The Parliament of the World’s Religions is serving a vegan banquet for the first time in more than a century. Hosted by Charter for Compassion, the plant-based banquet comes as the Interfaith Vegan Coalition calls on the Parliament to extend its compassion to animals.
The Parliament of the World’s Religions seeks to cultivate harmony among the world’s religious and spiritual communities, aiming to create a just, peaceful, and sustainable world. The protection of the Earth and all life are included in its mission statement. This year, the week-long parliamentary discussions will take place in Toronto and revolve around the theme “The Promise of Inclusion and the Power of Love.”
The vegan banquet is vital to this theme, according to the Interfaith Vegan Coalition, an organization which helps spiritual leaders bring vegan values to ethical and religious communities. It notes the importance of extending love to all beings, and the need to find alternatives to animal exclusion and exploitation. The Interfaith Vegan Coalition invited Sandra Sellani, chef and co-author of “The 40-Year-Old Vegan,” to create a plant-based menu that would impress all 300 religious leaders attending. The menu includes a savory puff pie, massaman and thai curries, and stir-fries, all of which feature plant-based meat created by Good Dot. Replicating the taste, texture, and protein content of animal meat, the Good Dot dishes received positive feedback after a taste-test by fourteen mostly non-vegan testers. The banquet will also serve plant-based desserts including pumpkin pie and blackberry bread pudding with maple cream.
The vegan menu also honors one of the event’s keynote speakers, Karen Armstrong. Armstrong is a world leader of interfaith compassion and founder of the Charter for Compassion, which seeks to unite all people in a mission to extend compassion to all – animals included.
Armstrong, Chef Sellani, Good Dot Foods, and the Interfaith Vegan Coalition are all committed to encouraging religious leaders to consider the impact of dietary choices on humanity’s health and behaviour, on other living beings, on the environment, and on the world’s hungry.
According to Issue Wire, Frank Lane, a vegan activist, director, and author who advocates veganism as a spiritual path, says that the real test now will be to see if the 300 religious leaders can extend their passion to include the well-being of animals and the planet.
The banquet will take place on November 2nd.
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