Franciscan Friar works for inter-religious understanding
Fr. Jim Gardiner, SA, Director of special projects at the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, recently partnered with Venerable Sagarananda Tien to host 30 Buddhist children at the Franciscan Monastery in Washington, D.C.
The goal of this event was to increase mutual understanding between religions and give young people the opportunity to learn about Christianity and ask any questions they may have.
Catholic News Service covered the visit, saying:
Venerable Tien and Father James Gardiner, a Franciscan Friar of the Atonement, are friends. The two said they had discussed the idea of hosting the children so they could learn about a variety of traditions, movements and cultures.
“Nowadays, there is a lot of conflict and lack of understanding,” said Venerable Tien, who like Father Gardiner, works in interreligious circles, trying to foster understanding, respect, fellowship and unity
Read the whole story here.