Oomoto Worship Service inside the Vatican, 1977
Oomoto’s relations with the Vatican go back to the visit to Kameoka in October 1976 of Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli, Director of the Vatican Secretariat for Non-Christians. This paved the way for an Oomoto worship service performed by Kyotaro Deguchi in the Santa Maria Chapel inside the Vatican, on October 12, 1977.
Ongoing Relations with the Vatican
Since then, Oomoto leaders have met with Pope Paul VI, and later with Pope John Paul II on several occasions, and also welcomed Cardinal Francis Arinze, present Director of the Secretariat for Non-Christians, to Oomoto in 1986 and in 1992. In addition, Oomoto and the Vatican have participated together in joint worship ceremonies and conferences, such as WOREC (1981), and the Mt. Hiei Religious Summit at Kyoto in 1987.
Noh Drama at Canterbury Cathedral May 1980
Due to decades of training in the traditional arts, Oomoto is in the very unusual position of its followers being able to perform a complete Noh drama (usually only done by professionals).
On May 16, 1980, the Fourth Spiritual Leader Kiyoko Deguchi performed the Noh play Hagoromo at Canterbury Cathedral in England. This event was part of Oomoto’s ongoing exchange with Episcopal (Anglican) Christianity initiated in New York in 1975.
After this performance, Dean Victor de Waal of the Cathedral visited Oomoto, and his wife and son later attended the Oomoto Arts Seminar.
Bankyo Dokon
Seventy Years of Inter-Religious Activity at Oomoto
