In Mexico, the Church of Jesus Christ Celebrates International Day of Peace with Other Faiths

This article was first published in Spanish on the Mexico Newsroom in September.

On September 13, the Ceremony for Peace in Mexico and the World was held by the Interreligious Council of Mexico City in the Christ Church parish of the Anglican Church of Mexico. The event took place ahead of the United Nations International Day of Peace, celebrated every September 21.

The event began with a welcome speech by Reverend Efrén Velázquez, president of the Interreligious Council of Mexico. He highlighted the fact that peace “is a commitment of everyone, which is born in each person and has important repercussions on the life of the entire world. We all share the responsibility of establishing a culture of peace.”

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Jorge Basaldúa, director of religious affairs at the Ministry of the Interior, also spoke at this event. “Religious acts have been linked historically to the most heartfelt causes of society, and in this case, with the prevailing need to ask for peace to be among us. It is a pleasure and I celebrate that this ceremony is taking place on a religious stage and also from an interreligious effort,” he stressed.

For his part, Ignacio Cuevas, of the National Council to Prevent Discrimination, emphasized the mission of churches focused on “highlighting human dignity and living in peace. A religious organization is capable of putting aside its differences, being here together and having a fantastic event. We congratulate your efforts to promote peace in our country.”

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Interfaith Participation

The Jewish Community of Mexico began the ceremony with the Focolare Movement presenting the Song of Gen Rosso — Open the Horizon for Peace, performed by Ursula Longi and Carmelina. Then there was a prayer from the Jewish community, Sim Shalom (God, grant us Peace) performed by Jazan Ari Litvak and David Pineda.

Later the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order of Islam performed a song. It was then that the Churubusco Institute choir of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints performed the hymn “The Spirit of God” and “For the Beauty of the Earth.”

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Afterwards, the Buddhist Community of Mexico of the Khun Chakkaratani House presented a vipassana meditation, followed by songs in indigenous languages by the Pastoral of Indigenous and Afro-Mexicans of the Primate Archdiocese of Mexico. After that, the Hindu Vaishnava community presented a chant of mantras by master Dharmaraj. The Laus Deo choir of the Anglican Church participated with a hymn “O Father of Mankind,” followed by the Jireh Choir of the Adventist Church. The last participants were the Ahmadiyya Muslim community with a song of praise from the Koran.

The Young People in the Choir Experienced a Feeling of Unity

Nelly Puente from the Churubusco Institute choir shared her experience participating in this event.

“There are experiences that come out of the routine, this was one of them,” she said. “Despite being in a space with people who believed and lived their devotion differently, I felt like we were united by the same cause and that made me feel hopeful. Recently [President Russell M. Nelson] said: ‘I … hope that you will look deeply into your heart to see if there are shards of pride or jealousy that prevent you from becoming a peacemaker.’ Regardless of what we believe and the way we do it, I know that we can all become peacemakers; we can share peace with those who need it.”

Choir Director Eros Barajas said the experience of celebrating peace was extraordinary. “I felt honored to be able to participate with the young people of the Churubusco Institute in offering two hymns of the Restoration as prayers for Peace since they made all of us present feel the Holy Spirit in a clear and precious way,” he said.