G20 Interfaith Forum Opens in the United States for the First Time as Leaders of Seven Faith Traditions Share One Stage in Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City — The G20 Interfaith Forum (IF20) opens its annual Forum in the United States for the first time on the evening of October 15 at the Historic Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, according to the Forum's announcement issued on October 14. Senior leaders of seven faith traditions — Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox, Hindu, Jewish, Anglican and Latter-day Saint — will share one stage, with more than a dozen speakers offering addresses and prayers between performances by the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square at a ceremony open to the public.
Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, will deliver the opening keynote as guest of honor. President Dallin H. Oaks of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host the evening, and Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, the Holy See's ambassador to the United States, will deliver a message on behalf of the Vatican. They will be joined by Metropolitan Emmanuel of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Sheikh-ul-Islam Allahshukur Pashazadeh of the Caucasus Muslims Board, Pujya Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswati of the Global Interfaith WASH Alliance, Rabbi Mark Dratch of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations, and Dr. Francis Kuria Kagema of Religions for Peace.
Earlier the same afternoon at the same venue, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, former South Carolina Governor David Beasley and Martin Luther King III will take part in a public dialogue on peacemaking across political divides, moderated by Deseret News editor Sarah Jane Weaver, which will also include the presentation of a Jewish-Muslim declaration of fraternity signed by religious leaders of both faiths. The afternoon program runs from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. MDT and the opening ceremony and welcome concert from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. MDT, with advance registration required through the Forum's website.
This year's Forum, themed “Resilient Hope, Shared Future,” continues on October 16-17 at the University of Utah in sessions closed to the public. Plenaries will take up the priorities of the U.S. G20 presidency, including economic growth, energy security and super intelligence, along with the future of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while smaller sessions address human trafficking, mental health, education, disaster response and freedom of religion or belief; participants will also take part in a service project. The Forum closes on Saturday at the Cathedral of the Madeleine with a handover to next year's organizers in the United Kingdom. The G20 Leaders' Summit follows in Miami on December 14-15. Founded in 2014, IF20 meets each year in the country holding the G20 presidency, bringing together religious leaders, scholars, humanitarian practitioners and public officials.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：盐湖城圣殿广场历史大会堂内部与金色管风琴，本届G20跨宗教论坛开幕仪式与欢迎音乐会10月15日晚在此举行，圣殿广场唱诗班在仪式中演出。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons，Ken Lund 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0 授权 / Photo: Interior of the Historic Tabernacle at Temple Square in Salt Lake City, where the Forum's opening ceremony and welcome concert take place on October 15. Source: Wikimedia Commons, by Ken Lund, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 2026-10-15G20 Interfaith Forum Opens in the United States for the First Time as Leaders of Seven Faith Traditions Share One Stage in Salt Lake CityThis story
- 2026-10-17Feature | Faith Leaders of Seven Traditions Gather in Salt Lake City for G20 Interfaith Forum
- 2026-10-17Gov. Cox and Martin Luther King III Kick Off G20 Interfaith Forum at University of Utah
- 2026-10-19G20 Interfaith Forum's 'Faith in Action': 13 Sessions Take On Trafficking, Hunger and Mental Health as Forum Closes in Salt Lake City With Handover to the U.K.
- 2026-10-19Elder Gong Proposes a 'Humanity's First Exam' for SI at the G20 Interfaith Forum: A Moral Benchmark for Super Intelligence
