{{short description, None An interreligious organization or interfaith organization is an

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

that encourages dialogue and cooperation between the world's different

religion Religion is usually defined as a social- cultural system of designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relates humanity to supernatural, ...

s. In 1893, the

Parliament of the Worlds Religions There have been several meetings referred to as a Parliament of the World's Religions, the first being the World's Parliament of Religions of 1893, which was an attempt to create a global dialogue of faiths. The event was celebrated by another c ...

held, in conjunction with the World Colombian Exposition, a conference held in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

that is believed to be the first interfaith gathering of notable significance. In the century since, many local, national and international organizations have been founded.

International organizations

American Jewish Committee The American Jewish Committee (AJC) is a Jewish advocacy group established on November 11, 1906. It is one of the oldest Jewish advocacy organizations and, according to ''The New York Times'', is "widely regarded as the dean of American Jewish org ...

(AJC) Dept of Interreligious Affairs, established 1906 * Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

* Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC), established 2008 * Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, established 1988 *

The Elijah Interfaith Institute ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

, established 1997 *

European Council of Religious Leaders European Council of Religious Leaders (ECRL) is a European interreligious council for cooperation between senior leaders of religious traditions represented in Europe (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism and Zoroastrianism)). ...

, established 2002 * Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), established 1914 *

Focolare Movement The Focolare Movement is an international organization that promotes the ideals of unity and universal brotherhood. Founded in Trent, northern Italy, in 1943 by Chiara Lubich as a Catholic movement, it remains largely Roman Catholic but has st ...

Institute for Interreligious Dialogue The Institute for Interreligious Dialogue is a non-governmental organization devoted to dialog among religions throughout the world. The institute was founded in 1998, by vice president of Mr. Mohammad Khatami, Mohammad Ali Abtahi for promoting Di ...

* The

Interfaith Encounter Association The Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA) is an Israeli-based non-profit organization. Its primary purpose is to foster dialogue between different religious groups within the Holy Land (specifically Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze and Baháʼí ...

Interfaith Worker Justice Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ) was a nonprofit and nonpartisan interfaith advocacy network comprising more than 60 worker centers and faith and labor organizations that advanced the rights of working people through grassroots, worker-led campaign ...

* The

International Association for Religious Freedom The International Association for Religious Freedom (IARF) is a charitable organization that works for religious freedom around the world. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1900, and is the oldest international group that promotes dialo ...

(IARF), established 1900 * International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ), established 1975 * Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace * International Humanist and Ethical Union - world body for

Humanism Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "humani ...

that promotes

comparative religion Comparative religion is the branch of the study of religions with the systematic comparison of the doctrines and practices, themes and impacts (including migration) of the world's religions. In general the comparative study of religion yie ...

and inter religious dialogue
The Lutheran World Federation
Program o
Interfaith and Peace
established 1947 *

KAICIID Dialogue Centre The King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue, mostly referred to as "International Dialogue Centrand globally known by its abbreviation, KAICIID, is an Intergovernmental organization, inter-g ...

, established in 2012 *

North American Interfaith Network The North American Interfaith Network (NAIN) is a non-profit association of Interfaith organizations and agencies in Canada, Mexico and the United States. NAIN's programs seek to build communication and mutual understanding among interfaith organi ...

(NAIN), established 2000 *

The Religious Institute on Sexual Morality, Justice, and Healing The Religious Institute, Inc. is a progressive American multi-faith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, sex education, education, and justice in faith communities and society. It was co-founded in 2001 by Debra Haffner, a Un ...

, established 2000 * The Sovereign Order of the Ecumenical Knights of Malta O.S.J. *

Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding (or Tanenbaum) is a secular non-profit organization that works to promote mutual respect and understanding and fight religious prejudice in workplaces, schools, health care settings and conflict z ...

Temple of Understanding The Temple of Understanding is an interfaith organization founded in 1960 by Juliet Hollister and located in New York City. History In its early years, the organization convened large “Spiritual Summits” in Calcutta (1968) and Geneva (197 ...

(ToU), established 1960 *

United Religions Initiative The United Religions Initiative (URI) is a global grassroots interfaith network. It has local and global initiatives through more than 800 member groups and organizations, called Cooperation Circles, to engage in community action such as conflic ...

(URI), established 2000 * The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, established 1964 *

The World Conference of Religions for Peace Religions for Peace is an international coalition of representatives from the world's religions dedicated to promoting peace founded in 1970. The International Secretariat headquarters is in New York City, with regional conferences in Europe, As ...

, established 1970 *

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most juri ...

Team on Interreligious Relations, established 1948
1000 Abrahamic Circles Project
established 2018

National and local bodies

* Inter-Religious Organisation, (Singapore), established 1949 * Comité Pro Paz (Chile), 1973-1975; supported human rights during the Pinochet regime * The Interfaith Alliance (USA), established 1994 * Interfaith Partners of South Carolina (USA), established 2010 *

Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism The Malaysian Consultative Council of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism ( ms, Majlis Perundingan Malaysia Agama Buddha, Kristian, Hindu, Sikh dan Tao; abbrev: MCCBCHST) is a non-profit interfaith organization in Malaysia. ...

, established 1983 *

Network of Spiritual Progressives The Network of Spiritual Progressives (NSP) is an international political and social justice movement based in the United States that seeks to influence American politics towards more humane, progressive values. The organization also challenges wh ...

, established 2006 *

Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council The Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council is an interfaith, bipartisan collaboration established by the American Jewish Committee and the Islamic Society of North America in early fall 2016. Its 46 members are business, religious, and political leaders f ...

, established 2016 * Interfaith Families Project of Greater Washington, D.C., established in 1995

Governmental Institutions

Some governmental institutions are geared specifically with dealing with diversity of religions. *

Australasian Police Multicultural Advisory Bureau {{primary sources, date=July 2012 Australasian Police Multicultural Advisory Bureau (formerly the National Police Ethnic Advisory Bureau) was an agency of the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs of the Government of Australia. It was ...

International organizations

National and local bodies

Governmental Institutions

See also