Moergestel, The Netherlands -- 25th anniversary of the SOKA Foundation (1983-2008)
The SOKA Foundation, which provides assistance to the Zonnewende Conference Center in Moergestal, celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2008. The Board of Directors chose the following topic for the commemorative celebration: “A free person is one who observes, reflects, and cooperates in the renewal of culture.”
Part of the program involved a collection of funds for a water purification project in the Congo. Each donor received the gift of a bottle of water—a symbolic gesture in a country filled with lakes and canals.
Among other activities, a series of conferences was held on questions currently being debated in The Netherlands. The first of these studied the ethical and legal implications involved in the donation of organs. The second dealt with the paradox between the desire for eternal youth and the spread of legal euthanasia. Another considered questions connected with the selection of embryos. A Dutch language version of the series of 8 DVD’s on the “Culture of Life” was also presented. A symposium on “The Pontificate and Modernity,” with Prof. Joaquin Navarro-Valls, former Communications Director for the Holy See, taking part, proved to be very popular. The close of the twenty-fifth year of SOKA will be on March 7, 2009, with a symposium on the identity of Europe.
Romana, n. 47, July-December 2008, p. 337-338.