A perception of the absence of the spiritual is very keenly felt

”It is necessary to transcend the ordinary towards spirituality, towards a vision of brotherhood, of the fact that we are all one", says Riedel.

      It seems that many have realized that something is missing. Something beyond the purely material, economic, intellectual, physical…The absence of the spiritual is ever more obvious in various aspects of human activity. The first World Spiritual Forum aims to discuss precisely that. It aims to expand upon the search for solutions to the problems faced by humanity today as proposed by the Economic Forums in Davos and the World Social Forum, which originated in Brazil as well, in the city of Porto Alegre, state of Rio Grande do Sul.

      The first World Spiritual Forum is promoted jointly by United Planet (UP), the United Religions Initiative (URI) and Peace University (UNIPAZ). It will take place in Brasília, from the 6 th through the 10th of December of 2006, at the Conventions Center Ulysses Guimarães. Its main theme is "Valuing diversity towards the construction of a planetary society". It plans to discuss spirituality in its many aspects and in many different areas.

      Ulisses Riedel, who is the president of United Planet, recalls that the name of the FORUM was intensely discussed. The titles Humanistic Forum, Ethical Forum, Cultural Forum, Moral, Educational, Solidarity, Cultural and World Peace Forum were considered. "But then we realized that the concern with the life of the spirit is present in an attitude of solidarity, in some forms of humanism, in morality. In short, in everything we wish to talk about", he explained.

      Riedel continued: "It is not a religious forum. Religions are important for humankind, however, if not truly spiritual they will be insufficient. It is necessary to transcend the ordinary towards spirituality, towards a vision of brotherhood, to the fact that we are all one".

      The following have confirmed their presence at the FORUM: Ademir Pereira de Oliveira, executive director of the Rotary Brasília, Anselmo Barbosa Moraes representing the Buddhist group Sokka Gakai, Indian chief Raoni, from the Caiapó tribe located in Baixo Xingú of Mato Grosso, Eduardo Weaver, representing the Theosophical Society, Hermano de Oliveira, representing the Great Orient of Brazil, Ken O'Donnell, from the Living Values Institute, Luiz Brun de Almeida e Souza, ambassador and president of the Association for Humanistic Assistance to the Portuguese Speaking African Nations, Marcelo Barros, representing the Theological Latin American Committee of the Association of Third World Theologians, Shojo Sato, Buddhist monk of the Pure Land Shin Buddhism, Paulo Medeiros, from the Brazilian Good Will Legion, and others.

Bety Rita Ramos
The First World Spiritual Forum Communications Coordinator