-19T15:34:00.001-02:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Global Peace Festival Brasil

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: gpf)

Gcast: chrislepel's Podcasting Home

2008-12-19T14:54:00.000-02:00

Gcast: chrislepel's Podcasting Home

Hyun Jin Moon: One Family Under God in Brazil

2008-12-18T13:30:00.004-02:00

By Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, Chair, Global Peace Festival
December 07, 2008
Keynote Address delivered at the Global Peace Festival
Brasilia, Brazil, December 7, 2008

President Lula, Bishop Ferreira, Reverend Robert Schuller, and honored guests and dignitaries from Brazil and around the world, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Global Peace Festival in beautiful Brasilia, Brazil!

Before I begin, I want to take a moment to thank my dear friend, Bishop Manoel Ferreira, for his tireless efforts to make this Festival in Brasilia a reality. I know that many others have prayed and worked hard to prepare for this day, and I want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all of you. Thank you, and may God continue to bless your efforts for global peace!

Recently the eyes of the world have been on the great changes taking place in the United States. With Barack Obama’s ascendancy to the highest office of the world’s only remaining superpower, people around the world are waiting in anticipation, hoping to witness the beginning of a new era of peace, prosperity and cooperation.

“Change, yes we can” has become the slogan of not only a successful campaign but also a message of hope at a time of national and global crisis.

Although hope is absolutely necessary at times of uncertainty, change for the sake of change is not enough. The goal and direction of that change is far more important.

As we gather here in Brasilia, the capital of this great nation of Brazil, I want to share with you a vision of change that is sweeping across our globe and, especially this hemisphere of the Americas. It is a spiritual vision rooted in time-enduring principles, values and aspirations, and it is inspiring a great peace movement throughout the world.
That unifying vision is “One Family under God!”

We have already held Global Peace Festivals in more than twenty countries around the world, and many more are planned for 2009. I believe that the universal appeal of the vision of “One Family under God” testifies to the providential time in which we live.

This July, the Global Peace Festival held in Paraguay helped the first peaceful, democratic transfer of power between civilian governments in that South American nation and planted the dream of creating a larger Latin American Union under the vision of “One Family under God.”

In Kenya, Prime Minister Raila Odinga acknowledged that the principles he had learned by attending our peace education seminars had helped him and other parliamentarians make the necessary steps to end the tribal violence plaguing so many nations of Africa, especially following last year’s presidential elections.

The President of Mongolia, a former Communist, recognized that the vision of creating “One Family Under God” will be an important step in establishing the spiritual and moral life of his nation and uniting his people in the wake of post-election violence.

At the Global Peace Festival in Malaysia, a predominately Muslim nation, the Honorable Mahathir Mohammed, Prime Minister for 22 years, warned that religious leaders, especially within his own faith of Islam, must not politicize religion for their own purposes but should go back to the original teachings of the founders of their traditions, who all sought to create the “brotherhood of man.”

In the Republic of Korea, religious conflict has recently emerged as yet another obstacle to reunification. The Global Peace Festival challenged religious and political leaders at the National Assembly to go beyond their narrow sectarian thinking and unite under the universal platform of “One Family under God,” so that a united Korea will hold to values and principles based upon the sovereignty of God.

The Global Peace Festival has also emphasized the important mission of the entire American hemisphere. In Washington DC and four other US cities, we articulated the need to expand the original American Dream of creating “One Nation under God” to a more universal dream of creating “One Family under God,” going beyond race, nationality and creed.

More than thirty thousand religious leaders from all faith traditions gathered to celebrate and commit to this vision and create a new global, inter-faith peace initiative.

The need for a new vision for the Hemisphere of the Americas

Today, here in Brasilia, the capital of the largest nation in Latin America, we are being called to make history. We must see ourselves as God sees us, a people anointed and appointed by God with a mission that extends throughout all the Americas.

Although all the nations of this hemisphere have their unique histories, the common link we all share is our Christian heritage. I believe it is fair to say that God has a special providential plan for this continent and the Christian spirit it has nurtured.

Unlike the sectarian practices of European Christianity, the people who came to the Americas – both North and South – have always aspired to a more universal vision of Christianity, a vision that can lead the entire world back to God.
At the Global Peace Festival in Washington DC, I explained that the United States was created and raised by God to fulfill a biblical promise, first made in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, of a ‘New Israel’ where all of God’s children, from every race, nation and religion could come and worship Him in freedom and peace.

In the same way, God is hoping that Brazil, and all the nations of South America will play a leading role in taking the vision of “One Family Under God” beyond the Americas and throughout the world.

The Mission of Jesus

I often ask myself, and ask my Christian brothers and sisters, “What is the true mission of Jesus?” Just as we have big aspirations and hopes for our children, so too did God have great expectations for humanity. God wanted his children to establish a true family which could be the school of true love, true life and true lineage. It would have been God’s family, where he could dwell as the eternal true parent of all mankind.

Tragically, God’s first children Adam and Eve fell, and this dream was not realized. God has worked patiently throughout human history, waiting in agony and grief for someone to realize His unfilled dream.

Two thousand years ago, the young son of a carpenter changed the world in which he lived. Jesus was born into the lineage of Israel, the chosen people who believed in the one God when most other civilizations believed in many gods. They felt they alone had a sacred covenant with God.

However, Jesus taught them that God was the father of all people. He taught the message of true love, that we should love and forgive even our enemies. It was Jesus’ hope, and God’s hope, that his nation and people would receive that message and help him fulfill his original mission: to create One Family Under God.

Yet Jesus was not accepted. He began to speak of the need for new wineskins to receive that new wine. He lamented that the Son of Man had no home to rest his head. Yet the message and the vision that he gave 2,000 years ago has gradually transformed the world.

I believe that the founding of the United States of America was an event of particular importance in the providence of God. The first document that marked the birth of that nation, the Declaration of Independence, directly recognized the sovereignty of God as the basis upon which the rights of all Americans are derived, and the basis on which the nation would be established.

The American dream was never just a political or an economic dream. It is the dream of building “One Nation under God.” However, human beings are flawed, and there have been many failures along the way. Still, it was those universal principles, the founding bedrock of that nation, that brought it back on track and made it great.

The time has come to expand that vision beyond the confines of ‘One Nation Under God,’ and to fulfill the original dream and mission of Jesus to create a world that is “One Family under God.”

The one who has taken on that mantle is my father, the Reverend Dr. Sun Myung Moon. After receiving a revelation from Jesus Christ on a cold Easter Sunday seventy three years ago, he has devoted his entire life, resources and wealth to the fulfillment of that dream.

My father teaches that God is the God of all people, and that God is working through all religions. However, he has always emphasized that Christianity has a central role to play in bringing the entire world back to God.

To my father, the dream of building “One Family under God” is not just the dream of one man, one woman, one family or one religion, but the dream of all humanity and, most of all, the dream of God.

The True Family Model for Peace

Why “One Family” under God? The family is the cornerstone of peace. The family is universal. Regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality and religion we are all members of families.

Secondly, the family represents the most intimate of human relationships. We use familial terms to describe the closeness of any relationship saying, “that person is like my father, like my mother, my brother, my sister, my son and like my daughter.”

Therefore, the family should be the school of love where we learn to love all humanity in its richness and diversity.
Marriage and family are the fundamental building blocks of any society, but Brazil, like the United States and all other nations is in danger of losing this most valuable tradition.

Divorce and family breakdown are at an all time high. Every nation faces major challenges with its youth. The social and economic cost of the breakdown of the family is staggering.

The healing of the family is a spiritual task. We must make it our priority to bring God back into every family. When God is dwelling in our families, all our other problems will fade away.

We will create One Family Under God, one family at a time!

A New Interfaith Effort for Peace

Another urgent challenge facing Brazil, and every nation, is to integrate her many religious and cultural traditions. Peaceful relations between faith traditions are not only tolerating one another's prayers and rituals.

A true interfaith experience is a celebration of the core principles that bind all people together as one family.
The task of promoting true interfaith understanding is an urgent priority for our world and an important goal of the Global Peace Festivals.

In the Middle East, for example, the Universal Peace Federation is helping Christians, Muslims and Jews to rediscover their common heritage in Abraham.

Before we call ourselves Christian or Muslim, Catholic or Pentecostal, Buddhist or Hindu; before we see ourselves as black, white, or yellow, or identify ourselves as Brazilian, or American, we are all the sons and daughters of God and members of his eternal family.

Brazil and the Culture of Service

Building a culture of service is another core goal of the Global Peace Festival and a vital step for peace.
There is something deeply spiritual in serving others. It is not something we should do for only a day, a month or even a year. It has to become a way of life.

When living for the sake of others becomes a habit, we come to see the true value God places on all human beings.
We are promoting a spirit of volunteerism and peaceful cooperation around the world. Communities and nations are being transformed through living for the sake of others.

I’d like to see Brazil, and all South American nations build on these efforts and create a grassroots movement that will spread a worldwide culture of service.

Taking this one step further, I’d like to see Brazil’s volunteer partners joining with those of the United States, Latin America and other nations to establish a Global Peace Corps.

Imagine young people from enemy nations and from different faiths working side by side in service! Any initial misunderstandings and suspicions would fade away as they sweat, cry and laugh together with a common purpose and cause.

Call to Action

As we celebrate the Global Peace Festival here in Brasilia, we must renew the spiritual culture and traditions of this nation, continent, and all the Americas onto a global stage through the universal vision of “One Family under God.”
This will be the clarion call of our age! As my father said in a recent Peace Message, the time has come: “to tear down the man-made walls of race, culture, religion and country, and establish the peaceful, ideal world of God’s cherished desire.”

The power of one human family united with the Will of God can quell the turmoil of conflict throughout the world. It can end the strife and poverty of Africa, the conflict in the Middle East, and the final remnant of the Cold War on the Korean Peninsula.

As citizens of Brazil, the Americas and the world, let us make a solemn pledge to lead the world to peace at last through the vision of “One Family under God.”

This is a time when God is pouring out His Spirit upon the world. With God’s grace, as surely as light overcomes the darkness, an era of peace and prosperity is at last emerging from the depths of distrust and hatred.

Together, let us dare to dream the greatest dream of all! Let us own the dream to create “One Family under God.”
May God bless you and your family, and may God bless this great nation of Brazil! Thank you very much!

PUBLIC RELATIONS ACTIVITY IN BRAZILIA

2008-01-14T18:31:00.003-02:00

EXPERIENCES OF THE UNIFIED WORLD IN BRASILIA

From November 11 to 21st Rev. Moon´s Family did a twelve cities speaking tour in the USA. At the same time all over the world we were asked to do 12 events in each country. Here in Brazil we started from São Paulo on the 11th. Especially this time we were planning a national level event in Brasilia on the 20th.

Ten days before the event, following our International Missionary Rev. Heung Tae Kim´s direction, 7 members from Sao Paulo traveled to Brasilia for a special mobilization, we were among them. There in Brasilia we had an amazing experience, which we would like to share in this report.

First we would like to explain a little about the background of the capital Brasilia. In 1955, the President Kubitschek took the decision to build from scratch the new capital of Brazil, in the middle of the empty highland, the city was designed to accomodate all the government buildings. In 1960, the capital was moved from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia, the capital without past history was born.

Generally we think the capital Brasilia as the center of political activities, however this area has been prepared spiritually since a long time. In 1883, Dom Bosco, an Italian priest had a prophetic dream about the location of the new promised land where Brasilia is located. There, one can feel the “spiritual call”, a rich mixture of cultures, beliefs, rituals, sanctuaries, there are more than 600 religious groups and spiritual movements in the Brasilia region.

In Brazil, there is a NGO called the Legion of Good Will (LBV), the largest NGO of Latin America, the founder received a revelation from St Francis of Assisi to create a Charity Instituition, which was founded in 1949 to take care of children in nursery schools. The actual President Paiva Neto received the instruction from the Spirit World to build an Ecumenical Temple in Brasilia, which was inaugurated in 1989, then in 1994, next to the Temple, the World Ecumenical Parlament was opened.

The Temple has seven sides pyramided shape and on top is a natural shining crystal, the largest in the world, that was given to this temple with the help of the Spirit World. The door of the Temple is opened 24 hours everyday of the year and visitors from all over the world and all races and all religions come to pray.

Amazingly several future strategies that Hyun Jin Moon has been preaching for the Unification Movement (see TW – Vol. 28 – Nº8, pag.11) have already been practiced and implemented in the LBV, such as the “Unrestricted and Total Ecumenism.” In 1994, they became the first Brazilian NGO working at the UN and they received the general consultative ECOSOC status in 1999. They took the lead in Brazil to achieve the eight UN Millennium Development Goals. They even organized in 2006 the “Worldwide Peace Festival” in the south of Brazil.

This time, our event in Brasilia took place in this World Ecumenical Parlament´s auditorium.
Our original plan was to hold our event in the Senate´s auditorium, but just few days before the event our request was rejected. However, God opened the way for us to use the World Ecumenical Parlament. The group which had a reservation on the same day of our event suddenly cancelled their plan, and made possible for us to hold our event there.

Brasilia is located on a plateau, the air is pure, one feel the clear spiritual atmosphere, maybe it is because the city has no past history. We had the feeling that the Spirit World can work easily in a good or evil, both ways.

Since Brasilia is the national capital of Brazil, normally our Unification Movement should have the main base in this city; however our activity in Brasilia had many difficulties in the past. During the last ten years we had no Church Center and neither Church Leader, only a few blessed families were living in the city. Then two years ago Pastor Iremar was assigned to work in Brasila, reinitiated activities based in a simple house provided by a local blessed family.

Pastor Iremar is a very faithful and spiritually sensitive person having several catholic priests and nuns among his ancestors and relatives. Someone may think that this character does not fit to work in the polical field, but we found actually he is a very suitable person for Brasilia. He started to do public relations through the interfaith activity based on his past experience and contacts from Rio de Janeiro.

In Brazil, interestingly politicians and religious leaders are closely related. There are many religious leaders who are politicians at the same time. For example, among the 513 congressmen, there are 40 evangelical Pastors at the moment. Five years ago, they started to pray to be able to hold a prayer meeting Service in the Congress, as a result of that prayer condition, now every Wednesday morning they have an Ecumenical Service where one Pastor Congressman give the Sermon by turn. Through the interfaith activities, Pr Iremar made good contacts with those Congressmen or their assistants.

One day, Pr Iremar told us we were going to meet Pastor Roberto. We thought we were going to his church, but the place he took us was the Environment Ministry Building, Pr Roberto is the Environment Minister´s assistant. He received us very warmly in spite of his busy work and listened to us very sincerely. We noticed that the VIPs working in the government whom we met through the interfaith activities, are very conscientious and righteous people, compared to many corrupt politicians in Brazil.

Three days before the event about forty CARP (Youth Student Movement) and (Special Task Force Education Program for Youth) STF´s members arrived and the small church center became so crowed that we had no more space to lay down. On Sunday we visited churches and religious groups to invite guests for our event. Brazil is a very fertile land for religion and faith, beside to be the first catholic country in the world, numerous religious traditions and spiritual movements were brought with the immigrants and slaves and are flourishing all over the country.

The Evangelicals churches are growing very rapidly recently and many large church buildings and cathedrals are being built in many cities. More than ninety per cent of the Brazilians believe in God and the Spirit World and they have a great faith and respect toward God and the spiritual phenomenas. In the daily life people talk very naturally that they receive revelations or are cured through miracles.

Maybe because of this, often miracles occur in many churches or religious groups. In the large Evangelical Churches we visited like the Cathedral of the Blessings and Cure Our Earth, Pastors were preaching powerfully testifying about many miracles and were emphasizing that we are living in a supernatural world.

On Monday, one day before the event, we formed one international public relations team consisted of Koreans, Japanese, Chinese, Swiss, France, Philippine and Brazilians members, we went out to meet governmental VIPs. Then we had truly supernatural experiences.
That morning, Pr Iremar had no clear appointment to meet VIPs and did not know where to take us. First we went to the Federal Deputy Marquezelli´s office, since he was not there, we met his assistant, Mr. Osmar. Usually when Pr Iremar meets him, he talks superficially, however that day because we were an international team; he really opened up his heart since he has a Philippine wife. He became very interested about each one´s international marriage story, so we all gave testimony of our matching by Rev. Moon and he was very impressed. Then he offered to call the Philippines Ambassador since she is a closed friend of him, and arranged a meeting with us later on that day.

When we were taking lunch at the restaurant of the Congress, there we met Mr Severino, a specially prepared person for us. He sat at Pr. Iremar´s table, and he invited him for our event, then Mr Severino offered to go together and invite his VIPs contacts in the Congress.
He led us to meet many VIPs such as the Secretary of the President of the Congress, the Assistant of the Presidential Office and the Vice-President of the Diplomats Association, etc...

They welcomed us warmly because Mr Severino had already built a very good relation with them testifying about Jesus. Wherever Mr Severino was taking us, motivated with love and strong faith in Jesus, we could open many doors to meet any kind of people. On the way he frequently stopped and talked to us about the Bible and Jesus. By seeing this we could really feel that Jesus was guiding us through him. That afternoon until night we could invite so many VIPs for the event.

Mr. Severino always presented us as an international delegation, mentioning our different nationalities to his contacts and this made a strong impresssion to them and opened their heart. We realized that transcending the nationalities and races brings great heavenly fortune and result.

After the activity, Mr Severino invited us to pray in his home, we found that he lived in a small, humble appartment with his wife and son. We thought that he was working at the government since he knows so many people there, but actually he is a full time volunteer missionary. There he shared about life testimony. Before he was an owner of several businesses and very wealthy, but after he went through many difficulties, became alcoolic, drug addicted and he did several suicide attempts. Twelve years ago when he reached the bottom of hell, he had an amazing spiritual experience with Jesus and transformed his life, since that time he determined to dedicate all his life to testify Jesus.

On Tuesday, the day of the event, he continued to lead us to meet congressmen and senators and he determined to bring us to meet with the President Lula. We ourselves doubted if it was possible, but he had conviction. Though it was too difficult to meet on that day, but at least he took us to meet the President’s assistant who welcomed us warmly, he said: “Sorry I cannot let you meet with the President today due to the busy schedule but next time if you can inform at least one day before, I could arrange a meeting.”

The event on that night was held in partnership with the following organizations: the (Universal Peace Federation) UPF, (Women Federation for World Peace) WFWP, (International Relief Friendship Foundation) IRFF, the United Religion Initiative (URI), the Christian-Israel Association (Haverimbril) and the Faculty of Theology (FATAI). Two banners were displayed on each side of the stage with the logos of the participating organizations.

The Speakers at the table on the stage were representatives of various religions: Catholic Church (Archbishop Milingo), the Evangelical Church (Pastor Roberto dos Santos), Islam (Sheik Luis Abdullah), Oomoto International Shintoismo (Prof. Maeda), URI (Mr. Elianildo), Unification Movement (Rev. Heung Tae Kim), together with the Government representatives: Federal Deputy (Nelson Marquezelli), President of the Diplomat Association (Ambassador Luis Brun), First Secretary of the Zambian Embassy (Mr. Chalungumana) and the University of Peace (Mrs Suzel Saraceni). At the same time all the races, black, white and yellow were represented. In the audience we had many other representatives of various religious traditions and governmental VIPs including 72 members of the Youth Parliament from all the States of Brazil that we could meet in that morning at the Congress and invite through their national coordinator. The atmosphere of this event was very good, everyone felt uplifted. The wide diversity of the participants symbolized the entire Brazilian Nation, melting all the religions, races and cultures of the planet.
Through this special mobilization for the Brasilia Event, we felt that we could experience a taste of the life in Cheon Il Guk (God´s Kingdom), Father Moon said in the Peace Message 13: “Today, I am declaring that it is time for all nations and religion to break down their barriers. Through this, the era of "One World under God" will arrive and last forever... we will now make rapid progress toward a world transcending religions and nations, the Cheon Il Guk God's kingdom on earth.”
For this event we could really practice these words transcending religions, races, nationalities and cultures, the cooperation between the religious leaders and politicians, other organizations and the Unification Movement. And this time we could break various barriers that exist within our own movement as well. Members from various departments such as UPF, FFWPU, CARP, STF and WFWP, local Brazilian and foreigners and also leaders and simple members, we all worked together in harmony, sleeping on the floor, eating the same food in a small center. With this condition the good Spirit World was actively mobilized and each of us could experience amazing spiritual revival within ourselves.
In reality in Brazil, we still don’t have a Peace Embassy and in Brasilia we don’t have even an office to receive our VIP guests, however through this mobilization we could feel that the good Spirit World already prepared many national level VIPs. So we are determined that as soon as possible to open a public relation center for the UPF activities in Brasilia, and to connect these VIPs to the Providence.

Christian & Hiroko Lepelletier, 6000 Couple Group, Missionary, living in Brazil since 1998.
chrislepel@gmail.com
www.geocities.com/chrislepel

Religious Freedom Serviço at the Seven Day Adventist Church

2007-12-03T21:27:00.000-02:00

Archbishop Milingo, founder of the Married Priests Movement and Reverend Christian Lepelletier, General Secretary of the Federação para a Paz Universal were invited by Samuel Luz, President of the ABLIRC (Brazilian Association for the Religious Freedom) to participate at a thanksgiving Religious Service that was realized in the church of the UNASP (Seven Day Adventist University Campus) on november 9, 2007.

Among the various leaders who participated, Pr. Edson Rosa, gave the sermon, he is the responsible for the South America region. Dr. Alcides Coimbra, gave the report about the activities of the Adventist church did to promote the religious freedom. O Pr. Carlos Enoc Pollheim, director of the São Paulo Association of Religious Freedom and Communication. Pastor Almir de Oliveira, from the Paulistana Associação and Pr. Jefferson Castilho, from the Paulista do Vale mission. Dr. José Ricardo, from Santo André City Council. The former São Paulo State Secretary of Justice, Dr. Hédio Silva Jr. is helping to defend the Adventist members who are keeping the Saturday as a holiday, through Court case in the Supreme Federal Tribunal. More than 800 persons, many of them students, from all regions of Brazil, participated at the event and attended lectures of Dr. Wilson Endruveit, Theologian, ex-rector of the Latin América Teology Seminary.
The International Religious Liberty Association, (IRLA) was founded in 1893, by the Seven Day Adventists. The last World Congress was in South Africa. The professor Samuel Luz, is the national coordinator in Brazil.

Professor Euler Bahia, rector of the Adventist University Campus (Unasp) was pleased with the success of the event.

Report based on the article:
http://www.paulistasul.org.br/destaques/?cod_destaque=1089

Peace Conference in Brazilia

2007-09-09T16:20:00.000-03:00

With the help of Federal Deputy Nelson Marquezelli, President of the Labor, Administration and Public Service Commission in the Brazilan Congress and Ambassador for Peace, The Universal Peace Federation in partnership the Brazil-Israel Friendship Christian Associação (Haverimbril) and the Parlementary Frente Brazil-Israel for Peace in the Holy Land organised a Peace Conference on the 28 of august.
The guests speakers were: Pastor Laurindo, President and founder of Haverimbril, Rev. Heung Tae Kim, FFWPU International Missionary, Deputy Talmir, President of the Parlementary Frente Brazil-Israel and Sheik Armando Saleh, World Peace Missionary, ex- President of the Muslim Associação.
Mr Simão Ferabolli, FFWPU presented a Powerpoint on the five Principles of Peace and the UPF Video, “A Giant Step for World Peace.”

UPF Regional Peace Council established in Sao Paulo

2007-08-02T15:08:00.000-03:00

Regional Peace Council established in Sao Paulo

Last month the Sao Paulo Region Ambassadors for Peace were invited to attend a meeting to form the first UPF Peace Council in Brazil. All of them had received in the past the Ambassador for Peace Award, they were glad to be recognized and shared their willingness to do something more but were wondering what to do next.
We asked them to sign the form affirming the five principles of peace and we gave an invitation form to sign up to become a member of the Peace Council. Then we planned a meeting of the Peace Council to elect the Board members.

On July the 28th, 21 registered Ambassadors for Peace and Peace Council members and UPF staff members gathered in the Headquarter building for the election. Following the pattern of other organizations, we prepared a sheet of paper for everyone to write down the name of the candidates to be elected.

Dr Natanael Nascimento opened the meeting and invited Prof. Narcisso Favaro to offer the invocation. Prof. Leornes Ferreira presented a detailed and well documented lecture about the history of conflict before to introduce the theory of peace. Rev. Christian, UPF General Secretary, reminded about the mission and importance of the Peace Council and checked that all candidates were registered as Ambassadors for Peace following the UPF official guidelines.

Then the President and Vice-President candidates came in front and told the reason why they wanted to be candidates. Pres. Simão Ferabolli wrote all the candidates names on the board. The voting sheets were passed to everyone to vote. Twenty five participants deposited their vote in the ballot box.
Colonel Bizarria volunteered to annouce the name on the ballot sheet and Prof Narcisso computed the results on the board for eveybody to accompany the results.

Dr Reinaldo Correa, Regional Police Chief, was elected President, Mr Arlindo Negrão, Police Delegate, Vice-President, Mrs Eliza Ferreira, UPF Public Relations, First Secretary, Dr Natanael Nascimento, Judge, 2° Secretary, Rev.Christian Lepelletier, UPF General Secretary, 1° Treasury, Colonel Bizarria, from the Military Police, 2° Treasury, Dr Hélio Serra, Medical Doctor, 1st Counsellor and Mrs Elita Correa, Lawyer, 2nd Councellor.

Other Council members: Federal Deputy Nelson Marquezelli, Delegate Rose Correa, former State Deputy, State Security Department, Mario Kunigo, former Federal Deputy, Sheik Armando Hussein, former President of the Muslim Association, Father Juberli Varela, Umbandist priest, Professor Diros Santos, founder of the New Future View school network, Professor Narcisso Favaro, Founder of the Viver Taboão Project, Pedro Wendel, Real Estate Consultant, William Andre, Architect, Francisco Minana, Medical Doctor, Antonio dos Santos, Social Department of the City Government and Luzinette de Oliveira, President of the Public Security community Council, Adelina Machado, Businesswoman and Journalist.

Most of the Council members came to know our movement and met each other through the successive Peace Tour events, and became involved to organized the events and to invite new Ambassadors and guests. They kept in touch with each other and became friends. The election took place in a very family atmosphere. Everybody was pleased with the election of Dr. Reinaldo as the Sao Paulo Region Peace Council President and manifested the willingness to cooperate.

Dr Reinaldo won the respect of others over many years of dedication serving as o President of an instituition providing shelter, food and education for the abandoned street children. We feel he is the qualified person to be indicated and elected. He has the capacity to embrasse many people and has the full support of his wife Elita, she is a lawyer and speak foreign languages, also Ambassador for Peace, elected as a member the Board as well, they traveled together to attend the UPF international Conference in Korea last february.

Ambassadors for Peace met in Sao Paulo

2007-07-12T12:54:00.000-03:00

Peace Ambassadors met in Sao Paulo Headquarter on 23rd of june.
Following the participation of Delegate Reinaldo Correa at the UPF World Summit Conference in Seoul, from february 20 to 24. And the participation of the Federal Deputy Nelson Marquezelli at the Washington Conference from may 15 to 19, all Peace Ambassadors from the Sao Paulo region were invited to hear the reports and to discuss the Peace Council project.
Mr Waldir Cipriani, vice-president of the Sorocaba Soccer Atletic Club was the M.C., and opened the meeting. Evangelical Pastor Paulo Calado Farias gave the invocation.

33 guests listening to the reports. Then Rev. Christian Lepelletier, General Secretary presented the Peace Council project. Each participants received an Ambassador for Peace registration form to fill up, among them 19 returned the form affirming the five Principles of Peace. And 14 Ambassadors for Peace signed up to accept the invitation to become member of the Peace Council.

We made a circle to give a chance for all participants to express their comments and opinions. We shared a delicious lunch. Then Pastor Carlos Rocha presented the lecture on the five principles fo Peace, a few more comments were made and we finished the event sharing delicious homemade cookies and coffee.
Through this meeting most of them realize the importance of the mission of Ambassador for Peace and express their willingness to cooperate voluntarily to promote peace. We are planning regular monthly meeting.

www.federacaodapaz.org.br

Married Priests Now in Brazil

2007-04-06T22:22:00.000-03:00

PROCEEDINGS OF THE FOUNDATION AND DECLARATION OF THE
MOVEMENT MARRIED PRIESTS NOW IN BRAZIL

We, married bishops, priests and deacons of Brazil, ministering in various catholic institutions, together as married priests, originally from the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, members of the Married Priests Movement (MPC)[1], gathered in the First Brazilian Meeting of the Movement Married Priests Now, realized in São Paulo, in the city of Atibaia, form March 23 to 25, 2007, under the spiritual guidance of Emmanuel Milingo, Archbishop Emeritus from Lusaka, Zambia (Africa); with the presence of the clergy of the Brazilian Apostolic Catholic Church and his patriarch, Dom Luis Fernando Mendez; the clergy of the Catholic Apostolic Missionary Church of Evangelization; the clergy of the Catholic Orthodox Charismatic Church; the Franciscan Congregation of Useless Servants members; the URI (United religions Initiatives) members and the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (Unification Church) members.

WE DECLARE THAT:

1. The family is a holy institution created by God;

2. The family is the way for the human beings to continue their lineage, their descendance and the future of humankind;

3. The human sainthood is in the priesthood and in the family, not in the compulsory celibacy;

4. The family is the school of love with distinctive expressions, then it is a human, spiritual, biological and social necessity;

5. The formation of the family is a divine right endowed to all human beings, including the priests and all members of the diverse religious manifestations of the world;

6. The Movement Married Priests Now does not aim to oppose the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church, or any other religious denominations, but the defense of the human right to establish consegrated families and the free expression of their religiosity;

7. The spiritual inspiration endowed by Jesus to archbishop Emmanuel Milingo with the authority of Jesus´s blood, all married priests are forgiven of all mistakes or spiritual injury, coming from the decision to establish their family and to multiply their descendance and lineage on Earth; all married priests are free from all punishments coming from the excommunication of any religious institution; all married priests are authorized to celebrate the Holy Mass and minister the sacraments in their families and their communities, according to the spiritual necessity of the christian people of Brazil.

8. The radical defense of the celibacy (the interdiction to realize a family) imposed by the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church to hundreds of thousands of his members, denies the origin and the divine nature of the family institution (Gn 1, 28), is contrary to the biblical affirmation (Tite 1, 6; Tm 3), and violate one the most vital and sacred human right. However, the time has arrived for the Roman Catholic Apostolic Church to rethink her position and to restore this God´s given human right.

To conclude, we urge all religious believers and all brazilian to support the Movement Married Priests Now in order to empower the christian faith and to contribute for the establisment of healthy families centralized on Deus, which are the base for the social peace and the roots for the Kingdom of God in Brazil and in the world.

[1] Movimento de Padres Casados

2007-01-21T21:35:00.000-02:00

About of the coming of the new Buddha – Maitreya:
The Buddha to come in this age will bring enlightenment and abundance to all mankind by exemplifying True Love in the Family Unit. This will create the foundation for the Ideal Society of the Golden Age.

(below)The Maitreya Buddha painted by the Visionary Artwork Nanette Crist Johnson; (top) a picture of Rev Sun Myung Moon when he was young, looks like second coming of Buddha envisioned by Nanette Crist Johnson.

http://www.theexpandedheart.com/NCJ2.html

In the first half of the twentieth century the great Tibetan Buddhist guru, Tomo Geshe Rimpoche, started preparing the space for the coming of the new Buddha – Maitreya. According to the Buddhist tradition, the enlightenment of the expected Maitreya-Buddha (whose human incarnation will reflect the qualities of the Dhyani-Buddha Amoghasiddhi) will reveal the new cosmic-spiritual order of the Universe.

The Divine Plan for our epoch is to replace the patriarchal epoch in the spiritual life of humankind with the epoch of the Divine Wedding that was realized by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han in 1960. (In general, the patriarchal period was an important and necessary stage in human evolution following upon the previous matriarchal epoch.) But now the mystery of the Divine Wedding introduces us to a new religious paradigm and the new metaphysical perception of the world.

Some of the main features of the new religious paradigm introduced by the Divine Wedding are:

Conclusion of the present metahistorical cycle and beginning of the new cosmic-spiritual Summer, the New Golden Age).
Resurrection of the past and birth of the new cycle.
Ideal balance, i.e. Divine Wedding, between the masculine and feminine universal principles.
Birth of the reality of the New Heaven and the New Earth (new Genesis, new Creation, new Metaphysics).
Birth of a new human race – God's people on Earth (Sons and Daughters of God undergoing the first and second resurrection, receiving the Crown of Initiations, becoming citizens of the Holy City and co-creators with God and the Divine Mother).
The whole of Creation becomes a Divine Temple where the celestial Bride and Groom sit on the Throne of God constituting Creation as a Temple of life.

The Divine Plan for our epoch is to replace the patriarchal epoch in the spiritual life of humankind with the epoch of the Divine Wedding that was realized by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon and his wife Hak Ja Han in 1960. (In general, the patriarchal period was an important and necessary stage in human evolution following upon the previous matriarchal epoch.) But now the mystery of the Divine Wedding introduces us to a new religious paradigm and the new metaphysical perception of the world.

Some of the main features of the new religious paradigm introduced by the Divine Wedding are:

Conclusion of the present metahistorical cycle and beginning of the new cosmic-spiritual Summer, the New Golden Age).

Resurrection of the past and birth of the new cycle.

Ideal balance, i.e. Divine Wedding, between the masculine and feminine universal principles.

Birth of the reality of the New Heaven and the New Earth (new Genesis, new Creation, new Metaphysics).

Birth of a new human race – God's people on Earth (Sons and Daughters of God undergoing the first and second resurrection, receiving the Crown of Initiations, becoming citizens of the Holy City and co-creators with God and the Divine Mother).

The whole of Creation becomes a Divine Temple where the celestial Bride and Groom sit on the Throne of God constituting Creation as a Temple of life.

http://www.secondcomingmission.com/s5_secondcoming/5_3_index.htm

Further study about the Second Coming is found in the Divine Principle revealed by the Sun Myung Moon:
http://www.unification.org/ucbooks/expodp/index.html
Further study about the meaning of the Holy Divine Wedding:
http://www.unification.org/the_blessing.html

2006-12-25T19:07:00.000-02:00

THE SPIRITUAL MISSION OF BRAZIL

From the left Christian, with Dr Hedio in the middle and Muslims representatives at the 1st Inter-religious Forum organized by the
Secretary of Justice of Sao Paulo

Father Moon give the bouquet of flowers and is reaching Bishop Edson´s hands after the speech in Sao Paulo

From the left, Iremar Possamai – UPF Brazilia, Salette Aquino – URI Campinas, Clay Peixoto – World Council
of Churches ex-Executive Secretary, URI Campinas member, Father Harold – Drug Prevention Movement, Andre Porto – URI Latin America, Elianildo Nascimento – WSF Coordinator, Christian Lepelletier – UPF Brazil.

Iremar and Sonia Possamai wearing the holy robe, in the middle
the only religious leader couple at the Inter-religious ceremony.

Ecumenic Temple "Legiao da Boa Vontade" (LBV) in Brazilia

THE SPIRITUAL MISSION OF BRAZIL

Hiroko and I were assigned to Brazil, to work as foreign missionaries, after attending the 40 days training workshop in Cheong Pyung in Korea at the end of 1996. I made two trips from France, my home country, to prepare the way and make the leap of faith, to move our family with our two children in 1998 and stay in the country as permanent residents. Just to obtain the official resident card for my wife and children took almost five years of perseverence and adventure; it would be an interesting topic to share. But to-day, I would like to share from my observation, how God and the Spirit World has been working and preparing, and continue transforming this great blessed land of Brazil for a spiritual mission for the world.

Brazilia
In 1883, Dom Bosco, an Italian priest had a prophetic dream about a new promissed land located in the area of the crossing of the meridian treaty of Torsedilhas and the region of the fifteenth parallel, that is where Brazilia was built. The “Mystical Nature” NGO “ORNAM” created “A Mystical Road for the Center of the World” called the “Way of Dom Bosco.”[1] Passing through Goiania, Brazilia and Palmas, one can feel the “spiritual call” a rich mixture of cultures, beliefs, rituals, sanctuaries and religious procession. They are more than 600 religious groups in the Brazilia region.

Paiva Netto, leader of the Legion of Good Will (LBV) opened the Ecumenical Temple in 1989 and the World Parliament of Ecumenical Fraternity in 1994 in Brasilia. The most visited monument of the capital, already more than 15 millions since the opening, the doors never closed since the inauguration 17 years ago, day and night pilgrims and visitors of all races and credos are welcome. The Temple is a seven sides pyramide shape 21m high, on top there is the largest natural pure crystal of the world that was found with the help of the spirit world. Inside there is God’s throne and altar on of top of seven steps.[2]

Legion of Good Will
Alziro Zarur, founder of the LBV, received his mission from Saint Francis of Assisi during a meeting at the Brazilian Spirit Federation in Rio, to establish one charity institution, he was a radio speaker for the program “The hour of good will” at the Globo in 1949. After receiving confirmation from Xico Xavier, he announced in his radio program the creation of the “Legion of Good Will.”

The LBV opened his UN office in 1993 and in 1999 received the general consultative status in the Economic and Social Council. This year they presented the report, on behalf of the Latin America Continent representing 400 NGO, from the Civil Society on employment and sustainable development.

[1] See the link the Way of Dom Bosco: http://www.forumespiritualmundial.org.br/Ingles/textos_OCaminhoDomBosco.asp
[2] See the link LBV: http://www.tbv.com.br/

The First World Spiritual Forum

The First World Spiritual Forum (WSF)[1] that happened in Brazilia from december 6 to 10 was for me the chance to visit the capital of Brazil for the first time in my life, even though I have been living in Brazil for 8 years mostly in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It happened exactly on the day that the two American Ministers came for the IV World Peace Tour in Sao Paulo.

More than 50 organizations worked together to produce the first World Spiritual Forum (WFS) in Brazilia, the Universal Peace Federation (UPF) participation in this forum was the result of continuous participation of a very few of our dedicated members, who understand the impoprtance of the Interfaith work that we did in Rio de Janeiro, when I was living there from 2000 to 2003, and then in the Sao Paulo until now.

The FORUM was organized by the Planetary Union (UP), the United Religion Iniciative (URI) and the Peace University (UNIPAZ) and took place in the Convention Center of the Brazilian Capital. More than 5000 people came for this historical gathering demonstrating the growing interest about spirituality.

A Five days Conference, more than eighty speakers and entertainment in the main auditorium, an exhibition hall and six rooms annexes presenting ceremonies, rituals, videos and lectures. Each day started from eight in the morning until ten thirty in the evening, everything was broadcast live for the MAIS TV channel.

Representing UPF, I prepared a lecture on the “Responsibility of the Religions to establish a World of Peace” based on the five Principles of Peace used worldwide by the Peace Ambassadors and the UPF network. Including the proposal to establish the National Inter-religious Council of Brazil.

The high point was the presentation of Leonardo Boff, internationally known for his liberation theology, he taught about the five important virtues for a better world and the debate about the “Dialogue between the religions for World Peace.” Many different religious traditions came to the Forum that offered a very great opportunity to promote interfaith harmony. It was a great historical step forward for Brazil and mankind, more and more the world is recognizing that the human effort alone is not sufficient to solve the problems facing mankind; God wants to participate through the spiritual leaders and people of conscience.

[1] See the link FEM: http://www.forumespiritualmundial.org.br/Ingles/default.asp

The New Concience Movement
The idea of the WSF came on the foundation of the New Conscience Movement.
Every year when the entire country glorify the body during the Carnaval[1] more than 30,000 people gather in Campina Grande, a small town in the North-East State of Paraiba, due to the iniciative of the city mayor who has been promoting this meeting, since 1992, for religious leaders, thinkers, artists and followers of all kind of alternatives beliefs searching to feed the soul and the spirit and escape the madness of the Carnaval.

The First Catholic Country
Brazil is still the first catholic country in the world with around 80% of the population of 180 millions declaring themselves catholic at the last national census. But during the last three decades, 15 millions members left the mother church, among them 72% migrated to the evangelical churches.

On the 12th of October of 1999, the day of Nossa Senhora (Our Lady) Aparecida, which is a national holiday, 160 thousand faithful gathered in the Maracana Stadium of Rio de Janeiro to see the great catholic stars like Father Marcelo Rossi e Roberto Carlos. At the same time in the city of Aparecida in the State of Sao Paulo 167 thousand were gathered at the national Basilica.
Father Marcelo, superstar sold more than 3, 7 million of his first CD, “Musics to praise the Lord”, knows how to comunicate with the soul of the Brazilian religiosity, took the mission to popularize the Church. He is part of the charismatic priest singers movement trying to bring back the crowd to attend the mass.

He established the new Terço Bizantino Sanctuary, in the south district of Sao Paulo, from an old factory site that can acomodate 20 000 people, on sundays, Father Marcelo´s Mass is broadcast on the Globo International network in more than 40 countries for the American, Africain and European continents.
He has a daily radio program on the Globo Network, recently, Father Marcelo produced the film Maria, Mother of the son of God, directed by Moacyr Góes.

The Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church
Bishop Dom Carlos Costa, founded the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church (ICAB) in 1945, after being excommunicated by the Vatican, following his political and administrative courageous decisions in favor of the humble population. He was a pioneer in ecumenism and a great reformer; he abolished the compulsory celibate for the priests.

We met Bishop Dom Edson da Siva, (ICAB) Administrative Secretary through the URI meeting in Brazilia, he accepted the invitation to attend the First World Peace Tour and UPF Inaugural Speech in Sao Paulo and was very impressed with Rev Moon, he was sitting at the front row and listened to True Father that spoke two hours more than the normal speech.

Bishop Edson attended the UPF Conference in Seoul and the Coronation Ceremony at the Cheon Jeong Peace Palace last June. He was invited to be a member of the UPF Global Council. He was scheduled to speak at the Spiritual Forum in Brazilia, but another providence called him to travel to New-York to attend the Blessing Ceremony for the married priests that happened at the same time. He took along with him two elders top leaders of the ICAB to meet Archbishop Milingo.

[1] Carne means meat or flesh; carnaval can be interpreted as the festival of the body.

The great Evangelical Nation
Spreading among all classes of the society, the followers of the evangelical movement are reaching inflence in the cultural, political and economical fields of the Brazil. Since the last few decades the growth of the Pentecostal movement has been impressive, from a few per cents, now the statistics are reaching around 15% of the population ou 26 millions are attending the 150,000 churches, of all types of denominations, scattered around the country.

The march for Jesus, is growing every year in Sao Paulo, up to 3 millions of believers for the last one, is organized by the neo-pentecostal movement, they are walking and wearing T-shirts with messages of Jesus, singing and praising the Lord, following huge sound trucks, transporting Gospel bands and their stars.

Some temples are so huge, like a Shopping Center, for example the church ``God is Love`` in the center of Sao Paulo has a space for 20 000 people, is opened 24 hours.

The “Universal Church of the Kingdom of God” founded by the Bishop Edir Macedo in 1975, could build a huge communication empire with 62 broadcasting radio stations, the third TV channel of the country, the Record Network, a weekly newspaper, the Folha Universal, which has a distribution of 1 million. They elected 16 federal deputies in 2002.

Brazil is the world leader in the production and distribution of Bibles, according to Pastor Eneas Tognini, president of the Biblical Society of Brazil, 4 millions are produced for the local market and 5 millions are exported in many languages for 50 countries.

The evangelical market generates around 230 millions dollars by year and employs 1 million persons. The Christian’s Consumers International Fair and Exposition occupies 120 stands and attracts 60 thousands visitors and buyers of bibles, CDs, DVDs, books, Tshirts and other evangelical products. There are 470 evangelical radios broadcast stations and 120 recording studios.

Brazil is sending 3 thousands missionaries to the world, some of them are using the football, setting up training schools for young the people: ``Preaching the Gospel holding the Bible in one hand with a ball at the foot.`` A strategy that is giving good results in Russia.

The Greatest Nation of Spiritism in the World
The roots of the movement are in France, when Leon Denizard Rivail, a French intellectual, known as Allan Kardec, published the Book of the Spirits in 1857. But it is in Brazil that the movement found a fertile land to expand. The greatest known medium, Chico Xavier, from Minas Gerais, is the main force who contributed to expand the number of followers to an estimated 3 millions, even though he already passed into the Spirit World in 2002. Many more people confessing another religion visit the “Spirit Centers”, they are 10 thousand of them in the country, and are conciliating the two beliefs. Chico Xavier psychographied, spiritual dictation, more than 400 books, and attended many thousand people in need of healing.
The followers of the spirit doctrine are respected for practising charity, doing volunteer work feeding the poor and taking care of the sick. Their main teaching is based on the practice of love as a way for spiritual growth until reaching the perfection.
Some mediums are intruments to spiritual surgeons to perform spiritual surgery. Some group of mediums realized materialization of objects. There is one painting that Picasso delivered from the spirit world exposed in LGW Temple in Brazilia.

Paradise on Earth
a) The Theosophical society built one “Paradise on Earth” at 60 km from Brazilia, in a remote, peaceful and natutal environment, ideal for meditation, inspiration and spiritual elevation. The beautiful criation, the variety of landscapes, flowers vegetation, the sounds of the nature, waterfall and the birds provide the ideal setting to feel the original criation of God.

b) Mokiti Okada founder of the Messianic Church in Japan, started to build prototypes of Paradise on Earth which are called Holy Grounds, with the conviction to establish the foundation for the Ideal World through the beauty of creation.
In Brazil, the prototype of the paradise was built, in 1991, on the side of the Guarapiranga artificial lake, in the south of Sao Paulo. The project was carefully designed to realize an ideal environment for meditation helping the visitors to elevate the human mind by tuning to the original and pure creation. To build and take care of this beautiful garden thousands of dedicated volunteers invest their time with love, sincerity and grateful heart.[1]

Proposal for an Inter-religious Council by the Secretary of Justice of Sao Paulo State
Dr Hedio Silva, the first black to occupy the post of Secretary of Justice of Sao Paulo State initiated the First Paulista Inter-religious Forum for a Culture of Peace and Freedom of Belief, in October 2005. The Forum was the result of several meetings, initially with religious leaders representing the African religious traditions, and then other religions were invited into the dialogue. The purpose of these meetings was to protect the followers of African traditions against the attacks of some evangelicals extremists. Even though Brazil is considered to be a tolerant country open to all religions and races, there are still some cases of intolerance and discrimination.

Dr Hedio left the post of Secretary of Justice to run for the federal election and was replaced by Dr Eunice Prudente, a black woman, dedicated to the cause of freedom of belief and inter-religious harmony, she continued to promote the meetings and she called for the Second Inter-religious Forum that happened on November 7th. A resolution was written and a proposal of by-laws was submitted including the list of the Executive Council members that will hold the positions.

It was decided that beside the government and civil society representatives, 21 religious leaders will be part of the Council, thanks to Heavenly Father and the good spiritual world, I will be representing the UPF, my name was on the list that was published by the Secretary of Justice last December 20.

Jardim, the New Eden
Brazil has been one of the most blessed country with the abundance and diversity of all things of the creation, lands, water, minerals, plants, vegetal, fruits, trees, insects, fishes, birds and animals, etc…
The Garden of Eden, or Paradise represents the Original Ideal World that God created with all the necessary things to satisfy the needs of mankind.
In the Old Testament the chosen people received the promise of Canaan, a fertile land with milk and honey.
Last week, I received a message from an Ambassador for Peace[2], which was inspired by the spiritual world saying: “The Promised Land; Canaan is really here the Homeland of the Gospel, the Heart of the World – Brazil. The Unification on all levels in this blessed land is the Great Plan of God for humanity!”

Beside the diversity of manifestations of the spirit world revealing the “Spiritual Mission of Brazil”, Father Moon started the construction of the New Eden, founded the Education Center for the Ideal Family, made four important declarations in Jardim and one in Sao Paulo[3] for the world, establish the Holy Ground in Jardim and the Pantanal region. Even though, there are still difficulties to develop substantially, the construction of the prototype of the ideal world in Jardim, will be realized for sure because it is recorded in the Heavenly Bible, Cheon Seong Gyeong, from page 1852 to 1867.

God’s Providence is moving forward in Brazil, which has an important mission to fulfill, that is to help reform Catholicism which is predominant in South America, to prepare the reconciliation with North America which is in his majority protestant ou evangelical. Then a Christian revival, with strong spiritual and moral values will empower the whole American Continent to influence and revive the old Europe that became secular and materialist.

Conclusion
Reflecting about the Spiritual Mission of Brazil, two aspects came to my mind, first the Brazilian people has a whole love God, embrace religions and have the gift of spiritual sensibility[4], all religions are welcome and find a fertile land in Brazil to develop freely in a mutual respect. Brazil can be a model of inter-religious harmony for the world.

Second, geographically, Brazil is blessed with abundant natural resources that can be share with the rest of world, Rev. Moon said, he wants to build a museum, in Jardim, to have every types of creation exhibited[5]. The abundant land can be used, developed respecting the nature and the environment and produce many types of foods for the nations of the world that don’t have sufficiently. The Jardim Project will be both, a model of human development, based on the Character Education and Family Values and a model of economic development based on sustainability and the respect of the environment.

[1] See the pictures of the paradise on this link:
http://www.solosagrado.org.br/album/paisagens/paisagens.asp

[2] Marlene Ferreira, Psychologist, opened a NGO in her own house, giving free consultations and courses to serve the community.
[3] See Cheon Seong Gyeong pag. 1597
[4] The dead don’t die; the communication with the ancestors or angels is frequent, especially in the indigene and African culture.
[5] CSG pag. 1865

2006-09-17T17:04:00.000-03:00

Maria Lucia Alckmin Ex-Governor’s Wife of Sao Paulo State Received the Ambassador for Peace Award

Lu Alckmin first Lady of the Sao Paulo State (until her husband left the post of Governor to run for the presidential election against Lula that will take place on october 1st) and Presidente of the Solidarity Social Fund (taking care of 1900 Associations in the 645 cities of the State), took time out of her busy schedule to participate in the “International Cultural Festival” organized by the Women Federation for World Peace (WFWP) on Sunday 10th of September.

She was invited by two friends of her, also well known women, Rosmary Correa, four terms (16years) State Deputy, running for the fifth term, and Presidente of the Security and Environmental Commission of the Legislative Assembly and Adelina Machado, prominent businesswoman, journalist and President of the World Association of Businesswomen CEO, also running for the Federal Deputy elections.

Adelina on the left, Rosmary on the right, Benedita from WFWP in the middle.

“Lu” arrived around noon time at the end of the Festival when the 100 VIP guests were sitting around the tables to have lunch. Simão Ferabolli, President of the Brazilian Chapter of the UPF gave a few words of welcome and explanation about the activities, and then he offered the Ambassador for Peace Certificate.
“Lu” was invited at the podium and shared a few words about her career, from the humble beginning in her hometown and testified about her husband´s dedication to serve the State. “Lu” has been serving in various social works and activities for many years in the State which are related in the book “Six Lessons of Solidarity.”

“Lu” Alckmin holding the Diploma “Lu” shared about her life in the book “Six lessons of Solidarity.”
And Pres. Simão on her right side.

Then Simão Ferabolli, invited “Lu” and closed supporters in his office, for a blessing prayer for the success of her husband Geraldo Alckmin for the Presidential Election.

“Lu” was moved to tears after Pres. Simão Prayed for the success for the election of her husband Geraldo.

Note 1: The State of Sao Paulo is the largest of 27 States of Brazil, for the population, the
economy, industry and largest number of immigrants of Latin America with 645
cities and 40 millions, is called the “locomotive of Brazil”.
Note 2: Deputy Rosemary Correa has participated to several international and national
events sponsored by the Unification Movement since 1985.

2006-08-12T18:19:00.000-03:00

Brazil: 3000 Welcome Moon
Sao Paulo, BrazilJuly 30, 2006

Mother Moon and her daughters Yeon Jin and Jeung Jin arrived late morning at the Sao Paulo International Airport in Brazil and were guided directly to the Unification Movement's large headquarters building near the central region of Sao Paolo. The headquarters building has originally 5 floors, and in addition to many offices, meeting rooms, and guest rooms, the 6 th floor has been built on the roof to make a suite for True Parents.

A very large temple has been built on the side and was specially decorated with golden curtains and huge back stage picture reproducing the Cheon Jeong Gung Museum Palace, the entrance corridor and walkway leading to the stage was set with a long red carpet, spot lights, decorated with flowers and plants to welcome Mother Moon for the World Peace Tour.

The event took place in that main auditorium with 1200 in attendance including "12 overflow rooms," in the neighbour building that was specially equipped with a cable TV network, large screens, loudspeakers and rented chairs to allow extra 1200 people to attend. Others were watching through in the internet, on the same night another event was taking place in the next building´s auditorium and quite many guests could not find parking place nearby were driving around and unfortunately could not make it to our event.

The audience included representatives of the Peace Police and Peace Army with uniforms, eight major religious leaders, Archbishop Athanasios Greek Orthodox, Bishop Edson da Silva Brazilian Catholic Church, both of were called on the stage to offer the invocation, Sheik Armando Saleh Muslim, Father Juberli Varela, João Francisco de Osun, Mother Rita de Cassias leaders from the Afro-Brazilian traditions, Elianildo Nascimento URI (United Religion Initiative) coordinator, Flavio Rassekh Bahai Faith Community, Father Rodrigo Romano represented Archbishop Dom Fares Maakaroum Melkite Orthodox, and several Pastors and members from the christian churches and afro-brazilian groups.

Nelson Marquezelli, a Federal Congressman read a congratulatory letter in the name of the National Congress welcoming Mother Moon: "...During the last 17 years, I had many oportunities to admire and respect the couple Moon, they practice the true moral and spiritual values, continously they persevere defending these ideals, promoting the growth of the Unification Movement around the world. I feel very honored to participate in this event, a unique historical oportunity to hear the words of Rev. And Mrs Moon, building peace in Brazil and around the world."

Rosmary Corrêa spoke congratulatory remarks at the end, Mario Kunigo, local councilers, cabinet members and many candidates for the upcoming elections, civic leaders and Ambassadors for Peace, etc. Around 8:00 pm, the local MC, Simão Ferraboli, National Leader of the FFWPU, called the three representatives couples on the stage and introduced Dr Thomas Walsh for the Holy Wine Ceremony, the kits containing the Holy Scarf, a small plastic bottle, cup and speech magazine were already available on each chair.

Then Dr Wash read the speech of the UPF World President in english, the guests could listen the portuguese translation through a small radio. For the second time on this tour, Yeon Jin Moon read the Founder's Address, "God's Ideal Family and the Kingdom of the Peaceful Ideal World." She is a graduate of New York University with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism and economics. Born in 1981 in New York, Yeon Jin is the twelfth child of the Rev. and Mrs. Sun Myung Moon.

Her presentation was polished and clear, and her attractive presence, youthful spirit and brightness was a natural draw for the audience, and allowed the sometimes weighty truths she communicated to be taken in with gratitude... The video presentation of the UPF was shown on two large screens on both side of the stage, then came the moment to introduce the co-founder, everybody rose and applauded when the sound of the trumpet announced the majestic entrance for Mother Moon. She read the keynote address.

The pulpit was move on the side, twelve representatives couples came up and were aligned on the stage, the MC announced the climax ot the evening program, the Blessing Ceremony representing the engrafting onto the tree of life, God´s lineage. True Mother and Yeon Jin Nim entered again and officiated the Blessing together, consisting of the sprinkling of the Holy Water, the reading of the three questions pledges that everybody responded by shouting: "Sim!!", Mother´s prayer in Korean and the proclamation of the Blessing. The newly blessed couples line up, with Mother Moon and Yeon Jin for the picture, a large plaque from the National Congress was offered by Deputy Marquezelli, then the three traditional Ok Mansei concluded the official event. Following the main event there was a VIP reception for about 200 people, in an adjacent hall."

http://fr.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/chrislepel2000/album?.dir=/e28cre2&.src=ph&.tok=phafUTFBYUjUpaDs

2006-08-11T18:22:00.000-03:00

REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNIVERSAL PEACE FEDERATION MET THE CARDINAL OF SÃO PAULO

The Universal Peace Federation (UPF) of Brazil invited the Cardinal Dom Claudio Hummes Archbishop of São Paulo to participate at the event "World Peace Tour", last Saturday july 29, where Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon spoke on the "Ideal Family and World Peace."

Brazil is the largest catholic country on earth with 290 bishops responsible for 135 millions believers. Dom Cláudio is in charge of one the largest episcopal region of the world with six bishops under him, his name was mentionned in the international media as one possible successor of Pope John Paul II.

Dom Claudio could not come to the event due to his busy schedule, but he accepted to meet us at the archidiocese residence in Sao Paulo, Saturday 29 in the morning, just before Mrs. Moon and her entourage where going to land at the Sao Paulo Airport.

I, Rev. Christian Lepelletier, Pastor Iremar Possamai representing the UPF and Dom Edson da Silva Bishop of the Brazilian Apostolic Catholic Church were received by the Cardinal. We introduced ourselves briefly and presented an introduction of the inter-religious vision of the UPF, founded by the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, last year.

It was the first time for Dom Claudio to meet representatives of the Unification Movement, we had a friendly and positive dialogue in a good atmosphere, that lasted about 30 minutes. I mentioned the responsibility of the religious leaders to cooperate to find the solutions to prevent the violence, the necessity to establish inter-religious councils of peace advising the State government. "

Dom Claudio said that the Catholic Church is already doing her part through existing institution like the CNBB (National Conference of the Bishops of Brazil) and the CONIC (National Council of the Christian Churches). "We welcome representatives from other faith to participate as observers, we respect the religious freedom and diversity." He said.

Surely a very historical first step, this an expected encounter between one of the highest catholic autority in Brazil and representantes of the Unification Movemento, a minority religious group. On that day, july 29, when Dr Moon and her daughter were coming to share the World Peace Blessing."Congratulations! It was a great victory!" Said Bishop Dom Edson who was prepared to talk on the topic of the married priests, but unfortunately we runned out of time, it will be for another oportunity.

Rev. Christian Lepelletier
General Secretary UPF Brazil.

http://peacefederation.org/

Jean Marie Muller a French filosopher and researcher about Gandhi

2005-11-15T15:53:00.000-02:00

Jean-Marie Muller, specialist of the Non-Violence came to Sao Paulo invited by the Association Palas Athena.

I participated to one of his lectures that he gave at the Vergueiro Cultural Center, I read one of his books 30 years ago that help me to become a committed "Objector of Conscience". I made the step to refuse the compulsary French Military Service when I was 20 year old and became wanted by the military police. I was supposed to serve two years of Civil Service at the National Forest Office (ONF), but I denied also, I wanted to choose a voluntary service of my choice to help to isolated villages facing exodus of the population migrating the urban areas.

But in the mean time I joined the Unification Movement and went to the United States.....

Anyway we need desperately to apply the Non-violent Strategies to solve the conflicts existing in our world to-day, like Israel or anywhere...

Fw: Jean Marie Muller´s Conference in Sao Paulo Cultural Center

2005-11-15T15:40:00.000-02:00

Jean-Marie Muller, specialist of the Non-Violence came to Sao Paulo invited by the Association Palas Athena.
I participated to one of his lectures that he gave at the Vergueiro Cultural Center, I read one of his books 30 years ago that help me to become a committed "Objector of Conscience". I made the step to refuse the compulsary French Military Service when I was 20 year old and became wanted by the military police. I was supposed to serve two years of Civil Service at the National Forest Office (ONF), but I denied also, I wanted to choose a voluntary service of my choice to help to isolated villages facing exodus of the population migrating the urban areas.
But in the mean time I joined the Unification Movement and went to the United States.....

Anyway we need desperately to apply the Non-violent Strategies to solve the conflicts existing in our world to-day, like Israel or anywhere...

2005-10-28T18:33:00.000-02:00

Pictures of the Conference of Jetsun Pema, the Dalai Lama´s sister in Sao Paulo, october 13

Jetsun Pema Dalai Lama´s sister gave a Conference inSao Paulo

2005-10-28T17:54:00.000-02:00

The Human Right Commission of the City of Sao Paulo and the Palas Athena Association invited Jetsun Pema, who is the sister of the famous Dalai Lama, to give a lecture at the City Hall Palace downtown.

She shared about her experience as an educator supervising a network of schools to educate the young tibetan in exile and trying to preserve their cultural identity.

At the end of her speech, I went to the stage and gave her a text about the Inauguration of the Universal Peace Federation founded by the Rev Sun myung Moon on september 12 in New York, I hope she will share this important news with her brother the Dalai Lama.

Meeting with Michael Fitzgerald President of the Inter-religious Council in Vatican

2005-08-06T20:02:00.000-03:00

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Meeting with the President of the Pontificial Council for the Inter-religious Dialogue from the Vatican, Michael Fitzgerald in Sao Paulo.
He came to visit the Sinagogue and participated at the Shabat Service on the 5th of august evening and delivered a short message in english, with the portuguese translation from Henri Sobel, President of the Israelite Congregation of Sao Paulo, serepresenting the Pope Bento XVI, conveying his Blessings and the commitment to continue good relationship between catholics and jews.
At the end of the Service, I went to greet him, introduced myself, gave my name card and offer to him the book:

"World Leaders Speaks: The Messiah Has Come" Remarkable Revelations From The Spiritual World

I said to him: Please read it, this is a very important revelation, and after pass it on to the Pope.

Let us pray that they can receive it. Amen !!

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Christian Lepelletier
Conselheiro
Conselho Inter-religioso Int. p/ a Paz
Rua G. Bueno, 470 - Apto 105 - Liberdade - São Paulo - SP
Cep 01506-000 Tel 11-3209-8396 Cel 11-7171-6922
chrislepel@hotmail.com www.geocities.com/chrislepel

Add this card to your address book

2005-08-03T12:05:00.000-03:00

130 Couples receiving the Holy Blessing in Sao Paulo

2005-08-03T12:02:00.000-03:00

At the microphone, Mr Moumtez representant of the Islamism, offering a Blessing prayer, from the left in the back, Pastor Pedro from the Assembly of God, Evangelical Pentecostal Christian Church, Master Varela, Spiritualist Umbanda Afro-Brazilian tradition, Father Paulo Celso, Dominican Catholic Priest and Professor Daniel from the Dharma Center of Peace, Tibetan Buddhist.

2005-08-03T11:59:00.000-03:00

Group picture with the President of the FFWPU Elias and his wife

2005-08-03T10:50:00.000-03:00

Dear Friends,

For many years we had the traditional Unification Blessing Ceremony in São Paulo without the presence of other religious leaders. This time I made up my mind to invite the participation of religious leaders representing other Faiths´traditions, to make it inter-religious as it is done on the world level in Seoul or Washington.

We developped gradually contacts from other religions by consistently attending inter-religious meetings and events. I made the list of the main religions with the potential guests. I made an Invitation letter that I sent by e-mail to my Religious Contacts Address Book. I called, made appointments, I visited twice the Synagogue, I met the two main Rabbis leaders of the São Paulo Israelite Congregation. I visited one Orthodox priest and one Catholic priest, but our event will be on sunday and it is the most busy day for them.

I took the opportunity to approach some religious guests on the 9th of july, when we had a public event, in our Unification HQ Temple to celebrate the 40th anniversary, date of the first coming Father Moon in Brazil, where he blessed a spot of land, known as "Holy Ground", in one park, near downtown in Rio de Janeiro.

Two of them agreed to come, they are, starting from the left on the picture (see the next posts), Rev. Pedro Pastor of the Assembly of God, Evangelical Pentecostal Church, he was himself a participant of the ceremony as a couple with his wife, he has known our movement since a few years. He was the last to speak, he shared some words and quoted the Bible and led the assembly with the Lord´s Prayer.

Next, is Master Varela, President of the Umbandist Temple, from the Afro-Brazilian Spiritualist tradition, he himself invited two couples from his group and one guest to participate at the Cerimony. He has known also our movement since a few years and also visited his temple before. He led the assembly to repeat a few sentences of Blessing Prayers until the crowd could repeat loud and clear.

Next, is Father Paulo Celso, a Dominican Catholic Priest, he lost his position in the Church after he married more than 20 years ago. He traveled with the Latin America Pilgrimage Tour of Israel Holy Land, last year, we have known each other more than one year, at the Inter-religious group, which is part of the Council for the Culture of Peace of the Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo and also attended the Sunday Mass at his church. During the ceremony he was moved to tears, even though he said he did not have so much time, he stayed until the end. He spoke vigorously and loud for the importance of the family.

Next, is Mr Daniel Calmonowitz, lecturer at the Peace Darma Center, representant of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, I met him through the inter-religious group, and visited his Temple when the Buddha´s sacred relics were exposed last year. He offered three Buddist Blessing prayer songs. At the end he told me that he was very grateful and impressed of our work.

The last, at the microphone, is Mr Moumtez Hachem, Director of the Center of the Divulgation of Islam for the Latin America, I just met him briefly, once last month when I participated at one meeting at the building of the Secretary of the of Justice and Protection of the Citizen of the Government of the State of São Paulo, where about 70 religious leaders, mostly from the Afro-Brazilian traditions or minority religions, gathered to report the persecution from some Evangelical Pentecost members. I had the chance to talk to him just before the meeting started and invited right away, and called him several time until the last evening before the event . Thanks to the help of Mohammed, he came, he is a very devoted believer of Islam. During the Holy wine ceremony, he withdrew from the Temple, he cannot tolerate to see others drinking wine, this is against the belief of his religion, he waited outside, then came back, he had to wait patiently for his turn to go on the stage, because all religious leaders were scheduled to pray after the four wedding vows, just before the officiator conclude with the final Blessing prayer.

Somehow, the Evangelical Pastor came up on the stage last and stood next to the Umbandist Priest for the prayer; then we invited them for lunch after the ceremony, Pastor Pedro went to sit at the opposite end of the table, far from the Mr Varela (Narrow minded Evangelical Christians believe that the Umbanda groups are from the Devil) . I suggested to them to sit together next time for inter-religious dialogue meeting and they both agree and accepted to learn more from each other religious tradition, others did not have time to stay for lunch.

Thanks to the participation of the religious leaders, the Blessing Ceremony became opened to the broad diversity ot Spiritual Traditions. We felt higher spiritual atmosphere, the Blessing became more rich, valuable and complete, the participants were blessed successively by the Holy Words and prayers, the assembly was happy and responded with warm aplause.

I would like to thank God, Father and Mrs Moon and my beloved wife Hiroko that help me to offer this report and gave me the inspiration to promote world peace through inter-religious harmony and family values.

chrislepel@gmail.com www.geocities.com/chrislepel

2005-08-02T15:47:00.000-03:00

Sao Paulo on the Hill near the Unification HQ (2005)