2023 Year-End Report

THE WORLD-TEACHER PROJECT is an educational and diplomatic mission allied with a vast coalition working through the Internet with maximum creativity and flexibility for environmental stewardship and social action aimed at justice and peace. The Project Manager fosters connections and strategic partnerships, facilitates and moderates conversation, and coordinates action toward common goals. The main task of the Manager is to build relationships: network, listen, influence with strong intelligence, and serve with a spirit of generosity and compassion.

The “Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life” (in Alumni Fellowship with the Institute for Digital Civic Culture at the University of Southern California) bridges academia, journalists, and policymakers with interfaith actors and communicators to increase the public understanding of religion and its impacts in many domains:

• Declaration Day 2017 
• 2017 Year-End Report 
• 2018 Year-End Report 
• 2019 Year-End Report
• 2020 Year-End Report
• 2021 Year-End Report
• 2022 Year-End Report

Here’s my “top ten” memories from the Year of the Wood Rabbit:

10. Pescadero Municipal Advisory Council (PMAC)

Dr. Patrick Horn was elected to PMAC, established in 1992 to advocate for all issues of concern to the residents of Pescadero, Loma Mar, and the South Coast. The council actively encourages and coordinates public input with the objective to promote the welfare of the Pescadero area as an integral part of both San Mateo County and the State of California. This includes supporting an environmentally progressive community with agricultural character. As a rural farm town and underresourced, disadvantaged unincorporated community, Pescadero has a history of emergencies including wildfires and flooding.

From top left, Jellybean the Postal Service Cat was evicted from local facility by USPS district manager; Congressional Rep. Anna Eshoo intervened; County Supervisor Ray Mueller (pictured with legislative aide Kathleen M. and PMAC members Nic Erridge and Rob Skinner) persuaded the Coastal Commission to overrule regulations that prohibited development necessary so local schools have clean drinking water; new climate change policies with State Senator Josh Becker; new Coastside Police Squad Captain with Sheriff’s Deputies; broadband phalanx includes local, county, state, and federal partners; Farmworkers Commission prioritized affordable quality healthcare, education about rights (civil, labor, housing), and affordable housing development; emergency preparedness fair at the Community Church on Stage Road.

Faith in Action Bay Area trained our local farmworkers with essential tools (e.g. public speaking, consensus building, effective outreach strategies, etc.) needed to organize successful advocacy campaigns, and some residents shared their priorities with a group of faith leaders in the Peninsula Solidarity Cohort. A working group of partners united for resilience, response, and recovery have applied for grants to build capacity and social infrastructure for climate change adaptation including neighborhood-level coordination and communications at the household-level. Dr. Horn also serves on the steering committee for the Pescadero Community Plaza.

9. Pacific Coast Band

Certified by Radio Indie Alliance: “Run River Run” (based on poetry by Swami Vivekananda) reached #1 in UK-London, #2 in the United States (AK, CA, CO, CT, FL, IA, IN, KS, LA, MA, ME, MO, NM, NY, OH, PA, SD, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI), #3 in Los Angeles, #3 in Australia, #8 in New York, and #15 globally in Argentina, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden! It is featured with the Pacific Coast Band‘s previous #1 hit single, “The Flying Saucer Song,” and other favorite tunes on a Greatest Hits collection. Singer-Songwriter-Producer Patrick Horn was profiled in the Janesville Gazette: “The Son of White Buffalo Calf Woman” is a musician who united the world’s religions in a time of many troubles. He performed the song at the Parliament of World’s Religions, and it was also featured during a Peace Sundays episode. Donate to the Artist.

8. Peace Sundays

Dr. Patrick Horn is a co-host and co-producer of the sacred activism broadcast series, Peace Sundays. He serves as co-chair of the Environmental Stewardship Committee of the Unity and Diversity World Council and One Global Family Alliance (a cooperation circle of the United Religions Initiative (URI), a non-governmental organization with consultative status at the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC). This year’s livestreamed programs with interfaith leaders and indigenous elders were timed to World Interfaith Harmony Week, World Water Day, and Earth Day/Arbor Day.

7. The Art of Spiritual Direction

Dr. Patrick Horn received training in Catholic companionship from the Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Engagement at Seattle University. “Soul Care” is an ancient practice in which one person serves as guide, conversation partner, and co-discerner with another who intentionally seeks to explore and grow in spiritual life [reconnecting to true identity in relationship with others, focused and attentive to the divine will, on a path toward righteousness, or holiness and sainthood]. The director asks facilitating questions and helps the seeker to articulate their unique faith experiences, grasp their implications, and make choices based on interpretive assumptions. Both partners seek to discover the origin, meaning, and purpose of religious experience and “leadings” (or promptings), not limited to the early stages of practices and spontaneous experiences of God, but throughout a lifetime of growth in ethical character and virtue, love, and compassion. Dr. Horn also completed a Pierre Teilhard de Chardin masterclass which was developed by Stanford University, UC-Berkeley, Fordham University, St Mary’s College, and others. He participated in a professional development workshop with the Jesuit Conference and continues to practice his improvisational skills in the California Arts Council sponsored Capital Storytelling Community Story Lab.

6. Religion Communicators Council

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, advertising and development. Members represent a variety of communications disciplines, including: editors, writers and designers, photographers, videographers, broadcast, social media, web developers, marketers, fundraisers, project managers, and students.

Dr. Patrick Horn, a past RCC Governor and Membership Committee Chair, currently serves as an Awards Judge, and he participated in a professional development workshop on Faith and A.I. featuring PRophet.AI (headquartered at 1 World Trade Center, NY). “A bot trained on all human knowledge wants a job on your support team.” He also served this year as a consultant to the Forecasting Research Institute (UPenn) and as a grant reviewer for the California Arts Council.

5. Parliament of World’s Religions

The Parliament of World’s Religions, the oldest and largest interfaith organization, convened in Chicago to celebrate the 130th-anniversary since the inaugural event seven generations ago in 1893. Almost 7,000 people from 200 traditions and 80 countries gathered at McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America for programs including a plenary featuring the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative (see below, senior program advisor Dr. Charles McNeill). Global media network reach was 2.5-billion people.

Dr. Patrick Horn co-produced two well-attended and well-received panels focused on prophecy and water. The coordinated movement continued through the Interfaith G20 and the Faith Pavilion at COP28, which included a plenary address by Ojibwe Great-Grandmother Mary Lyons (see below).

Meanwhile, Dr. Horn is participating in training workshops hosted by the Oracle Institute and personal mentoring with U.N. Messenger of Peace nominee Rev. Patrick McCollum (see below). He is the builder of the World Peace Violin, which broke during the Parliament and was later repaired. Both Patricks are actively involved behind-the-scenes in sensitive high-level multi-lateral negotiations for conflict resolution and a more peaceful, just, and sustainable world.

4. American Academy of Religion

Dr. Patrick Horn wrote a new article about Vedantic Cosmopolitanism for Reading Religion, an open-access book review website published by AAR, the world’s largest association of academics who research or teach topics related to religion. An anthology of all his contributions to the platform is now available.

3. Interfaith University

Dr. Patrick Horn produced an online study program for PRACTICAL VEDANTA that explores the global history, core concepts, key texts, essential practices, and influential personalities of this spiritual philosophy.

1) History: Vedanta in the East
2) History: Vedanta in the West
3) Principles: Core Philosophical Concepts
4) Processes and Practices: Duty and Action
5) Processes and Practices: Devotion
6) Processes and Practices: Meditation
7) Processes and Practices: Knowledge
8) Personalities: Sri Ramakrishna
9) Personalities: Swami Vivekananda
10) Personalities: Aldous Huxley

2. United Lodge of Theosophists

Dr. Patrick Horn was invited to be a special guest lecturer, and he compared Theosophy with Vedanta, discussed the attitudes of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda toward Theosophy, and traced the history of the movement from the first Parliament of World’s Religions through the development of an esoteric colony in California, which was intended as the site for the further evolution of mankind and emergence of the Future Buddha as the Christ of the Aquarian Age.

1. Vedanta Society

Dr. Patrick Horn is an initiated member of the Vedanta Society, which he first encountered in Hollywood on Christmas Eve twenty years ago. He enthusiastically sang along with the Christmas carols, so the Choir Director invited him to join the group. His diksha guru was Swami Swahananda, and during his training, which included extended residencies at various centers, he received the ideal of Philosopher-Farmer, or राजर्षि. His spiritual formation and interfaith action was realized especially through the sympathy and support of Swami Atmatattwananda, aka Shiva Maharaj. Dr. Horn cheerfully celebrated the special anniversary with three holiday music programs in Southern California.

Christmas Eve is also the founding of the Ramakrishna Order in 1886, and Swami Vivekananda (who traveled to Chicago in 1893 with a copy of the Imitation of Christ) celebrated the holiday ten years later at the Vatican in 1896. In the 1980s, a monk of the Ramakrishna Order had an audience with His Holiness the Pope at the Vatican. John Paul II said with a smile: “I know everything about you.” What he knew about the Ramakrishna Order he did not, however, disclose.

2022 Year-End Report

THE WORLD-TEACHER PROJECT is an educational and diplomatic mission allied with a vast coalition working through the Internet with maximum creativity and flexibility for environmental stewardship and social action aimed at justice and peace. The Project Manager fosters connections and strategic partnerships, facilitates and moderates conversation, and coordinates action toward common goals. The main task of the Manager is to build relationships: network, listen, influence with strong intelligence, and serve with a spirit of generosity and compassion.

The “Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life” (in Fellowship with the Institute for Digital Civic Culture at the University of Southern California) bridges academia, journalists, and policymakers with interfaith actors and communicators to increase the public understanding of religion and its impacts in many domains:

• Declaration Day 2017 
• 2017 Year-End Report 
• 2018 Year-End Report 
• 2019 Year-End Report
• 2020 Year-End Report
• 2021 Year-End Report

Here’s my “top ten” memories from the Year of the Water Tiger:

10. #WhenPropheciesComeTrue

“The Son of White Buffalo Calf Woman” is a musician who united the world’s religions during a time of many troubles. Patrick Horn and the Pacific Coast Band is a fifteen-minute documentary developed with support from Capital Storytellers and the California Arts Council featuring an artist interview, archival material, and excerpts of original music and cover songs: Add Some Music, Old Time Rock-n-Roll, Waiting For Love, Full Moon Fever, One More Song, Meant To Be, In Dreams, Takin’ Care of Business, The Flying Saucer Song (certified #1 indie radio hit), Comeback, Blowin’ in the Wind, Good Vibrations.

9. Live! in Los Angeles

Patrick Horn performed “Rock Around The Clock” during Hambone’s New Year’s Eve webcast. The Pacific Coast Band returned to Kulak’s Woodshed (the world-famous N. Hollywood 49-seat music listening room and recording studio “for beginners to Grammy Winners” with HD livestreaming and audio ProTools operated by volunteers and sponsored by donations) to perform a showcase including “Music Has The Heart” and five original songs composed by Patrick Horn. Live! in Los Angeles was distributed to all streaming and download platforms on 1/11.

8. #TheWorldTeacherIsHere – Academic Director, Global Interfaith University

Patrick Horn, D.Div was appointed to the Governing Council of Global Interfaith University, an accredited non-profit distance learning organization with a compelling vision of high-quality liberal arts education for human potential. He serves as the Academic Director. The Founder/President Dr. Emmanuel Ande Ivorgba wrote: “You are a great interfaith leader, an excellent scholar, a reputable and compassionate development practitioner and renowned Peacebuilder. Your appointment on the Governing Council of Global Interfaith University is clearly a confirmation of the amazing personal qualities that you possess, and which you have demonstrated over the years. We all look forward to working very closely and learning together, from your wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and many years of practice.”

7. World Interfaith Harmony Week: Past, Present, and Future

Patrick Horn is a co-host and co-producer of the sacred activism broadcast series, Peace Sundays. He serves as co-chair of the Environmental Stewardship Committee of the Unity and Diversity World Council and One Global Family Foundation (a cooperation circle of the United Religions Initiative).

Interfaith action this year included: a delegation of religious leaders negotiated a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine to allow safe passage for civilians; I met with Ukraine President Zelenskyy in a diplomatic call aimed at a peace treaty; an interreligious congress met in Kazakhstan in support of religious freedom; and the Pope and other leaders gathered at the Colosseum in Rome to appeal for an end to the nuclear threat. Pope Francis also asked forgiveness from indigenous peoples for abuses and snuck out of the Vatican to visit a record store.

6. Seeds of Peace: Trillion Trees Challenge (16,000 views)

In accord with the Parliament of World’s Religions’ Declaration of a Global Ethic, I feel a personal responsibility for world peace and the preservation of Earth, and I am committed to a transformation of consciousness and the sustainability and care for the Earth. The PoWR’s mission statement directs us to align the interfaith movement and foster its engagement with the world’s guiding institutions for a more just, peaceful, and sustainable world. With reference to the recommendations of the PoWR Climate Action Task Force (CATF), I strongly advise the following four areas of emphasis – forests, farms, funding, and forum:

• In this time of many troubles, when the climate catastrophe appears to be irreversible and humans may be on the brink of extinction, the campaign for forests has been our biggest success. We must expand the impact of PoWR support for the Trillion Trees Challenge, Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, and Amazon Prophecy Project. I serve as a Vice-President of the Native Project of Amazonian Reforestation & Sustainability (NATPRO), which seeks to restore 1,723 degraded hectares in Peru over a 5-year timeline with agroforestry techniques in the rural area of the Tamaya river basin in the Ucayali Region populated by 130 people who will enjoy economic and social benefits as indigenous guardians of the land.

• Faith-based organizations (FBOs) must leverage their assets to set an example of moral leadership. For instance, 8% of habitable surface land is owned by FBOs, who also control 5% of all commercial forests. In places where churches are rapidly closing, that land can be transformed into farms, owned by women and indigenous people, to provide good jobs and local, sustainable, and nutritious food and natural medicines.

• The CATF laments the lack of funding for climate change mitigation which does not have a profit-motive. Response to the emergency has been too little, too late. We must mobilize the influence of faith communities on political leaders and the private sector for urgent governmental and corporate responsibility toward the Earth, plants, animals, and people. The United Religions Initiative announced a grant-writing and fundraising portal with tools and resources for climate action and resilience.

• The Climate Commitments Project is a great engagement concept requiring further development and clear, concise, and compelling communications that inform and inspire. The world needs a vibrant community forum where people can learn about case studies from around the globe, find credible projects and collaborators that can accelerate ideas to impact, measure success in various areas (especially tree-planting), and celebrate our service inspired by diverse traditions. The Parliament of World’s Religions will convene for the 130th-anniversary in Chicago next year.

5. Peace Sunday 40^th Anniversary Commemoration

On 3/17, the Pacific Coast Band recorded 10 songs from the original setlist of the Peace Sunday concert for nuclear disarmament. A performance of “Imagine” was featured during the 40th-anniversary webcast commemoration and in a ten-minute documentary about the history of Peace Sunday and Peace Sundays co-host/co-producer Patrick Horn. The album was distributed to all streaming and download platforms on 6/6, and the first 500 listeners included staff at the United Nations, Global Security Institute, National Peace Academy, World Council of Churches, and the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers. Also, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney joined cellist Michael Fitzpatrick in a special livestream from Times Square on the International Day of Peace.

4. World Peace and Prayer Day

The 11th white buffalo born (not an albino, but changes color from white to yellow to red to brown in the first year) is a sign of encouragement amidst plagues, famine, war, and death. Do not be afraid! In related news, five red heifers were delivered to Israel for a ritual sacrifice next year for the advent of the Messiah.

3. Return of the King

Sun Records celebrated their 70th-anniversary with a music video challenge, which led to my performing a full concert webcast. Also, Pat Boone’s office sponsored Elvis’ high school friend and 1950s rock-n-roll teen idol Jimmy Angel in a performance and storytelling session at Kulak’s Woodshed.

2. Sacred Trees

The World Wildlife Fund and the United Religions Initiative hosted a two-hour session about tree planting for interfaith groups and individuals. The webcast included case studies of successful tree-planting projects around the world and offered a new guidebook specifically for faith communities!

The Episcopal Church and United Nations hosted a High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Goal 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

At COP27 in Egypt, the British Prime Minister rushed off-stage after whispered messages during the United Nations Forests Partnerships forum, and U.S. President Joe Biden’s speech was interrupted by a howling coyote. Meanwhile, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus and Buddhists from Israel, Egypt, the US, India, Spain, and the UK proclaimed the “Ten Principles for Climate Repentance”:
– We are stewards of this world
– Creation manifests divinity
– Everything in life is interconnected
– Do no harm
– Look after tomorrow
– Rise above ego for our world
– Change our inner climate
– Repent and return
– Every action matters
– Use mind, open heart

1. “On Christmas Day“

Brian Wilson is a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter and producer, and co-founder of the Beach Boys. His harmonies have always brought me comfort and joy. He invited a lead vocal on an original holiday song, and it was a thrill to sing this great tune for my musical hero and all of you. We wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2021 – Year In Review

The “Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life” bridges academia, journalists, and policymakers with interfaith actors and communicators to increase the public understanding of religion and its impacts in many domains:

• Declaration Day 2017 
• 2017 Year-End Report 
• 2018 Year-End Report 
• 2019 Year-End Report
• 2020 Year-End Report

Here’s my “top ten” memories from the Year of the Metal Ox:

10. Pacific Coast Band: Retrospect (2005-2020)
9. “The Flying Saucer Song” is a certified international #1 hit radio single
8. Patrick Horn presents the Pacific Coast Band: Live! in Los Angeles (11/11/21)

“The Son of White Buffalo Calf Woman” is a musician who united the world’s religions. On 4/20, critically-acclaimed, award-winning singer-songwriter Patrick Horn announced a career-spanning anthology of favorite demos, rehearsal recordings, and live performances, Retrospect, which was reviewed by veteran entertainment reporter Carl Kozlowski (Radio Titans, Pasadena Weekly, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, GQ). During the artist interview, Horn revealed a biopic in-development and new music in-production. A promotional cover song for a Spotify partnership resulted in the exponential growth of social media followers, mostly female youth in South Africa and southeast Asia.

“The Flying Saucer Song” reached #1 in the United Kingdom and Spain, #3 in Los Angeles, #4 in Australia, #5 in the United States (AL, CA, CO, CT, FL, IA, MA, ME, MO, NM, NY, OH, PA, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, WY), #8 in Japan, and #13 worldwide in more than 20 countries (Austria, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland, So. Africa, Sweden)!

On 11/11, Patrick returned to Kulak’s Woodshed (the world-famous N. Hollywood 49-seat music listening room “for beginners to Grammy Winners” with HD livestreaming and audio ProTools operated by volunteers and sponsored by donations) to record a new showcase with an ensemble. The EP Live! In Los Angeles is now available exclusively at www.pacificcoastband.com and will be distributed to all platforms 1/11/22.

---

7. #TheWorldTeacherIsHere – Fellow, USC CRCC Institute for Digital Civic Culture (IDCC)
(Self-Mastery, Community-Building, Productive Disagreement)

THE WORLD-TEACHER PROJECT is an educational and diplomatic mission allied with a vast coalition working through the Internet with maximum creativity and flexibility for environmental stewardship and social action aimed at justice and peace. The Project Manager fosters connections and strategic partnerships, facilitates and moderates conversation, and coordinates action toward common goals. The main task of the Manager is to build relationships: network, listen, influence with strong intelligence, and serve with a spirit of generosity and compassion.

PROJECT MANAGER: Patrick Horn studied Interfaith Leadership at Dominican University, received diplomatic certification from KAICIID, and obtained security clearance and consultative status  at the United Nations Economic and Social Council through the United Religions Initiative  (a non-governmental organization). He was recruited in graduate school by the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence to investigate the intersection of religious doctrine, economies, and global security, with an emphasis on narrative for social mobilisation, conflict resolution, and peace-building. He also earned credentials at the Emergency Management Institute as a competent leader and effective communicator in disaster. He was a real estate broker, language arts teacher, and musician before a car crash in Los Angeles. Patrick is a public scholar [“World-Teacher”] at the American Academy of Religion, and in 2021, he joined the advisory board of One Global Family Alliances and the Unity and Diversity World Council Committee for Environmental Stewardship. He is also a trained member of the Climate Reality Leadership Corps.

Patrick is an initiated member of the Vedanta Society, and he was indoctrinated and ordained as a rajarshi, Philosopher-King (or, Guardian of Truth and the Republic).

---

6. Religion Communicators Council: End-of-Term

The purpose of the Religion Communicators Council according to the members’ adopted bylaws is to provide an environment for the exchange of ideas and the discussion of mutual concerns among professionals, to encourage others to become professionals and recognize achievements and encourage excellence, and to build among members an understanding and appreciation of diverse faith groups and to support the understanding and acceptance of religious faith and faith communities.

The mission of the Religion Communications Council Inc according to the articles of incorporation is to advance the total life of the Church in the US and beyond by encouraging young people to select religious publicity and promotion as a Life Work and Christian vocation, developing fellowship and prestige for professionals working for the Church and its related agencies, and to present a united front speaking with one voice on vital issues involving religious publicity and promotion.

My two-year term of service on the Board of Governors ended in April. I am grateful to the RCC Board of Governors for the professional development offered beginning with a scholarship when I was enrolled in graduate school and continuing through nomination and election first as Communications Committee Chair and then as Membership Committee Chair. I am proud of our success in developing a communications strategy for RCC and building the capacity of the Network to convene conversations and foster communications with cooperating organizations and strategic partners. It was inspiring to judge the work of RCC members and associates for awards, and my favorite accomplishment with RCC support was organizing a pilot program exploring the potential for a new virtual chapter through a “Pacific Coast Interfaith Communicators” newsletter and a webinar for World Interfaith Harmony Week in collaboration with the Parliament of World’s Religions and the United Religions Initiative.

---

5. World Interfaith Harmony Week: Seeds of Peace

My #WIHW2021 campaign theme “Faith Action for Sustainable Development and the One Trillion Trees Initiative” was endorsed by strategic partners including RCC, URI, SCCPWR, and Religions for Peace. The webinar panel featured Ms. Audrey Kitagawa (President, International Academy for Multicultural Cooperation), Dr. Azza Karam (Secretary General, Religions for Peace International), and Rev. Susan Hayward (U.S. Institute of Peace) in dialogue with Dr. Richard Rose (University of Laverne Director of the Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies) and Eric Kowalcyzk (Strategia Consulting) with a song debut “We Can Do This Now” by Quincy Coleman, who also shared a music video for Earth Day. The UN Environment Programme (strategic partners with the United Religions Initiative) published policy on the role of faith leaders and faith-based organizations in the United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).

---

4. Peace Sundays and World Unity Week

“MAKE EVERY SUNDAY PEACE SUNDAYS” is One Global Family’s CALL TO ACTION in collaboration with the Unity and Diversity World Council and the United Religions Initiative.  Patrick Horn is a co-producer and co-host for webcast episodes focusing on environmental stewardship. Peace Sundays was also featured during a World Unity Week plenary event on Sacred Activism.

---

3. Critical Conversation: Faith Engagement with the F.B.I.

“We need a bigger blanket for a Brother.” The F.B.I. covertly collected 33 dossiers of transnational organized crime, domestic terrorism, healthcare fraud, bribery, etc. The F.B.I. also gave a classified briefing to Congress about UFOs.

• Extraterrestrials disabled weapons systems; there will be no nuclear war between China and the United States for disclosing the lab origins of the chimeric virus.

---

2. Countering Aggressive Propaganda: #Faiths4Vaccines etc.

The White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships was reestablished on February 14^th and weaponized institutional religion as a “force multiplier” to “combat vaccine hesitancy.”

• Revelation 18:23 – all nations deceived by the merchants and pharmakeia (“sorcerers”), followed by a spiritual victory, the emergence of a Teacher, and a thousand-years golden age of peace and prosperity.

• LDS Alma 46:40 – “And there were some who died with fevers, which at some seasons of the year were very frequent in the land–but not so much so with fevers, because of the excellent qualities of the many plants and roots which God had prepared to remove the cause of disease, to which men were subject by nature of the climate.”

LDS DOCTRINES AND COVENANTS
• 89:4 Behold, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evil and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation
• 89:10-11 And again, I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man–Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving
• 56:17-20 Yes, the herbs, and the good things which come of the earth…are made for the benefit and use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart; yea, for food and clothing…to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul. And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with discernment, not to excess, neither by extortion.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in a December 2020 note, stated that “vaccination is not, as a rule, a moral obligation,” and “therefore, it must be voluntary.” Affirmed by Catholic bishops on March 17, 2021. “There may be other reasons a person may conclude that they cannot in conscience receive [the alleged vaccine]. The Church clearly teaches that one must always follow one’s conscience that has been sincerely reasoned and formed.”

CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH:
• Part Three: Section One: Chapter One:
“The Dignity of the Human Person”
Article 6: Moral Conscience
• Part Two: Section Two: Chapter Two:
“The Celebration of the Christian Mystery – The Sacraments of Healing”
Article 5: The Anointing of the Sick

SACRAM UNCTIONE INFIRMORUM
“On the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick”

On April 2^nd, I wrote a Letter of Concern to the Religion Communicators Council Board of Governors about the #Faiths4Vaccines coalition campaign, citing the legal and ethical problem of promoting a medical experiment, especially erroneous communications that: (1) creates animosity and divisiveness that denigrate those who do not consent, (2) disseminates false and misleading information [especially stigmatizing dissent as antisemitic conspiracy theory], (3) corrupts the integrity of channels of communication and processes of government [Positive Peace requires the free flow of information and respecting the rights of others], (4) denies due respect to the ideal of free inquiry and the opinion of others, and (5) lacks good taste in the use of language and extravagant claims. The RCC Executive Committee clarified their responsibility in the concern and promptly responded by immediately removing the RCC endorsement from the Faiths4Vaccines website, as noted in my April 6^th End-of-Term Open Letter. Contentious exchanges continued in the URI-North America forum, where threads were censored and discussion of the topic was prohibited. A #Faiths4Vaccines youth panel teaching strategies and tactics to “combat vaccine hesitancy” featured URI-North American Regional Coordinator Tahil Sharma, and I was cancelled from the meeting for attempting to share information and dialogue across difference in the chat window. Meanwhile, public representatives and opinion-makers offered coercive incentives like free beer, donuts, cannabis, and money given away by game show; and resistors were under duress from intimidating threats of mandates and restrictions despite available proven alternatives that are safe and effective including dietary therapy, medicinal plants, and traditional healing herbs. I wrote an Open Letter of Complaint on June 6^th (with a cease-and-desist order effective immediately) and called Respondents to a “Truth and Reconciliation” Commission, followed by a Finding of Fact based on a preponderance of evidence.

• #PharmaKom – “Facebook for Faith Community” also stifled exchange of information and dialogue among members, and banned a ranconteur. The D.C. Attorney General subpoenaed Facebook in an investigation into consumer protection laws violated by “vaccine hesitancy” policies.

WHISTLEBLOWER: A secret social merit index includes a “vaccine hesitancy” score for “enemies of society” that categorizes resistance as either “alarmist criticism” or “indirect discouragement.” Factually correct information is censored, including the lab origins of the chimeric virus.

• U.S. Gov’t coordinated with Big Tech to deprive citizens of their rights. Google tried to algorithmically bury evidence of controversial lab work on coronaviruses. A network of “fact checkers” fell in line with the censorship. Global State of Democracy reports “disproportionate, unnecessary, and illegal” steps by aggressive regimes (including U.S.) that were “indefinite or unconnected to the nature of the emergency.” A majority (52%) of young Americans [18-29] believe that our democracy is either in trouble or failing.

• D.R.A.S.T.I.C. – Decentralized Radically Autonomous Search Team Investigating COVID-19 released a dossier (https://bit.ly/3zMXB0u) showing the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency – DARPA project plan for the construction of chimeric viruses and evidence of an unpublished collection of 180 strains of biohazardous materials in the possession of EcoHealth Alliance, whose President Peter Daszak coordinated a cover-up of the lab origins. Dr. Francis Collins (National Institutes of Health (NIH)) deceived the American people, and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) director Dr. Fausty lied to Congress under oath about illegal and unethical gain-of-function experiments. The work was partially-funded through the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Science Foundation (NSF), USAID – US Agency for International Development (U.S. Department of State), Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and U.S. Department of the Interior. The Atlantic (a partner in the COVID Tracking Project with Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and Emerson Collective) stigmatized the disclosure of the project plan in aggressive propaganda.

Four U.S. gov’t agencies report low confidence in the natural origin of the chimeric virus, and one agency has moderate confidence in the lab leak hypothesis. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University expert to UK Parliament: More likely than not that COVID is a man-made, genetically engineered virus leaked from the Wuhan lab. “We have heard from many top virologists that a genetically engineered origin is reasonable… We know this virus has a unique feature, called the furin cleavage site, and without this feature there is no way this would be causing this pandemic.”

Q: Why is the origin of the chimeric virus important?

UNESCO biotech expert Prof. Giuseppe Tritto is the Executive Director for World Academy of Biomedical Sciences and Technologies, a non-governmental organization that analyzes the effect of genetic engineering on humanity: “Mistaken assumptions about SARS-CoV-2’s aetiology creates ineffective or actively harmful vaccines.”

• PEER-REVIEW of experimental drug efficacy claims: statistically-zero probability of preventing infection and transmission: 1.3% for the AstraZeneca–Oxford, 1.2% for the Moderna–NIH, 1.2% for the J&J, and 0.84% for the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccines. (https://bit.ly/3uzA2FN)

ICYMI: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) scientist explains how the gene-modification injections are not traditional vaccines and raises multiple safety concerns including: risks of long-term induced pathologies including blood disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases; risk of increased exposure to more severe disease (ADE); the danger of transmission of the toxic spike protein from the vaccinated to the unvaccinated causing injurious symptoms [documented by Pfizer]; and a plausible scenario for permanent alteration of human DNA. The authors recommend dietary therapy, including sunlight to raise vitamin D levels and organic foods that are good sources of vitamin A, C, and K12.

The Mayo Clinic determined that the efficacy of the Pfizer vaccine was 42% — in other words, it does not prevent infection more than half of the time (impacting the risk-benefit calculus) and does not meet the regulatory standard for FDA-approval, which was rubber-stamped based on incomplete data and regardless of reports of deaths or deathly effects and despite ongoing clinical trials through 2023-2025 with further studies required related to dosage, heart inflammation, pregnancies, and pediatrics.

Per The BMJ (British Medical Journal): since late last year, we’ve heard that Pfizer and Moderna’s vaccines are “95% effective” with even greater efficacy against severe disease. In early July, Israel’s Ministry of Health reported that efficacy against infection and symptomatic disease “fell to 64%.” By late July it had fallen to 39% where Delta is the dominant strain [a similar study by the Mayo Clinic showed that efficacy had fallen to 42%]. This is very low. For context, the FDA’s expectation is of at least 50%” efficacy for any approvable vaccine. Waning efficacy has the potential to be far more than a minor inconvenience; it can dramatically change the risk-benefit calculus. And whatever its cause—intrinsic properties of the vaccine, the circulation of new variants, some combination of the two, or something else—the bottom line is that vaccines need to be effective. The FDA granted a marketing license with no reported data past 13 March 2021 based on 7% of trial participants and limited reporting of safety data. The FDA did not convene its advisory committee to discuss data ahead of approving the Pfizer vaccine. A group of approximately 30 clinicians, scientists, and patient advocates determined simply that there are too many open questions to support approval of any alleged vaccine this year.

Researchers warned of a non-theoretical risk of COVID‐19 vaccines worsening clinical disease (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7645850/) requiring a specific, separate, informed consent form and demonstration of patient comprehension in order to meet medical ethics standards. A new study finds infection-enhancing antibodies have a higher affinity for Delta variants and should be further investigated as this may represent a potential increased risk of severe infection among the allegedly vaccinated (https://www.journalofinfection.com/article/S0163-4453(21)00392-3/fulltext). Japanese scientists determined that the chimeric virus would soon acquire complete resistance to vaccines; the “Omicron variant” is vaccine-evasive, and boosters don’t help (https://bit.ly/3IYPBPP); statistical modeling shows high transmissibility and severity of infection (https://bit.ly/3GWkJhe).

Vaccinated show consistent pathophysiological alterations which aggravate diabetes, electrolyte imbalances, renal dysfunction, and coagulation disorders [source: Nature]; vaccinated are 3.5x more likely to develop blot clots [source: American Heart Association]; vaccinated are showing overall-cause mortality at a 24% higher rate than the general population [source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration].

Viscount Ridley, Science and Technology Committee (House of Lords): “We also need to know to deter bad actors who are watching this episode and thinking that unleashing a pandemic is something they could get away with.”

New Zealand High Court ruled that the Pfizer “vaccine” rollout is illegal: https://www.courtsofnz.govt.nz/assets/cases/2021/2021-NZHC-1107.pdf

#FollowTheScience – Stigmatizing the unvaccinated is not justified.
Unlike toxic synthetic molecular injections (alleged “vaccines” falsely advertised), medicinal plants are a treasure trove of antiviral bioactive compounds that are generally regarded as safe and require no further testing (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8013762/), including essential oils such as eucalyptus, lavender, thyme, and lemongrass (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7279430/). Compelling scientific research shows that the “Common dandelion [Taraxacum officinale] efficiently blocks the interaction between ACE2 cell surface receptor and SARS-CoV-2 spike protein” (https://bit.ly/3ycfaXK); cinnamon is another traditional guard against illness that impacts COVID-19 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8452493/). The Thai government approved andrographis as an herbal remedy for COVID-19 infection (https://bit.ly/3mglQ3p), and rigorous clinical studies at The University of Chicago show FDA-approved cannibidiol is 98.8% effective against infection and transmission of the chimeric virus (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7987002/).

“Creator made medicines out of the earth, and the wise will not hate them.”
The Wisdom of Jesus, Ecclesiasticus 38:4

#AltVax – California Health Freedom Act (SB577) allows alternative and/or complementary healing arts. In California, the current law on informed consent is derived largely from the case of Cobbs vs. Grant (1972) 8 Cal.3d 229 in which it was ruled that a physician is required to disclose “all information relevant to a meaningful decisional process.” See also: HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE – HSC; DIVISION 104. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH [106500 – 119406];
PART 5. SHERMAN FOOD, DRUG, AND COSMETIC LAWS [109875 – 111915]; CHAPTER 6. Drugs and Devices
[111225 – 111656.13]; ARTICLE 4. Experimental Use of Drugs [111515 – 111545]. According to CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE 51(b): All persons within the jurisdiction of this state are free and equal, and no matter what their sex, race, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, citizenship, primary language, or immigration status are entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, privileges, or services in all business establishments of every kind whatsoever. Civil action for deprivation of rights is defined by 42 U.S. Code § 1983.

• Senate Bill 412 calls for a ten-member Pandemic Commission with judicial powers to hold hearings, gather evidence, determine facts, and make policy recommendations and other proposals based on “lessons learned” from the U.S. response, including the origins and spread of the virus, and the “collateral damage” from imposing public health measures, the development and approval of alleged vaccines, safety and privacy concerns, economic and national security concerns, and the role of big tech in political interference and censorship of the scientific debate.

---

1. Appointment to Global Interfaith University Governing Council – Dean of Academic Affairs

Patrick Horn has been appointed to the Governing Council of Global Interfaith University, an accredited non-profit distance learning organization with a compelling vision of high-quality liberal arts education for human potential. The Founder/President Emmanuel Ande Ivorgba writes: “You are a great interfaith leader, an excellent scholar, a reputable and compassionate development practitioner and renowned Peacebuilder. Your appointment on the Governing Council of Global Interfaith University is clearly a confirmation of the amazing personal qualities that you possess, and which you have demonstrated over the years. We all look forward to working very closely and learning together, from your wealth of wisdom, knowledge, and many years of practice.” Patrick will serve as Dean of Academic Affairs.

2020 – Year In Review

The “Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life” bridges academia, journalists, and policymakers with interfaith actors and communicators to increase the public understanding of religion and its impacts in many domains:

• Declaration Day 2017 
• 2017 Year-End Report 
• 2018 Year-End Report 
• 2019 Year-End Report 

Here’s my “top ten” memories from the Year of the Metal Rat:

10. #TheWorldTeacherIsHere – Accepted Fellow and Alumnus
(Self-Mastery, Community-Building, Productive Disagreement)

THE WORLD-TEACHER PROJECT is an educational and diplomatic mission allied with a vast coalition working through the Internet with maximum creativity and flexibility for environmental stewardship and reforms aimed at justice and peace (“Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life”). The Project Manager fosters connections and strategic partnerships, facilitates and moderates conversation, and coordinates action toward common goals. The main task of the Manager is to build relationships: network, listen, influence with strong intelligence, and serve with a spirit of generosity and compassion.

PROJECT MANAGER: Patrick Horn is an alumni fellow of the USC CCRC  Institute for Digital Civic Culture  and elected by nomination to the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) Board of Governors. He received diplomatic certification  from KAICIID, and security clearance and consultative status  at the United Nations Economic and Social Council through the United Religions Initiative  (a non-governmental organization). He was recruited in graduate school by the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence to investigate the intersection of religious doctrine, economies, and global security, with an emphasis on narrative for social mobilisation, conflict resolution, and peace-building. He was a real estate broker, language arts teacher, and musician before a car crash in Los Angeles. Patrick is a public scholar [“World-Teacher”] at the American Academy of Religion and in 2020, he was a guest lecturer at Bradley University. 

9. Religion Communicators Council – Board of Governors
Membership Committee Chairman

The purpose of the Religion Communicators Council according to the members’ adopted bylaws is to provide an environment for the exchange of ideas and the discussion of mutual concerns among professionals, to encourage others to become professionals and recognize achievements and encourage excellence, and to build among members an understanding and appreciation of diverse faith groups and to support the understanding and acceptance of religious faith and faith communities.

The mission of the Religion Communications Council Inc according to the articles of incorporation is to advance the total life of the Church in the US and beyond by encouraging young people to select religious publicity and promotion as a Life Work and Christian vocation, developing fellowship and prestige for professionals working for the Church and its related agencies, and to present a united front speaking with one voice on vital issues involving religious publicity and promotion.

The Religion Communicators Congress was scheduled for St. Patrick’s Day 2020 in Washington D.C. but convened virtually due to pandemic travel restrictions. The Board of Governors prioritized organizing the Pacific Coast Interfaith Communicators as a new chapter.

8. World Interfaith Harmony Week

Pictured: Allamu Muhammad Ahsan Siddiqui, Interfaith Commission for Peace and Harmony with Father James Channan, Peace Center; United Religions Initiative Peace Dove at St. Patrick’s Church in Pakistan; Afghanis celebrate treaty with United States (see also, the Abraham Accords)

The New Alliance of Virtue is a global coalition that emerged through the Marrakesh Declaration (USIP analysis), the Washington Declaration, the Potomac Declaration and Plan of Action, the Declaration of the 10th World Assembly of Religions for Peace International, and the Vatican document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together. [See also, Laudato Si and Tutti Fratelli] 

In 2020, the interfaith movement featured a series of events including:

• Faith For Earth 
• Faith Action on Sustainable Development Goals 
• Interfaith G20 Recommendations  • The G20 Interfaith Forum – North America Regional Consultation was co-hosted by Georgetown University’s Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs; and the World Faiths Development Dialogue; and co-organized by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the National Committee for Interfaith and Intercultural Dialogue in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
• We, The World: Climate Action for Peace
• URI North America and the Interfaith Center at Miami University: Eco-Spirituality
• Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development: Climate Realities, Climate Change – Envisioning Our Future

7. Himalaya Supervisory Organization

Pictured: The Open Conspiracy Club – Aldous Huxley’s Tiny Taj Mahal; High-Tech FaithConnect Prayer Breakfast with Captain Whiteside Jr., the U.S. Department of Defense Chief Security Officer for Information Warfare Systems; the MITRE ATT@CK Matrix, the Q-group map. I also joined the Association of Indian Research Scholars for a discussion on “Psychological Warfare: Theory and Practical Implications.”

In 2020, critical infrastructure in the U.S. was successfully hacked in a “Doomsday” cyberattack, including commercial supply chains, government systems, voting software, and classified military networks – the NSA toolset was stolen, and nuclear arsenal compromised. A former Israeli space security chief admits to secret contact with extraterrestrials, but humanity is not yet ready to join the Galactic Federation.

6. Fire Drill Friday in Los Angeles

The Fire Drill Fridays movement organized by Greenpeace and led by Jane Fonda uses celebrity platforms to empower environmental activists to lobby for progressive climate change legislation.

5. Global Pandemic

There has been no independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus. 22% of Americans believe it is a genetically-engineered bioweapon, 28% don’t know, and 50% disagree (presumably, accepting the zoonotic transfer hypothesis). During a Commonwealth Club meeting with Dr. Fauci, I asked why there is enormous pressure to coverup the origins of the virus in dual-purpose gain-of-function experiments. Some say the “surprise germ warfare attack” is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s long-term strategy to corrupt and conquer the United States.

4. Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi

My conversation with the Speaker and the San Francisco Interfaith Council is off-the-record. During a Commonwealth Club meeting, I advised that the U.S. has no strategic national grain reserve. Noteworthy legislation this year includes designating the Chinese Communist Party as a Transnational Criminal Organization and a policy statement on the reincarnation or successor of the Dalai Lama. The Senate investigated Biden family financial crimes and verified conflicts-of-interest with national security. Media and tech companies suppressed a controversial dossier which is not disinformation.

I also advocated for passing a clean One Trillion Trees Act, which is stalled in negotiations with support of 33 Republicans and 3 Democrats.

3. World Economic Forum: One Trillion Trees Initiative

• FAQ
• One Trillion Trees Interagency Council
• HR 5859 – 116th Congress: Trillion Trees Act
• United Nations Environment Program – “What would it really take to plant a trillion trees?”
• WEF Uplink (Salesforce/Deloitte): Trillion Trees Challenge – Sustainable Development Summit 2020
• Terramatch (World Resources Institute): “Growing a Trillion Trees the Right Way“
• UNEP: Interfaith Rainforest Initiative – Faith for Forests Declaration
• Artists United for Amazonia

I participated in the 2020 Global Town Hall. [See: The Great Reset, Bloomberg New Economy Forum, the Davos Agenda, and the Economy of Francesco]

2. California Climate Change Catastrophe

I’ve been isolated from the pandemic and widespread social chaos in a forest hermitage at Marie’s Farm in Pescadero, CA. One night in August, I was awakened by a lightning storm that set fire to the ridge a mile away. Most of the community evacuated as the blaze spread to over 85,000 acres. I was a communications volunteer for the Coastside Emergency Operations. The thick smoke turned the skies dark as night for three days, and an orange hue for weeks. Firefighters contained the fire within a month, and the drought and environmental stress continued in a dry winter.

1. Summer Solstice Solar Eclipse: White Bison — “Faith”

This is a time of many troubles, but this can also be a good time. The birth of a white buffalo is a sign of encouragement, and also a warning. The first white buffalo in nineteen generations was born in fulfillment of Lakota prophecy in my hometown in 1994. The sacred buffalo are not albinos, but change color from white to yellow to red to brown. A tenth white buffalo born this year at the summer solstice solar eclipse is definitely an omen! Humanity must unite globally as one spiritual family, and be good to each other. There is a teaching that the four colors represent the four elements of creation, the four seasons, the four stages of life, the four ages of mankind, the four races of humanity and their four special gifts to each other. In 1995, an elder foretold disaster, famine, and disease, but he also said that peace, love, and harmony will return on the twenty-first day of the twenty-first year of the twenty-first century – January 21, 2021. Do not be afraid.

2019 – Year In Review

The momentum from 2017 and 2018 continues in my interfaith ministry and the “Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life” bridging academia, journalists, and policymakers to increase the public understanding of religion and its impacts in many domains. Here’s my “top ten” memories from the Year of the Earth Pig:

10. American Academy of Religion

Reading Religion is an open-access book review website published by the American Academy of Religion [AAR], the world’s largest association of academics who research or teach topics related to religion. Launched in 2016, the site provides up-to-date coverage of publishing in religious studies, reviewed by scholars with special interest and/or expertise in the relevant subfields. Reviews are concise, comprehensive, and timely.

This year I read four books regarding literature and religion: an archetypal interpretation of the Gospel of John, an explication of the enigmatic mode, an inquiry into the grammar of messianism, and the legacy of Aldous Huxley. Due to editorial staff transitions, the latter two articles will be forthcoming in the new year. I phoned in an appearance (including fire alarms) at #AARSBL2019 which generated over 8,000 impressions.

For professional development, I completed the KAICIID certificate program on “Interreligious Dialogue to Strengthen Peace, Reconciliation, and Social Cohesion.” I was also accepted as a fellow (Spring 2020) of the Institute for Digital Civic Culture at the University of Southern California.

Gerald Heard wrote “On the Evidence for an Esoteric Mystery Tradition in the West” and founded the Open Conspiracy Club. He also turned Stanford engineers onto LSD, and they had visions of scaling electrical circuits to silicon chips. Thus, personal computers and our Internet fun pic.twitter.com/ry4oiW3f1Z

— Patrick Horn (@1worldteacher) November 22, 2019

9. “High Church? Marijuana, Mushrooms, and Drug-related Religious Activism”

God-beat journalists gathered for their annual conference in Sin City. I proposed the #RNA2019 breakout panel moderated by Kelsey Dallas, editor of ReligionLink. The Religion News Service (editor-in-chief Bob Smietana) also published my opinion as the last word in their year-end predictions for the 2020s.

8. Religion Communicators Council: Board of Governors, Chairman of the Communications Committee

The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, advertising and development. Members represent a variety of communications disciplines, including: editors, writers and designers, photographers, videographers, broadcast, social media, web developers, marketers, fundraisers, project managers, and students.

At the end of a two-year professional development scholarship, I was elected to the Board of Governors during the Spring convention with the Associated Church Press in Chicago (#TheWorldTeacherIsHere with producers from CBS). We will join over 100 partner organizations for the Religion Communicators Congress on St. Patrick’s Day 2020 in Washington D.C. (the Papal coronation tiara is stored in the U.S. National Cathedral). The theme will be “Faith in Public Life.” Speakers include Dr. Azza Karam (Secretary General of Religions for Peace International), Rev. Susan Hayward (Senior Advisor for Religion and Inclusive Societies at the U.S. Institute of Peace), and Dr. Mohamed Elsanousi (Executive Director of the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers).

7. World Interfaith Harmony Week at United Nations HQ in NY

In a three-tier diplomatic system, Track II intermediaries are informal agents and private citizens from non-governmental organizations, religious institutions, academia, think tanks, and humanitarian groups. I joined youth leaders for meetings at United Nations HQ in New York  regarding the role of faith-based organizations in financing sustainable development, the role of religious actors in the prevention of atrocity crimes, and efforts for nuclear disarmament. We also enjoyed a concert hosted by Unity Earth at Unity Palace, an official event of the NGO Committee for Spirituality, Values, and Global Concerns. I wrote a full report for the United Religions Initiative, an international grassroots interfaith network with consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

6. United Religions Initiative

Michael Pappas of the San Francisco Interfaith Council moderated a conversation with  United Religions Initiative  founders Bishop William E. Swing (Ret.) and Rita Semel, and Executive Director Victor Kazanjian at the Commonwealth Club. They discussed the origins of URI, how interfaith bridgebuilding works, and the future prospects for the harmony of religions. 

The United Religions Initiative announced a strategic partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace during the Positive Peace conference. URI Executive Director Victor Kazanjian and Elias Szczytnicki from Religions for Peace discussed how faith-based networks are uniquely poised to mediate across conflict through strong interreligious constituencies in collaboration with other sectors in a shared agenda aimed at peace and prosperity.

URI is also partnered with the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy. Executive Director James Patton wrote about interfaith action in global peacebuilding for the Bush Center. URI is networked with 150 organizations and a worldwide audience of more than 20,000,000 people.

5. #AcceleratePeace

This summer, URI gathered peacebuilders from around the world at Stanford University to discuss challenges to peace, both in their local communities and as global citizens, and to manifest action-oriented solutions for the common good. The diplomatic work of URI was enthusiastically endorsed by former Secretary of Defense General Jim Mattis.

#TheWorldTeacherIsHere #aarsbl19 #aarsbl2019@uriglobal announced strategic partnerships with @GlobPeaceIndex and @ICRD_NGO. We convened this summer for “Accelerate Peace: Interfaith Action in Global Peacebuilding” @Stanford — xSecDef Gen Jim Mattis offered to be my houseboy 😂 pic.twitter.com/Z0rQ6MmNCH

— Patrick Horn (@1worldteacher) November 24, 2019

4. Compassionate California The Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (a United Religions Initiative cooperation circle) recently organized an interfaith panel for a California State Assembly hearing on Compassionate California (ACR 108). Similar resolutions are underway in other states. Read all about it in my article written for URI.

3. Faith For Forests We are facing abrupt, irreversible climate change and near-term human extinction. But we are not yet defeated. Even if we see all the signs of the end of the world, we will still plant a tree. This can be a good time! Our goal is to plant a trillion trees, and a unique coalition is moving forward together, including the Catholic Church (which hosted a controversial Amazonian Synod), the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, and #TeamTrees (crowdfunding launched by the top YouTube stars).

2. Faith-and-Works Movement @Google / #TheWorldTeacherIsHere @Facebook “May the Fourth” #NDA – I was recruited in graduate school by the Intelligence Community Center of Academic Excellence to study the intersection of religious doctrine, economies, and global security, with an emphasis on narrative as a tool for social mobilisation and peacebuilding. I am an unpaid consultant to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (inventors of the internet), and I am indoctrinated in the Sentry Eagle program (core NSA secrets). My activities are monitored by computer. Google AI engineers had a moral dilemma and invited me to lunch and a prayer circle. The Google Area 120 broom closet (7th-floor SF HQ) is a hidden speakeasy and corner office arranged for a game of bluff.

FYI: Google Compute Engine Incident 19003, Facebook Global Security Red Team Manager – #BattlefieldIllusion #VoiceOfGodWeapon : #100YSS Principal Dr. Mae Jemison [pictured at #GCAS2018 Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco] – “We’re not talking about avatar—No, we might, we might, we might.” 100 Year Starship Honorary Chairman is “Big Dog Billy Jeff” Clinton – “There is one other connection I have that I think is largely unknown…”

 

1. Pacific Coast Prophecy

#TheWorldTeacherIsHere #aarsbl19 #aarsbl2019
🔴 Leveraging Authenticity @InterfaithWorld 🔴
“The Son of White Buffalo Calf Woman” is a musician who didn’t know his destiny to unite the world’s religions until he met “Father Craft” after a car crash along Route 66 in Los Angeles pic.twitter.com/wirsVBDNis

— Patrick Horn (@1worldteacher) November 23, 2019

After the 1893 Parliament of World’s Religions, the Bank of England gave an enigmatic group of mystics the equivalent of $5-billion to develop 25-million acres along the Pacific Coast as a stage set for the advent of the Future Buddha (“Fameseeker” in the Lotus Sutra).

#TheWorldTeacherIsHere #aarsbl19 The Point Loma Prophecy (The Secret of the K.O.C.) — The Torchbearer of Truth” is expected between 1975 and 2025: the Kalki avatar of the Brahmins is the last Messiah at the end of a great cycle. pic.twitter.com/Giz7Q9yMok

— Patrick Horn (@1worldteacher) November 23, 2019

A CITY UPON THE HILL – The Krotona Plan included “temples, schools, and cities” and a Hollywood Hills estate intended as a home for the Christ of the Aquarian Age. In 2019, a whistleblower revealed that the Latter-Day Saints saved $125-billion for the Return of the Christ. You know how the Mormons are about Leap Day!

Doctor-Proficient: I joined the Vedanta Society in 2003, and I sang in the choir, attended lectures and classes, and served the senior monks. I became a voting member in 2008, discovered my interfaith mission in the midst of a heroic ordeal in 2009, and received mantra initiation from Swami Swahananda in 2010. He invited me to join the Order to write and lecture, and I received monastic training in San Francisco in 2015 – 2016.

“Almost all of the secret societies of the past have been dedicated to clean-up jobs.” – MPH33* (Los Angeles Scottish Rite Temple 1990)

Pictured below: Vatican II investigation, NASA coin toss, ecclesiastical determination in secret council, Pope Benedict quits, lightning strikes the Vatican twice, Pope Francis gives away St Peter’s relics, Christian church leaders unite, peace at St Patrick’s Cathedral. Promotion is good and necessary. Give information, and tell the story.

The Philosopher-King is a Neo-Brahmin and bodhisattva unrestricted by cloistered austerities, the incarnate good will and conscience of mankind, and the answer to the powers that hypnotize and destroy. Gerald Heard warned that humankind could avert extinction only by a new vision. Aldous Huxley imagined small-scale producer cooperatives enabling a rebirth of democracy and a more ethical relationship with Nature.

Meanwhile, back at the Ranch… Marie’s Farm is managed by Simm’s Organics for Pescadero Grown. My local civic engagement includes town planning and emergency management.

18-month Countdown: Mass Extinction Warning

These words are meant only for those who are ready for them. I offer no hope or solutions for the survival of our species, only companionship and empathy. There are no known technologies that can be deployed at world scale to reverse the atmospheric warming, and many climate scientists feel that the window for action is already closed, that we have passed the tipping point and the heat is on a runaway trajectory no matter what we do. Some of the consequences we face are mass die-offs due to widespread drought, flooding, fires, forest mortality, epidemic diseases and ocean acidification — all of which we now see in preview. If we make it through this onslaught of threats, we will still be facing starvation. 

There has never been a greater news story than that of humans facing full extinction, and yet it  is as though the world’s astronomers were telling us that an asteroid is heading our way and will make a direct hit destined to wipe out all of life to which the public responds by remaining fascinated with sporting events, social media, the latest political scandals and celebrity gossip. We love to be distracted, and we have numerous ways of doing that in our time. We pay big money for the privilege, and we run around chasing objects and experiences. We seem to be evolutionarily designed to put aside or entirely ignore future threats and instead focus only on immediate concerns and personal desires. This is understandable since for most of human history there was nothing we could do about future possibilities or events occurring far from where we lived. With some notable exceptions, evolution didn’t select for long-term survival planning. Being concerned about climate change does not come naturally to us. Unless climate chaos is a threat to us today, we don’t think about it. For millennia we  relied on our highly developed sense apparatus as physical creatures to gauge changes and threats in our environment — changes of temperature, weight, pressure, sound or smell. If changes occur at a slow enough pace, they can fly under the radar of our notice.

As you begin to awaken to the specter of extinction, you will likely feel the powerful lure of your usual distractions. You may want to go back to sleep. But denial will become harder and harder to maintain because once your attention has turned to this subject, you will see the evidence of it everywhere, both locally and globally. You will find yourself among the throngs of humanity who are easily distracted and amused, playing with their toys as the house burns, “tranquilized by the trivial,” as Kierkegaard said, and speaking of the future as though it was going to go on as it has. After all, we made it this far. We have proven our superiority at figuring things out and removing obstacles to our desires. We killed off most of the large wild mammals and most of the indigenous peoples to take their lands. We bent nature to our will, paved over her forests and grasslands, rerouted and dammed her rivers, dug up her “ancient sunlight,” and burned that dead creature goo into the atmosphere so that our vehicles could motor us around on land, sea, and air and our weapons could keep our enemies in check. And now we have given Mother Earth a high fever.

You may find yourself in the company of people who seem to have no awareness of the consequences we face or who don’t want to know or who might have a momentary inkling but cannot bear to face it. You may find that people become angry if you steer the conversation in the direction of planetary crisis. You may sense that you are becoming a social pariah due to what you see, even when you don’t mention it, and you may feel lonely in the company of most people you know. It is helpful to realize that most people are not ready for this conversation. They may never be ready, just as some people die after a long illness, still in denial that death was at their doorstep. Some can handle the truth of our situation but most will run from it as though their sanity depended on not seeing it. 

As your awareness metabolizes the deadly threats ahead and the unlikeliness of solutions that will change the course, you might find a strange reordering of your thoughts and motivations.  You may marvel at how many personal conversations with people you know or news items from around the world assume that human life carries on indefinitely. You may find it difficult to hold interest in these conversations and stories. But the habit of future thinking is a hard one to shake. Letting go of the future means reordering your tendencies of thinking about the future. How psychologically invested you have been in your ideas and hopes about the future will likely determine how well you adapt to ignoring those kinds of thoughts as they arise. You may also find a stronger habit in present awareness begin to prevail.

You may feel fury at times in seeing the desecration of the natural world and in realizing its destruction is due to human activity on the planet. We plunged forward with each new way of doing things, each new invention, because it made life easier at the time. There was no intention to destroy ourselves. On the contrary, for most of the time since the Industrial Revolution, it seemed that life was getting better for greater numbers of people. With medical advances, we wiped out most of the contagious deadly diseases, controlled infections and greatly extended life expectancy. We built transportation capabilities that allowed us to travel to the far ends of the earth in a day and thereby learn of other cultures while on their own turf. And then we hooked up with each other in a world of instantaneous communication, which has been a whole lot of fun. But we didn’t factor in the cost of all this bounty as we built modern civilization. We didn’t understand that running the world on fossil fuels that were needed for our machinery — our cars, planes, cargo ships, tankers, electric grids and just about everything — would someday plunge us into a catastrophe. 

I am aware that few people are either ready to hear this information now or will be prepared to face what is ahead in time. It is pointless to try to warn them if they are not ready. My attempts at hinting usually lead to blank stares or agitation. I have come to accept that for some people, their fate is to continue the romp of life, oblivious to the dangers ahead. Maybe it is best that they enjoy whatever good times are left, even though there might be extreme panic in the last phase. Maybe it is just as well that they continue as they have been for as long as possible. Maybe it will postpone chaos and lawlessness until the systems fully crash. But for those of us who cannot look away, we carry the anticipatory grief for those who cannot bear to look.

To stay steady, you may be forced into a witnessing presence, vast enough to contain your grief. You may acclimate to living with grief without the assumption that it should or will dissipate. Despite this or because of it, you may notice a growing tendency to appreciate simple moments of connection and many small joys. We live in a time when managing our attention will be all the more necessary to stay calm and to allow us to enjoy and be helpful in whatever time is left. Developing the habit of redirecting your awareness when your mind is lost in fear or troubling stories induces strength along the way. Despite our having caused so much destruction, it is important to also consider the wide spectrum of possibilities that make up a human life. Yes, on one end of that spectrum is greed, cruelty and ignorance; on the other end is generosity, compassion and wisdom. That is most needed now. 

Edited from the long-form essay “Facing Extinction” by Catherine Ingram.

2018 – Year in Review

2018 was another year of victories for my interfaith ministry and the further development of the “Network for Religion, Media, and Civic Life” bridging academia, journalists, and policymakers to increase the public understanding of religion and its impacts in many domains. Here’s my “top ten” memories from the Year of the Earth Dog:

10. Reimagining Religion 2018

  
(L): Liz Kineke (Producer, CBS Religion & Culture), Tom Gallagher (CEO, Religion News Service), and Ken Chitwood (Treasurer, Religion News Association [RNA]); (R) Debrah Friedland-VanZyl (Co-Chair, SCCPWR So Cal Committee for a Parliament of the World’s Religions), Danny Hall (Director of Public Affairs, SGI-USA), and Megan Anderson, (Webmaster, The Interfaith Observer)

Over 300 people attended the conference [I received free registration from the RNA] at University of Southern California’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture. I curated a Twitter Moment and videos of the panels are posted online. My schedule included: “Engaging Ideas: Religion and Ethics in Entertainment Media,” “Getting Better Coverage,” “New Storytelling Skills and Outreach Strategies,” and “The Future of Religion in Mainstream Media.”

Below: California Interfaith Association (CIA): Interfaith Awareness Week –
Toward an Ecological Civilization – Sharing Our Stories

9. National Council of Churches Dialogue

Gwynne Guibord (pictured above center, with the Guibord Center staff) and the Associate General Secretary of the National Council of Churches Tony Kireopoulos (pictured in green) developed and launched a Christian dialogue with Hindus and Buddhists. The National Council of Churches is an ecumenical partnership of 38 Christian groups representing more than 100,000 local congregations and 40 million adherents.

In related news, a conference during World Interfaith Harmony Week (Feb 1-7) called “An Alliance of Virtues for the Common Good” concluded with the Washington Declaration, a commitment by Abrahamic traditions for cooperative action and protection of religious minorities. More info available here and here. Recently, the global Islamic community vowed to protect the rights of religious minorities in Muslim majority countries; the U.S. State Department also held a summit to advance religious freedom (see the Potomac Declaration and Plan of Action).

8. American Academy of Religion Public Scholar
    
  
Reading Religion is an open access book review website published by the American Academy of Religion [AAR], the world’s largest association of academics who research or teach topics related to religion. Launched in 2016, the site provides up-to-date coverage of scholarly publishing in religious studies, reviewed by scholars with special interest and/or expertise in the relevant subfields. I contributed seven reviews this year, plus a review published by American Vedantist.

I also enrolled in a variety of professional development programs:

In the HarvardX program, we explored a series of contemporary conflicts in different regions of the world with a special focus on identifying and analyzing the diverse and complex roles that religions play in both promoting and mitigating violence in each context. We learned a method for recognizing and analyzing how religious ideologies are embedded in all arenas of human agency and not isolated from political, economic, and cultural life as is often assumed. In addition to examining the conflicts themselves, we also explored the religious dimensions of the impacts those conflicts have on civic life in areas such as public health, education, and commerce.

The program in Interfaith Leadership at Dominican University offered a comprehensive and academically rigorous examination of the history of interfaith cooperation in the United States as well as its importance in today’s society.

I also participated in training webinars with the Religion Freedom Center, Harvard Pluralism Project, and the Emergency Management Institute.
   

7. Religion Communicators Council convention in Atlanta
 
(LEFT) Larry Greenfield, Executive Director of the Parliament of the World’s Religions; Bud Heckman, President of the Religion Communicators Council and [former] Executive Director of Religions for Peace USA; and Paul Chaffee, publisher of The Interfaith Observer. (RIGHT) L to R: Ryan Koch, ‎Director of Public and International Affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Shirley Whipple Struchen, Executive Director of Religion Communicators Council, Megan Anderson, Associate Editor of The Interfaith Observer; Joyce Litoff, Communications for Bahai National Center.
 
The Religion Communicators Council (RCC), founded in 1929, is an association of communications professionals who work for and with a diverse group of faith-based organizations in the areas of communications, public relations, advertising and development. Members represent a variety of communications disciplines, including: editors, writers and designers, photographers, videographers, broadcast, social media, web developers, marketers, fundraisers, project managers, and students.
 
The RCC “Realizing the Dream” Agenda includes: From Theory to Practice in Interfaith Studies, Visualizing Your 15 Minutes of Fame, Reputation Management in Our Modern Age, Enhancing Your Story with Digital Media, Integrated Communication for Advocacy. Dr. Deanna Ferree Womack of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University gave a presentation entitled “Interreligious Communication: How Does It Look, How Should It Look – Models from the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries.”

I am a volunteer on the Social Media Committee and edited two-dozen press releases from various writers whom I organized to cover the event. See also my curated Twitter moment for highlights.

6. Vedanta Center of Atlanta

A short visit to the Vedanta Center of Atlanta evolved into an extended residency. During this time, I contributed two essays to American Vedantist:

For Personal Liberation and the Welfare of the World (#72, Winter 2017-18)
The Hidden History of Vedanta in the West (#73, Spring 2018)

 
I also gave several Sunday lectures by invitation and led a four-week class on the Narada Bhakti Sutra:

My Approach to Vedanta (April 8, 2018)
The First Step to Freedom (June 17, 2018)
The Harmony of Religions (September 9, 2018)
Discipleship (October 7, 2018)

5. Atlanta Interfaith Engagement

Above: (1) Atlanta Interfaith Leaders Forum “Taste of Faith” at Unity Atlanta Church. (2) Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta President Haley Hart and American Vedantist Coordinating Editor Br. Shankara at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (3) Faith in Public Life “Justice Day” at Georgia State Capitol. (4) “Cultivating Eco-Consciousness Within Communities of Faith” (promoted in the Jerusalem Post) with David Miron-Wapner, Board Chair of the Interfaith Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia Theological Seminary. I also attended the interspiritual dialogue circles organized by Steven Gold on the second Sunday at Shamballa Center and the fourth Sunday at the Vedanta Center of Atlanta.

Below: The United Religions Initiative (URI) North American Regional Coordinator Sari Heidenreich (left) visited Atlanta, and I arranged with Br. Shankara to host a lunch at the Vedanta Center including members of  Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta, Interfaith Community Initiatives, and Compassionate Atlanta. Sari invited me to join the Logistics Working Group for the upcoming URI Regional Assembly (pictured at right). Our committee includes a representative from the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council (bottom right of screenshot) [see also: the Google HQ Prayer Circle].

4. United Religions Initiative – North American Regional Assembly

Pictured (L to R): Delegates to the North American Regional Assembly in Baltimore, the Planning Team, the Logistics Working Group, and members of the Religion Communicators Council (RCC). Greeting URI delegates at airport; URI Regional Assembly in session & breakroom; Executive Director Victor Kazanjian in San Francisco.

URI is a United Nations non-governmental organization and worldwide grassroots interfaith network of more than 900 cooperation circles in over 100 countries engaged in conflict resolution and reconciliation, environmental sustainability, education, women’s and youth programs, and advocacy for human rights.

3. Reimagining Interfaith in D.C.

Multiple organizations with different constituents:
Collegiality → Coordination → Cooperation → Collaboration → Consistency → Collective Impact toward Common Goals

Building an interfaith movement that doesn’t flatten differences; advocates of moral values and the voice of praise and critique in a fragmented and dysfunctional society. Read a synopsis here.

L to R: Dialogue Group #27; #TheWorldTeacherIsHere with United Religions Initiative Executive Director Victor Kazanjian, CBS Religion & Culture Producer Liz Kineke, and Reimagining Interfaith Communications Fellow Tahil Sharma; the United Religions Initiative booth; religious leaders and representatives of multiple faith groups promote peace, love, and harmony in speeches, songs, and chants then marched in solidarity at the White House. [See also: rainbow over the Freemasonry HQ]

2. U.S. Institute of Peace diplomacy workshop
  
Pictured: Tarek Maassarani, program director for Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, and Susan Hayward, senior advisor at United States Institute of Peace.

The U.S. Institute of Peace sponsored my attendance in a 3-day workshop focused on religion and conflict analysis, and the peacebuilding roles of religious actors in mediation and reconciliation. Our working group analyzed a variety of situations and made suggestions for new partnerships of mutual benefit.

1. Parliament of World’s Religions in Toronto

The Parliament of World’s Religions, the oldest and largest interfaith organization, convened to celebrate the 125th-anniversary since the inaugural event seven generations ago in 1893. I co-hosted a live-streaming morning show for the United Religions Initiative, promoted my original song on the URI artist compilation, and wrote a review of the proceedings for the RCC. 

Pictured (Top L to R): #TheWorldTeacherIsHere with Father Alexei Smith, Vatican Interfaith Liaison; Rev. Larry Greenfield, Executive Director of the Parliament of World’s Religions; Bishop William Swing, United Religions Initiative Founder; Tom Gallagher, CEO of Religion News Service; Mohammed Abu-Nimer, KAICIID Senior Advisor; Rabbi David Rosen; theologian John Cobb; Rev. Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith, the steering committee for the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, member of the Parliament of World’s Religions Climate Action Task Force,  appeared in workshops at Grace Cathedral in association with the Global Climate Action Summit [see: Climate Land Challenge]; Chief Arvol Looking Horse, 19th-Generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe; and Pato Banton, producer of the URI compilation “All in This Together.”

The birth of a rare white buffalo in fulfillment of Lakota Sioux prophecy was announced during the Parliament. The sacred animal is an sign of encouragement in a time of many troubles and a promise of human extinction averted through divine intervention.

This can be a good time. Share! Play! Smile! Laugh!

Oslo Tropical Forest Forum 2018

On June 28, 2018, Gunnar Stålsett, Honorary President of Religions for Peace, gave a briefing to the Oslo Tropical Forest Forum on the Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, the emerging multi-faith alliance of Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, and Taoist religious leaders and faith communities united to protect the world’s tropical forests. He outlined a vision and objectives: dialogue and consensus-building for solidarity among spiritual leaders, politicians, academics, business and industry captains, scientists, and indigenous communities; raise awareness and facilitate education with information and tools; and, mobilize coalitions and commitments among governments and companies to be honest, respect laws, and fulfill policy goals. He described the project as different faiths in common action aligning religion to reality and inspiring reality to take religion seriously.

Erik Solheim, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, the lead implementing agency and publisher of Foresight, discussed building popular opinion through every sector of society; networking with grassroots efforts and citizen movements; and, persuading Amazonians of a more prosperous and better life through economic development.

Fletcher Harper, Executive Director of GreenFaith and member of project’s steering committee, suggested success can be measured in advocacy efforts (especially action among shareholders and investors), moral and operational agreements, and public statements/declarations/op-eds. He also stated a need for religions and others to acknowledge the long and complicated history of oppression and exploitation so as to rebuild trust and honest partnerships.

Josien Aloema-Tokoe of COICA urged preserving the language and cultural traditions of indigenous peoples as well as training and empowering youth.

Mauricio Lopez Oropeza of REPAM Red Eclesial Panamazónica championed the values of reciprocity, collaboration, and local sovereignty; made an appeal to correct inequality, human rights violations, and censorship; and embraced an ethical approach founded in love, honor, and courage.

Din Syamsuddin, Chairman of the Center for Dialogue and Cooperation Among Civilizations, identified key challenges in forest burning, illegal logging, and river pollution and also highlighted a new widespread attitude of respect for living nature.

Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, made a special appearance to condemn assassinations of forest guardians and criminalizing opposition to abuse and destruction.

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences – Ethics in Action project sent video greetings from the Vatican.

Vatican Hosts Meetings to Save Our Planet

The Vatican recently hosted multiple conferences on environmental stewardship and related issues such as poverty, indigenous rights, migrants and refugees, healthcare, employment, and empowering youth.

  

On May 15, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue organized a conference on the theme, “Dharma and Logos – Dialogue and Cooperation in a Complex Age.” 200 representatives of traditions originating in India participated in the meeting with Christians and committed to working together for human dignity and environmental stewardship.

On June 8-9, the world’s top oil company chiefs gathered in Rome for “Energy Transition and Care for our Common Home,” a conference on climate change and transitioning away from fossil fuel dependence. Attendees included senior executives from British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell, Norway’s Equinor, Mexico’s Pemex, and ExxonMobil joined by major international financiers, asset managers, and executives in charge of public pension funds.

Pope Francis advocated for a long-term global strategy to provide energy security and precise commitments to meet the problem of climate change, encourage economic stability, public health, the protection of the environment, and integral human development. He said, “This is a challenge of epochal proportions.”

On July 5-6, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development convened an ecological leadership summit to commemorate the third anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si’. The conference “Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth” orients forthcoming events such as the Global Climate Action Summit, the annual meeting of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group (WBG), and the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

In his opening remarks, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin commented on the broken relation between man and God, neighbor, and the Earth. He warned that the situation is precarious and totters on the edge of catastrophe.

Pope Francis also spoke to participants. He expressed concern that an unsustainable contemporary lifestyle will leave future generations only rubble, deserts, and trash. He invited serious involvement from youth and indigenous peoples, especially those from the Amazon region. He said, “It is the young who will have to face the consequences of the current environmental and climate crisis… It grieves us to see the lands of indigenous peoples expropriated and their cultures trampled on by predatory schemes and by new forms of colonialism, fueled by the culture of waste and consumerism… How much we can learn from them!”

On July 8-10, Catholics assembled with experts from the business sector, banks, academia, philanthropic foundations, humanitarian organizations and many others interested in concrete ways to support at-risk youth, migrants and refugees, and climate change adaptation. The Impact Investing conference is a catalyst for collaboration and commitments to address systemic challenges and help the most vulnerable around the world.

Interfaith Rainforest Initiative

On June 21, 2017, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, and Daoist leaders joined indigenous forest guardians in a global coalition to protect rainforests.

The group was convened by Norway’s International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), Rainforest Foundation Norway (RFN), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the Forum on Religion and Ecology at Yale University, GreenFaith, the Parliament of the World’s Religions, Religions for Peace, REIL Network, and the World Council of Churches.

Citing the spiritual, environmental, social and economic benefits provided by the world’s tropical rainforests, the partners of the multi-faith initiative emphasize humanity’s shared ethical and moral responsibility to protect them. They are committed to concrete, collective action to protect, restore, and sustainably manage those forests.

Indigenous Peoples will play a leadership role in the initiative, as their traditional wisdom evolved in intimate interaction with rainforests. A growing body of scientific evidence shows Indigenous Peoples to be the best guardians of the forests, and confirms that granting strong land rights to Indigenous Peoples and forest communities serves as an effective, inexpensive solution to the deforestation crisis, while delivering social, economic, and climate benefits.

Although the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples is recognized in the Paris Agreement as a potent tool against climate change, these traditional forest peoples are under siege from governments, multinational companies, and other encroachers eager to chop down forests for infrastructure, palm oil plantations, soy, and cattle.

Launch Announcement – Participant Statement – Press Materials – Summary Report

UPDATE: The IRI global steering committee reconvened at the UN Headquarters in New York on April 19, 2018 to give a briefing on this initiative and to receive consultation.

Leaders and representative of NGOs and advocacy groups (such as the Water Culture Institute and Rainforest Alliance) were eager to learn how they, as secular organizations, could help. The steering committee members were clear that atheists, humanists, and any person of ethical convictions had a place in dialogue and coalition building.

IRI will launch early programs in five high risk, high priority countries: Brazil, Colombia, Peru, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia. These programs will support the development of faith-based networks with diverse advisory councils which include local indigenous people.