BANGALORE INITIATIVE FOR RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE(BIRD)
7A, 3rd Cross, Da Costa Square, Bangalore 560 084



Dear members of Dialogue Groups, Friends & Students of
Dr. Stanley Samartha



SAMARTHA MEMORIAL LECTURE- 2006- AN APPEAL

Rev. Dr. Stanley Samartha (1920-2001) was the first
director of the Dialogue Programme of the World
Council of Churches in Geneva for over a decade until
1980. Earlier, he was the Principal of Karnataka
United Theological Seminary, Mangalore, Professor at
the United Theological College, Bangalore (1960-66)
and later Principal of the Serampore Theological
Seminary. He was also an ordained presbyter of the
Church of South India for more than fifty years. Known
as “the Christian Prophet of Religious Pluralism”,
Samartha was a world-renowned Indian Christian
theologian, thinker, teacher and author of many books
and articles


The Bangalore Initiative for Religious Dialogue (BIRD)
has been organising in Bangalore a series of lectures
annually in memory of Dr. Stanley Samartha in the
month of October since 2001. The first lecture was
delivered by Francois Gautier on the theme, “The Need
for Inter-Religious Dialogue”, while the second
lecture was by
Dr. C.T.Kurien on “Communal Harmony- A Societal
Perspective”. Dr. M.V.Nadkarni delivered the third one
on “Religion in the 21st Century”. It was the turn of
Rt. Rev. Dr. Philippose Mar Chrysotom, Metropolitan of
the Mar Thoma Syrian Church, to deliver this
prestigious lecture in 2005. The theme was “Courage
for Dialogue”.

This year’s Samartha Memorial Lecture- the fifth in
the series – will be delivered by Rev. Dr. Hans Ucko,
Head of the Inter-Religious Affairs & Dialogue, WCC,
on 16 October at the St. Mark’s Cathedral, Bangalore,
at 5.30 p.m. The theme is “TOWARDS AN ETHICAL CODE OF
CONDUCT FOR RELIGIOUS CONVERSIONS”.

BIRD is organising this year's Lecture in association
with St. Mark's Cathdral & YMCA Bangalore.


Yours sincerely

P.N.BENJAMIN
Coordinator
BIRD