WOMEN OF FAITH
The ‘Women of Faith’ Initiative
In the nineties, a prayer chain for peace by members of the WFWP throughout Europe began in concern for the pain and suffering inflicted on people as a result of war. This expanded into the ‘Women of Faith’ initiative which began in the summer of 2001, bringing women of different faiths together for the purpose of developing understanding and respect for the various faiths and traditions. With an open heart, empathy and sensitivity, women are uniquely qualified to bridge divides. Through prayer breakfasts, trips to others’ places of worship, testimonies and the sharing of similar passages from different sacred texts, our ‘Women of Faith’ are finding ways to overcome differences, reconcile and work together for peace.
Attending the Papal audience
9 November 2022
Recently Elisabetta Nistri, president of WFWP Italy, was invited to join the Women of Faith in Dialogue – Religion for Peace organization, representing WFWP, and on 9th November they were invited to attend the Papal audience.
A significant delegation of women of various faiths (Catholic, Evangelical, Adventist, Hindu, Buddhist of the Zen tradition and Soga Gakkai, Bahai, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Unificationist) gathered in St. Peter's Square to access the area reserved for them, waiting to be able to give the Supreme Pontiff a plaque as a souvenir of their visit, and the Phoenix painting by the Iranian painter Rasta Safari, representing the battle between darkness and light.
Elisabetta Nistri thanked the Holy Father for His Holiness’s beautiful speech, reiterating the importance of collaboration between all religions, and donated the VOICES OF PEACE magazine and leaflets of the WFWP activities.