Truth and light, core components of spirituality surpassing religiosity, say interreligious leaders

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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13 October 2017

Speakers at the AMC session on 'Witness to the truth and the light; religious perspective' prior to their individual presentations

"Truth and light are the two key components of spirituality surpassing all forms of religiosity, which most of the people are not aware of. Thus, all need to strive to attain such spirituality that liberates human beings. This can enable all to lead a life of peace, unity, love and happiness which are propounded by different religions," stated Swami Navanama Janana Thapaswi, Director of Santhigiri Ashram, Kerala, India.

Speaking about the Truth and Light from the viewpoint of Hindu religion at the second day of the Asia Mission Conference (AMC) in a hearing session on "Witness to the Truth and Light: Religious Perspectives"on October 13, based on spirituality of truth and light, human society could be a better place to live in for one and all, Thapaswi stressed.

Speaking on "Buddhist Perspective on Truth in life" Venerable A Shin Pannajota, lecturer at  Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, Yangon said every one wishes to possess peace and happiness so also there is no being without facing problems such as family, political, social and economical, racial and religious problems. To end these problems, it is hard to solve. However, nowadays most people are trying to sell sold these problems with the help of religions. To liberate from all problems and sufferings, spiritual leaders in the world teach their doctrines to their followers.

Today the world witnesses the unfair competitions based on racial and religious sensitivity. For that matter, people belonging to different faiths of religion are attacking, fighting, and quarrelling each other without considering real reason. So there is need to understand the sufferings and problems as fact clearly and completely and face and eliminate them, he added.

Whatever religion one accepts should try to learn to be understood rightly intrinsic meaning of one's religion, practice and follow it accordingly, said the Buddhist monk.

People who lack in observing the noble teachings of their respective religions cannot experience peace and happiness in human society and its surroundings. Today human world is mentally poor because of people who are in the absence of knowledge about the essence of their respective religions and fail to observe noble teachings of their religions. So all spiritual leaders must strive to lead people in the right direction to be mentally rich, said Pannajota.

"Human life is short. So everyone must not waste time in disputes, fightings, conflicts, disappointments, discontents, worries and worries, rather in order to live a meaningful life, one must establish a peaceful and happy life knowing and analyzing the Truth expounded by one's respective religion," Pannajota said.

Addressing from the view point of Islam on "Witness to the Truth and Light", Professor Musdah Mulia, Council of Indonesian Ulema, said different religions have common enemy in society that is injustice. Religions could be strong basis for the promotion for any nation in maintaining peace and establishing a solid civilization.

Muslims,  Christians and others need to work together to continue the efforts of cultural reconstruction through education beginning from family and later in formal educational institutes stressing on the efforts to promote peace, respect, tolerance and inclusiveness. This will enable to reduce prejudice behavior in society and embrace multiculturalism, so education is a means to a harmonious intercultural society, she said.

People of different religions needs to collaborate reforms laws and public policies which are not conducive to the establishment of peace and justice as well as upholding human rights and democratic principles, Mulia added.

All efforts should be made to have healthy interpretations of religious texts which will lead to end all forms of prejudice, hatred and violence, she added.