This my hotel in Sarajevo, the Hotel Saraj. My United Religions Initiative (URI) Global Trustees meetings begin at 9 AM in the morning. I am having a tough time with Jet Lag!
It is now early Sunday morning in Sarajevo! As you may be aware, URI was very supportive of the Standing Rock Mni Wiconi Movement in 2016. URI Teams traveled to Standing Rock three times in 2016.
Most recently URI gave invaluable support to the Wakpala Wopila for the young Wakpala Water Protectors. The Wakpala Wopila and future plans to help Wakpala will be on our global agenda.
As one of the co-planners and founders of URI, I traveled to the Presidio in San Francisco for a weekend, each month of 1999, and for other related reasons through 2000 as part of the URI Planning Team. I committed myself to helping to establish this Global Interfaith Movement, because URI includes Indigenous Faith Traditions, being as spiritually equal and life-giving as any other FaIth Tradition on our Beloved Mother Earth. In sixteen years we are now organized in about 100 Nation States around Mother Earth. This is the URI Charter:
URI CHARTER
We, people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions throughout the world, at this moment
establish the United Religions Initiative to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously
motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living beings.
We respect the uniqueness of each tradition and differences of practice or belief.
We value voices that respect others and believe that sharing our values and wisdom can lead us to act for
the right of all life.
We believe that our religious, spiritual lives, rather than dividing us, guide us to build community and respect
for one another.
Therefore, as interdependent people rooted in our traditions, we now unite for the benefit of our Earth
community.
We unite to build cultures of peace and justice.
We unite to heal and protect the Earth.
We join together to build safe places for conflict resolution, healing, and reconciliation.
We join together to support freedom of religion and spiritual expression, and the rights of all individuals and peoples
as outlined in international law.
We unite in responsible, cooperative action to bring the wisdom and values of our religions, spiritual
expressions and indigenous traditions to bear on the economic, environmental, political and social
challenges facing our Earth community.
We unite to provide a global opportunity for participation by all people, in particular by those whose voices are
not often heard.
We unite to celebrate the joy of blessings and the light of wisdom in both movement and stillness.
We join together to use our combined resources only for nonviolent, compassionate action, to awaken to our
deepest truths, and to manifest love and justice among all life in our Earth community.
The purpose of the United Religions Initiative is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end
religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice, and healing for the Earth and all living
beings.
preamble
purpose
1. The URI is a bridge-building organization, not a religion.
2. We respect the sacred wisdom of each religion, spiritual expression, and indigenous tradition.
3. We respect the differences among religions, spiritual expressions, and indigenous traditions.
4. We encourage our members to deepen their roots in their own culture.
5. We listen and speak concerning increasing mutual understanding and trust.
6. We give and receive hospitality.
7. We seek and welcome the gift of diversity and model practices that do not discriminate.
8. We practice equitable participation of women and men in all aspects of the URI.
9. We practice healing and reconciliation to resolve conflict without resorting to violence.
10. We act from sound ecological practices to protect and preserve the Earth for both present and future
generations.
11. We seek and offer cooperation with other interfaith efforts.
12. We welcome as members all individuals, organizations, and associations who subscribe to the
Preamble, Purpose, and Principles.
13. We have the authority to make decisions at the most local level that includes all the relevant and
affected parties.
14. We have the right to organize in any manner, at any scale, in any area, and around any issue or activity
which is relevant to and consistent with the Preamble, Purpose, and Principles.
15. Our deliberations and decisions shall be made at every level by bodies and methods that reasonably represent the diversity of affected interests and are not dominated by any.
16. We (each part of the URI) shall relinquish only such autonomy and resources as are essential to the
pursuing of the Preamble, Purpose, and Principles.
17. We have the responsibility to develop financial and other resources to meet the needs of our part and
to share fiscal and other resources to help meet the needs of other regions.
18. We maintain the highest standards of integrity and ethical conduct, prudent use of resources, and fair
and accurate disclosure of information.
19. We are committed to organizational learning and adaptation.
20. We honor the richness and diversity of all languages and the right and responsibility of participants to
translate and interpret the Charter, Articles, Bylaws and related documents by the Preamble, Purpose, and Principles, and the spirit of the United Religions Initiative.
21. Members of the URI shall not be coerced to participate in any ritual or be proselytized.
