On 17 October 2026, faith representatives gathered at Westminster Cathedral Hall, London, to affirm a shared responsibility for peace. The Jain community was represented by Institute of Jainology Trustees Mehool Sanghrajka, Dilip Shah, Amit Shah, Usha Shah and Kumar Mehta.
For the Institute of Jainology, the gathering offered an opportunity to bring Jain teachings on non-violence, forgiveness and respect for life into a shared conversation about peace. Its theme, “Together in prayer and dialogue for peace”, connected spiritual practice with our responsibilities towards one another.
The event formed part of the UK visit of Cardinal George Jacob Koovakad, Prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue, accompanied by Monsignor Michael Santiago. The visit included dialogue with Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities and wider gatherings with representatives of other faiths and Christian traditions.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales supported the gathering through its Department for Dialogue and Unity. Archbishop Richard Moth, Archbishop of Westminster and President of the Bishops’ Conference, welcomed participants. Archbishop Bernard Longley, Archbishop of Birmingham and Chair of the Department, introduced and concluded the event. Bishop Patrick McKinney, Bishop of Nottingham and Lead Catholic Bishop for Interreligious Dialogue, helped frame the visit’s emphasis on mutual respect, reconciliation and human dignity.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop Emeritus of Westminster, delivered the keynote address on “Religions as builders of Peace in the Spirit of Assisi”. He reflected on Pope Francis’s statement, “Time is greater than space”, offering examples of what it meant to him. Cardinal Koovakad also addressed the gathering.
The reference to Assisi carried particular significance in 2026: the fortieth anniversary of the gathering convened by Pope Saint John Paul II for the first World Day of Prayer for Peace, and the eight-hundredth anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. These anniversaries placed the evening within a continuing effort to build peace across generations.
“Time is greater than space” invites us to value what we set in motion and give it time to develop. Pope Francis’s insight gives priority to beginning lasting change over securing power or immediate results. In peacebuilding, that means creating relationships that can withstand disagreement and grow beyond the occasion that brought people together. The significance of a meeting may become clear through years of friendship and cooperation.
In his reflection, Mehool Sanghrajka spoke of the divinity within every living being, the equality of all souls and the sacredness of every life. Differences in appearance, circumstance or capacity do not diminish a soul’s spiritual worth. This conviction gives the Jain pursuit of peace a scope extending to all living beings and asks us to approach life with humility, reverence and care.
That respect for life finds expression in ahimsa: non-violence in thought, word and action. It shapes how we treat others and how we respond when anger, fear or prejudice threaten to obscure their worth.
Mehool’s reflection also brought a Jain understanding to the keynote’s emphasis on time. To recognise the spiritual potential of every living being is to leave room for transformation, including in those with whom we are in conflict. Yet conflict often fixes people in our minds, defining them by an injury, an allegiance or a past failure. Dialogue allows us to question those judgements and see the possibility of change in ourselves and others. It gives relationships a future beyond the grievances that first shaped them.
Mehool offered a Jain prayer of forgiveness, chosen for its direct connection to the pursuit of peace. Seeking forgiveness asks us to accept responsibility for harm caused, knowingly or unknowingly, and to recognise our own part in damaged relationships.
Forgiveness opens the possibility of reconciliation and a renewal of perspective. Accepting responsibility, seeking reconciliation and renewing our perspective are necessary precursors to lasting peace. The prayer gave these responsibilities a personal focus: trust can begin to grow when acknowledgement of harm is followed by changed conduct.
Prayers from the different faith traditions were followed by shared silence, during which the Pledge for Peace was signed. These moments brought the evening’s reflections into a shared commitment to action.
The 2026 pledge addressed human dignity, freedom of conscience, education for mutual respect and solidarity with people suffering from war, persecution, discrimination and neglect. Its insistence that lasting peace requires justice connected the personal work of reconciliation with the responsibilities of communities and nations.
The pledge’s commitment to care for the environment also resonated with Jain ethics. Aparigraha, or non-possessiveness, encourages restraint in consumption and attachment. Alongside ahimsa, it asks us to consider how our choices affect other beings, the natural world and people whose lives are most exposed to environmental harm.
For IOJ, participation was an opportunity both to share Jain teachings and to learn through engagement with others. The equality of souls, respect for life and the willingness to seek forgiveness have practical consequences for how communities live together.
The relationships strengthened at Westminster can support cooperation in education, community service and environmental care. They also create channels of trust through which people can challenge misunderstanding and stand alongside one another when tensions arise.
The work continues through the contact participants maintain and the commitments they honour. Mehool’s affirmation that every life is sacred offers a lasting point of reference: a reason to lessen harm, accept responsibility and keep open the possibility of reconciliation.
Jain Prayer on Forgiveness
KHAMEMI SAVVE JIVA
We forgive all living beings,
SAVVE JIVA KHAMANTU ME
We seek pardon from all living beings,
MITTI ME SAVVA BHUTESU
We are friendly towards all living beings,
VERAM MAJJHAM NA KENVI
And we seek enmity with none,
MICHHAMI DUKKADDAM!
Moreover, we ask for forgiveness from all!
2026 Pledge for Peace
Gathered here in the Archdiocese of Westminster, we have reflected together on peace, a gift of God and essential for the common good of the whole human family. Although we belong to different religious traditions, we affirm that building peace begins with recognising the dignity of every human person and loving our neighbour in accordance with the Golden Rule: Do to others as you would have them do to you. United in this conviction, we pledge ourselves anew to the shared task of building a more just, peaceful and fraternal world.
Therefore:
We commit ourselves to proclaiming our firm conviction that violence, terrorism and every form of hatred are incompatible with the authentic spirit of religion. We condemn every attempt to invoke the name of God or religion to justify violence or war, and we will do all in our power to address the conditions that give rise to hatred, extremism and conflict.
We commit ourselves to educating present and future generations in mutual respect, understanding and friendship, so as to foster peaceful coexistence among people of every ethnicity, culture and religious tradition.
We commit ourselves to strengthening the culture of encounter and dialogue, promoting attentive listening, honest conversation and mutual trust, recognising these as the indispensable foundations of authentic peace.
We commit ourselves to defending the equal dignity and fundamental rights of every person, enabling all to live in accordance with their conscience, culture and beliefs, to form and sustain families and communities, so that they can contribute freely to the common good.
We commit ourselves to engaging in dialogue marked by honesty, humility and patience, refusing to allow our differences to become barriers of fear or hostility, and recognising instead that respectful encounter enriches our understanding of one another and strengthens our shared humanity.
We commit ourselves to acknowledging past and present failures, prejudices and injustices, seeking forgiveness where it is needed, extending forgiveness where it is possible, and working together in the pursuit of reconciliation, convinced that there can be no lasting peace without justice.
We commit ourselves to standing alongside the poor, the vulnerable, the displaced and all who suffer from war, persecution, discrimination or neglect. We will seek to amplify the voices of those who are unheard and to work together for societies in which every person can flourish in dignity.
We commit ourselves to hearing and responding to the cry of all who long for peace, justice and hope. Together we will strive to inspire confidence that reconciliation is possible and that peace can prevail over division and fear.
We commit ourselves to encouraging friendship and solidarity among peoples and nations. In an increasingly interconnected world, we recognise that scientific and technological progress must always be guided by wisdom, ethical responsibility and a commitment to the common good, so that it may serve life rather than contribute to destruction.
We commit ourselves to caring for our common home, recognising that environmental degradation, the misuse of natural resources and the effects of climate change fall most heavily upon the poorest and can become causes of conflict. We will work together to promote a culture of stewardship, responsibility and hope for future generations.
We commit ourselves to encouraging political, civic and religious leaders to work tirelessly for peace, to uphold justice and the rule of law, to protect human dignity and fundamental freedoms, and to strengthen cooperation among nations for the good of all.
Together, we will continue to proclaim that peace and justice are inseparable, and that peace founded upon justice, truth, compassion and mutual trust is the surest path towards a future of hope. In a world of increasing interdependence, rapid communication and profound global challenges, we affirm that lasting security, genuine freedom and authentic peace can never be secured by force alone, but must be built through dialogue, solidarity, shared responsibility and the recognition that we are one human family.