The world has felt like a depressing place recently with conflict and slaughter on our screens from Iraq, Syria and Gaza. Yet standing among 400,000 people in New York on Sunday I was filled with a sense of profound hope for the world.

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Not only were religious groups marching together in New York, a special interfaith summit of 30 religious leaders, including US pastor Jim Wallis and Rev Suzanne Matale of the Zambian Council of Churches met yesterday to discuss the vital role faith groups have to play.