Parliamentary Interfaith Breakfast in Canberra

Since 2014, when the first Interfaith Prayer Breakfast was held, the Australian Catholic University has been gathering representatives of different faiths for joint prayer and fellowship. Such breakfasts take place once a year and bring together representatives of the parliament, foreign diplomats, and leaders of religious communities in the spirit of mutual respect and dialogue. They give participants an opportunity to communicate and learn about each other’s culture and traditions. Parliamentary interfaith or prayer breakfasts, in which both parliamentarians and leaders of religious communities participate, exist in many countries around the world. Although interfaith breakfasts have not previously been part of the Australian tradition, the Australian Catholic University’s Parliamentary Interfaith Breakfasts are becoming popular and feature prominently in the calendars of parliamentarians and faith leaders alike.

This year’s Interfaith Breakfast was the seventh, attended by about three hundred people, a special guest was the Honourable Chris Bowen MP, Minister of Climate Change and Energy. Mr. Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Australia, was also a guest at this year’s breakfast. Parliamentarians had the opportunity to meet with leaders of more than twenty faiths, including Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and other communities.

According to tradition, the breakfast concludes with prayers recited by five religious leaders from five different religious communities. Last year, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, was among those five representatives and read a prayer for Ukraine. This year, various prayers were heard again, including words of support and prayers for peace in Ukraine. As one of the presenters emphasised, “Last year at this breakfast, Bishop Mykola Bychok, Bishop for Ukrainian Catholics in Australia, New Zealand, and Oceania, prayed for peace in Ukraine, and today Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Elton, Chief Minister and Senior Rabbi of the Great Synagogue in Sydney, prays for peace in the Holy Land.”

According to the organisers of the event, these annual meetings are an opportunity not only to accept and better understand the various faiths that live in Australia but also to reflect on the important role that faith plays in our daily lives and in our vocation to serve society.

See also

January 7 Pastoral visit of Bishop Mykola to Tasmania, January 25–26 January 5 Solemn opening of the Jubilee Year in Melbourne December 30 Bishop Mykola to the members of the CYM in Buxton: “We remember all those who are fighting for independence at this very moment”