World's Parliament of Religions Opens in Chicago

On 11 September 1893, the World's Parliament of Religions opened in Chicago, in the building now home to the Art Institute, during the World's Columbian Exposition. Today's Parliament of the World's Religions calls it the first formal gathering of representatives of Eastern and Western spiritual traditions; audiences of four thousand or more attended daily sessions. Organiser John Henry Barrows spoke of 'a return to the primitive unity of the world'. A modern Parliament body was incorporated in 1988 and has convened since 1993. Image: the 1893 Parliament, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.