With Easter 2005 almost two weeks behind us, the United Nations is conducting a love-in in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the death of scientist-priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
The UN shares its Teilhard commemoration with the gothic New York-based Cathedral of St. John the Divine and includes--"a pilgrimage to Teilhard de Chardin's grave site at the Culinary Institute of america at Hyde Park, New York."
Two of the three programs to be held april 8-9 at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine–are free of charge to the public at large.
Teilhard, a Jesuit priest, who died in New York City on april 10 (Easter Sunday), 1955, was a leader among 20th-century clerics who sought to integrate scientific research with a religious vocation.
On april 8, a presentation titled, The Spirit of the Earth: Global Spirituality and a Sustainable Future will take place at the United Nations from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Wangari Maathai, the Kenyan environmentalist well known among other efforts for widespread tree-planting initiatives, will be among the speakers. Steven Rockefeller, chair, Earth Charter Drafting Committee will also be a speaker.
a panel discussion on The Influence of Teilhard's Thought on Scientific Research will be held at the Cathedral 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on april 9.
a Celebration of the Epic of Revolution: affirming the Vision of Teilhard, the final program will also be held at the Cathedral from 2-4 p.m., on april 9. Speakers will include Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking.
The UN affiliated Temple of Understanding is housed in the Cathedral.
Speakers at the Temple have included the likes of former U.S. vice president al Gore.
In one of his sermons, Gore described the Cathedral's blessing of the animals: "I saw children lying in the laps of large dogs and a boy bringing his stuffed animals to be blessed. I saw the not-yet famous elephant and camel march up the aisle; a lawyer who scoops the poop and enjoys being clown-for-a-day; a priest who finds himself covered with wriggling ferrets; a man and woman who meet when their leashes become enmeshed; a volunteer gardener marching to the altar with a owl of compost and worms."
We shouldn't be surprised that Cathedral spokesmen now claim that the "vision of Teilhard de Chardin" will be there to guide the april 8-9 environmental talks.
Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com
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