United Religions Initiative Founded as Charter Is Signed in Pittsburgh

On 26 June 2000, the founding Charter of the United Religions Initiative was signed at a global ceremony in Pittsburgh, with linked events elsewhere and online. The signing at Carnegie Music Hall was timed for the 55th anniversary of the UN Charter. Founder Bishop William Swing traced the idea to a 1995 interfaith service for the UN's 50th anniversary. The Charter aims 'to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing'. Image: Carnegie Music Hall, Pittsburgh (present day), HoboJones, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.