Last night, Bishop Richard hosted the first interfaith event at the Palace, marking the beginning of Interfaith Week 2025, which begins on Sunday, 9 November. Over 70 faith and civic leaders from across the Diocese, representing 10 faiths, attended the reception, which was funded by the EQL Foundation, a supplier of Halal meat.
Bishop Richard added, "At a time of heightened religious and racial tension, it is more important than ever that faith leaders seek mutual understanding. Different faith traditions may disagree about many things, but we can model a spirit of co-operation and shared humanity. There are already many examples across the diocese where people of different faiths work together for the common good. The reception was an opportunity to deepen friendships and make new ones. I hope we can continue to come together, deepening our mutual understanding and respect."
Last night marked the 556th Birthday of the founder of Sikhism. Gurdeep Singh Dharni, a Sitar String Teacher, played throughout the evening. He was recently awarded an Education Award for Services to Educational Music in Schools across Birmingham.
David Gifford, diocesan interfaith lead, said, “It was a rich evening with much interfaith dialogue. New cross-faith friendships were made, and a deeper understanding of the faith of the other was formed. Bishop Richard delivered a brief address, welcoming all the guests. He was presented with a copy of the Holy Koran by members of the Herefordshire Islamic Community and he gifted them a copy of the Holy Bible as a symbol of interfaith friendship.”