Iceland Review
May 15, 2009

The Dalai Lama has accepted an invitation to
participate in a pan-religious ceremony in
Hallgrímskirkja church on June 1, the second day
of Whitsun, which will be led by the Bishop of
Iceland and other Icelandic religious leaders in unison.

The event won’t be a traditional mass or
religious ceremony. "It will be more like a time
for peace and tranquility with participation of
those religions that are the most prominent in
the Icelandic community,” Irma Sjöfn
Óskarsdóttir, project leader at the Bishop’s Office, explained to Morgunbladid.

"The ceremony is intended to emphasize that we
live together in peace and reconciliation and
stand side-by-side despite different religions,”
Óskarsdóttir said, adding that this is the first
time that such a pan-religious event is held in Iceland.

The ceremony in Hallgrímskirkja hasn’t been fully
prepared yet, but, according to Óskarsdóttir, all
the religious leaders who have been contacted
were very positive about participating.

The Dalai Lama is coming to Reykjavík to hold a
presentation in Laugardalshöll concert and
conference hall on June 2. He will stay in Iceland from May 31 to June 3.