On September 17 and 19, an online interfaith prayer meeting was held where religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim communities in the Philippines joined to be one against COVID-19. Chairman Man Hee Lee of Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light proposed it to unite the religious community in battling this pandemic.

During the first part, the religious leaders earnestly prayed for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as for the wisdom to find the cure for it as soon as possible. They also prayed for the Philippine government, medical front liners, and the families who lost their loved ones because of the virus.

Pastor Bjorn Capiendo, one of the participants, encouraged everyone to be “blessed peacemakers who strive to prevent contention, strife and war”, especially during these trying times. He added that this is the right time for people from different sectors in the society to use their influence “to reconcile opposing parties and to prevent lawsuits and hostilities in families and neighbors”.

And Mr. Roberto Mata, operation manager of ISCAG (Islamic Studies Call And Guidance of the Philippines) who also stands and shared a short message regarding prayer, “It is very important that in every prayer in and out the body of a person should be cleaned” according to him that people should always pray completely and with sincerity in everything to God.

HWPL will continue to bridge religious communities for peace through continuous interfaith dialogues, prayer gathering, and fellowship. This includes that the religious leaders participating in HWPL interfaith dialogue expressed their commitment to continuously discuss on how to bridge the gap caused by different ideologies.