St. Olaf alumna joins Pope Francis in leading service at 9/11 memorial

St. Olaf College | News

September 25, 2015

St. Olaf alumna joins Pope Francis in leading service at 9/11 memorial

Pope Francis with religious leaders -- including Ishanaa Rambachan '08, at left -- during the multi-faith ceremony at the 9/11 museum September 25. — Pope Francis with religious leaders — including Ishanaa Rambachan ’08 (far left) — during the multi-faith ceremony at the 9/11 museum September 25. (Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)

St. Olaf College alumna Ishanaa Rambachan ’08 was one of several religious representatives to join Pope Francis in leading an interfaith service at the September 11 Memorial and Museum.

The pope presided over the September 25 service, urging the world “to build peace from its differences.”

Religious leaders representing Islam, Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Sikhism then “offered prayers or meditations on the theme of peace, first in their sacred tongues, then in English,” notes the New York Times.

“May God protect us, may God nourish us, may we work together, may our dialogue be enlightening, may we be free from hate,” Rambachan, a Hindu, noted in her meditation (which begins at the 13:45 mark in this CBS News video). “Lead us from untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from death to immortality. May all know peace.”

News outlets around the globe covered the interfaith service, including New York Magazine, the Washington Post, ABC News, NBC News, USA Today, the Telegraph, and many others.