Junior Teacher John Ismael J. Medina of the UST Senior High School and Asst. Prof. Renz Christian C. Argao. Ph.D. of the UST Graduate School participated in three religious gatherings in Japan, namely, the G7 Hiroshima Summit Prayer and Symposium by Religious Leaders on May 10 in Hiroshima; the Asia and the Pacific Interfaith Youth Network (APIYN) Executive Committee Retreat Meeting on May 11 and 12 in Kyoto; and the World Conference Religions for Peace (WCRP) on May 13 in Kyoto.
Representing the APIYN in the G7 Hiroshima Summit Prayer and Symposium, Medina and Argao led the participants in prayer with Argao using the local dialect of Kapampangan in his prayer. Argao also served as a speaker during the symposium, focusing on the importance of disarmament and the role of youth in peacebuilding.
In the APIYN Executive Committee Retreat Meeting, discussions on the future projects and programs of the organization were planned under the leadership of Argao. The plans included in the APIYN 2026 Agenda focus on disarmament, youth peace and security, and sustainable development goals, which were all presented to Dr. Yoshinori Shinohara, Secretary General of the Asian Conference of Religions for Peace.
APIYN released its statement on the G7 Summit titled “Peace through Peaceful Means: A Call to G7 Hiroshima Summit Leaders to Abolish Nuclear Weapons”. Medina and Argao capped their Japan trip by participating in the 50th anniversary of the WCRP Japan Youth Committee.
