The stable Working Group of Religions (GTER) and the Interreligious Affairs Council recently celebrated their twentieth anniversary with a ceremony at the Parliament of Catalonia.

The event brought together public representatives, religious communities, academics, and artists, to recognise the important role of interreligious dialogue in fostering social cohesion.

The president of the Catalan Parliament, Josep Rull, led the event and thanked the “immense generosity” of the religious representatives who, over two decades, “have been committed to dialogue, collaboration and pedagogy”.

He stressed that such initiatives help to “stop the spread of prejudice and defend essential values such as human rights, pluralism and democracy”.

“At a time when listening, understanding and mutual recognition are in short supply, the work of the GTER is a beacon of hope”, underlined Rull, adding that “it is an immense pride” that the group chose the Catalan Parliament to celebrate its 20th anniversary.

The president of the GTER, Mohamed Halhoul, recalled that the past two decades had been a “shared path between the main religious institutions of Catalonia”, with the aim of “promoting peace, harmony, and a culture of respect for diversity”.

Halhoul reaffirmed the group's commitment to build “a more open, tolerant and peaceful society”.

Harmony, hope and transcendence

The event focused on three key concepts: harmony, hope and transcendence, which were developed in three brief presentations.

Composer and professor Bernat Vivancos addressed the spiritual dimension of music in the talk The harmony of sounds, the harmony of faith; former Parliament president Núria de Gispert reflected on the transformative power of optimism in Living in hope, growing and living together; and professor emeritus Ramón Maria Nogués presented a scientific perspective in Spiritualities and neuroscience.

Each presentation was accompanied by dance performances featuring students from the National Theatre Institute.

Political and religious authorities

The celebration was attended by the first vice-president of the Catalan Parliament, Raquel Sans; deputies from various parliamentary groups; representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Roman Catholic, evangelical and Orthodox religious communities, as well as social entities committed to interfaith dialogue.

Although it was a regional event, the Federation of Evangelical Religious Entities of Spain (FEREDE) was also present, represented by its executive secretary, Carolina Bueno.