The summit, organized by the Elijah Interfaith Institute, will hear from Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sikh delegates. Among those attending are American Christians including Miroslav Volf, the British Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks and Sheikh Muhhamad Nur Abdallah, President of the Islamic Society of North America.

The 50 delegates, all members of the Board of World Religious Leaders will join the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, at the Golden Temple where he will deliver the keynote address on Wednesday.

The Dalai Lama says: “Our planet is in desperate need for love, forgiveness and interreligious harmony. This meeting of leaders and scholars from around the world will explore how the wisdom of our traditions can help achieve these things.”

Dr Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Founder and Executive Director of The Elijah Interfaith Institute, says, “This meeting of the most senior religious leaders in the world takes place at a crucial time in our history. While technological advances have brought wonderful opportunities, we still see insecurities, violence and hatred. The answers to our most pressing problems do not lie in technology and the material realm alone.

“This global gathering of minds will explore how, by responsibly sharing wisdom, the great faiths can have a practical and meaningful role in bringing love and forgiveness into this world. Sharing wisdom is key to healing the wounds of the world -- this gathering could not take place at a more ripe time.”

A group of 20 Muslim thinkers and historians from all over the world join the meeting as part of a three-year process to explore a Muslim Theology of World Religions. This project, organised by the Elijah Interfaith Institute and supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, runs alongside an initiative to explore a Jewish Theology of World Religions, as well as other Elijah projects.

This is the third meeting of the Elijah Board of World Religious Leaders. Previous meetings took place in Seville (2003) and Taiwan (2005).