February 07, 2012: Religious leaders marked World Interfaith Harmony Week for the
first time in Nepal on Sunday with a gathering that called for greater efforts to
forge a lasting peace and for the country to abide by secular principles. “We pray
that all can learn to give and receive forgiveness after all the violence we have
been through,” said Jesuit Father Bill Robins at the start of the gathering at the
national academy hall in Kathmandu. The gathering was jointly organized to mark
the special UN week, by Religions for Peace and the United Peace Federation. Around
300 people attended the event during which a message from the president of the UN
General Assembly, Nassir Abdulaziz Al-Nasser, was read out. “We have become a secular
country and our behavior should reflect this so that we promote unity among various
religions and do not cause conflict,” said chief guest, Kulchandra Gautam, a former
deputy UN secretary general. “We feel shy to say that we are from a country where
Gautama Buddha was born as some of our political leaders are still claiming that they
will bring change in Nepal through the power of guns,” he said, adding that: “Religious
leaders have to play a pro-active role to bring about peace as politicians cannot
bring it about themselves.”