Archbishop Desmond Tutu to Address 2014 Parliament Bid Cities

Chicago, Illinois (May 20, 2010) - Archbishop Desmond Tutu will deliver a special address on Thursday, May 20 at 1 PM CST to the four city bid teams for the 2014 Parliament of the World’s Religions, welcoming them to the bid process and emphasizing the dramatic impact that hosting the Parliament can have on their cities. Reverend Tutu will appear from Cape Town, South Africa, via live-stream video, as that city marks its 10th anniversary of hosting the 1999 Parliament of the World Religions and celebrates the Parliament’s enduring legacy on the city, its institutions and its people.

Archbishop Tutu’s address takes place as part of the Cape Town Interfaith Initiative and the launch of the Charter for Compassion in South Africa. Karen Armstrong – renowned religious scholar and featured speaker at the 2009 Parliament in Melbourne, will also speak via a pre-recorded address from Cape Town.

Rev. Dirk Ficca, Executive Director of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, reflecting on Desmond Tutu’s long-standing support of the Parliament, observed, “Since his extraordinary leadership in the effort to dismantle Apartheid in South Africa, Archbishop Tutu has been an icon of the interreligious movement. With the election of Nelson Mandela in 1994, Desmond Tutu has been in the forefront of the ongoing task to create a more just and equitable society in South Africa. Like Archbishop Tutu, we are immensely proud of the role the 1999 Cape Town Parliament played in this historic process of national reconciliation.”

We invite you to view Archbishop Tutu’s address, which will be available online Friday, May 21 at www.parliamentofreligions.org.

The Council is pleased to announce the four participating bid/audit cities: Brussels, Belgium; Dallas, Texas, USA; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Guadalajara, Mexico.