World's Religious Leaders Gather in Munich

Munich - Starting Sunday, leaders of the world's religions will gather here as part of the "International Meetings for Peace" and will commemorate the 10th anniversary of 9/11 together with the ceremony at Ground Zero.

Political leaders will also join the conference, including German President Christian Wulff, who will give the opening speech, Bavarian Minister President Horst Seehofer and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who will speak on Monday at the Plenary Assembly.

This year's conference is called "Bound to Live Together. Religions and Cultures in Dialogue" and is sponsored by the community of Sant'Egidio and the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising.  The event will end on Tuesday, September 13th.  All events are open to the public and entrance is free. 

Over 400 people from 60 countries are expected to participate in 30 sessions.  More information is available at the information booth in front of St. Michael's near Marienplatz.

At the start of the conference on Sunday morning, the participants will gather at Marstallplatz and link via video conference with the events in New York City.  The U.S. Consul-General Conrad R. Tribble will attend the 9/11 memorial.

This event was organized by Pope John Paul II in the city of Assisi in 1986 and has been held in Washington D.C., Jerusalem, Lyon, Warsaw, and Rome.