SALT LAKE CITY — The XIV Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso and Karen Armstrong will visit Salt Lake City in October 2015 to be keynote speakers at The Parliament of World’s Religions.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a returning keynote speaker at the Parliament of World’s Religions, having spoken at the 2009 Parliament in Melbourne, Australia.
“The Dalai Lama is the head of the state and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. This Nobel Prize-winning peace activist (is) known for his commitment to love, compassion, and non-violence. He has moved the world with his spiritual teachings on ‘the universal religion of kindness,'” according to a press release.
Salt Lake City will host 80 nationalities and 50 religious faiths and spiritual traditions from around the world during this five-day event. Utah is familiar with hosting people from other countries, as nations gathered in the state for the Olympics in 2002.
“The Parliament is the largest summit of interfaith activists around the globe which provides listening, learning and sharing opportunities,” said Chairman of the Parliament Board of Trustees Imam Malik Mujahid.
According to a previous Universe article, this is the first time in 22 years the Parliament has voted to hold its conference in the United States.
Karen Armstrong will be another keynote speaker at the 2015 Parliament. She is a “religious thinker who has written more than 20 books on faith and the major religions, studying how faiths shaped world history and drive current events,” according to a press release.
The Salt Lake Palace Convention Center will host the Parliament of World’s Religions on Oct. 15–19, 2015 with 10,000 people expected to attend.
“Parliament of the World’s Religions is not about uniting to create one religion, but we strive for something that is more achievable — that is, harmony between people of different faiths,” Mujahid said.
