The 44th annual Conference and Multifaith Service for Peace sponsored by the Coalition for Peace Action (CFPA) and co-sponsored by 38 religious and civic groups in the region returns on Nov. 12.
Archbishop John Wester, leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe, N.Mex. will preach for the Multifaith Service for Peace at 11 a.m. at Princeton University Chapel.
All are welcome to attend in person or via livestream at youtube.com/officeofreligiouslifeprinceton.
Since his journey to Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 2017, Wester has become an ardent proponent of global nuclear weapons abolition.
In 2022, he issued a Pastoral Letter, “Living in the Light of Christ’s Peace: A Conversation Toward Nuclear Disarmament,;” and earlier this year published an article in Sojourners magazine.
Faith leaders from a wide range of major world religions will co-lead the liturgy. The service is free and open to the public; a free will offering to support CFPA’s ongoing work will be received.
The afternoon hybrid Conference for Peace is from 1:30-4:30 p.m. Pre-registration is encouraged at the event page on peacecoalition.org. Attendees can register to attend in person, or to attend on Zoom. Registration deadline is 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 9. Confirmed speakers, in addition to Wester, are:
Prof. Frank von Hippel is a senior research physicist and professor of public and international affairs emeritus with Princeton’s Program on Science & Global Security which he co-founded. von Hippel previously was awarded a MacArthur Foundation grant, nicknamed the “genius award” and was assistant director of the White House Science Advisor’s Office.
He is also on board of sponsors of the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists.
Elena Perez started her gun violence prevention advocacy in the youth-led March For Our Lives gun violence prevention group as a New Jersey chapter lead, state director, and eventually became the mid-Atlantic regional organizing director before transitioning into her current role as March For Our Lives’ senior policy associate.
Medea Benjamin is the co-founder of the women-led peace group CODEPINK. She has been an advocate for social justice for 50 years. Described as “one of America’s most committed — and most effective — fighters for human rights” by New York Newsday, and “one of the high-profile leaders of the peace movement” by the Los Angeles Times, she is the author of 10 books.
Her most recent, coauthored with Nicolas J.S. Davies, is entitled “War in Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict.”
“With two hot wars underway; mass shootings in the U.S. averaging two per day; and nuclear weapon build-ups planned by the U.S., Russia, and China, this is an incredibly important period to educate the public about peace issues,” said Rev. Robert Moore, CFPA executive director.
“We are thrilled to have such an outstanding group of speakers for our 44th annual Conference and Multifaith Service for Peace. I encourage all interested people to attend the Multifaith Service and/or Conference for Peace to be more empowered to advocate for peace policies more effectively.”
