Braterstwo - Brotherhood

Committee of the Brotherhood Prize 2006 for the reverend Father Marian Żelazek SVD - the Parish of the Immaculate Conception Bitarchha Madhusudhana Mahapatra Sebajat - The Jagannath Temple (Lord of the World) Puri, Orisa, India The Prize with the title The Builder of Bridges (latin - Pontifex; Sanskrit - Setukarta ) is awarded for the mutual respect and an unprecedented friendship between the representatives of two great world religions - Christianity and Hinduism - which evolved into a true brotherhood - which, in turn, made Puri - one of the most sacred centres of Hinduism - the place where Christians and Hindus are brothers.

 

Letter to all people of good will

    The Committee appeals to all people of good will to take notice of and consequently award this unusual phenomenon - a long-lasting friendship between two priests, a Christian and a Hindu.
    That friendship, cherished by both men, defies all kinds of prejudice that is so typical of the Hindu-Christian relations; it is open to God and is free from all forms of proselytism. Thanks to this friendship, a Christian church came into existence beside a Hindu temple. It also helped others to overcome a deeply rooted prejudice against people afflicted by leprosy, and caste relations are now permeated by the spirit of love; its culminating point was Father Żelazek being awarded with the title of Brahmin.
    We realize that globalization is a process that is inevitable and irreversible. At the same time we are strongly convinced that this friendship between the priests who represent two great religions is a shining example to be followed by the clergy and followers of all religions.
    We wish this award to become our voice in promoting peace and love among the people of the world. We want dialogue, friendship and love to set the trend in the globalization process.

In order to carry the Brotherhood Prize into effect, the following steps have been undertaken:

- the consent of both priests has been obtained
- the Prize Committee has been formed, consisting of people whose moral authority is widely acknowledged
- the funds will be collected starting January 1, 2006 to December 31, 2006 to the account of:

Stowarzyszenie Wymiany i Pojednania
ul. Bema 73/75, [01-244] Warszawa, Poland
Bank PKO BP S.A. V O/W-wa Nr 43 1020 1055 0000 9202 0016 7098
SWIFT: BPKO PL PW
"Brotherhood Prize"

All people of good will are cordially invited to join the initiative