Carey was the keynote speaker at closing ceremonies, which included a celebration of harvest festivals from around the world and a call to religious leaders to foster a sense of commonality in the next millennium. The archbishop said western secular thought, buttressed by the explosion of technology, offers a false security that's leading to social decay. And I question the hubris that often accompanies western thinking today. Giving thanks on a continuous basis is the core value for virtually every major religion, Carey said. Technological advances are also a gift from God to his people, the archbishop said, listing ways a sense of gratitude helps us reach our full potential.
Tolerance is written into the codes of all major religions.
Giving thanks to God through regular prayer and worship allows us a more generous understanding of the world around us. Before the conference in Dallas, Carey stopped at Sewanee's University of the South to accept an honorary doctor of divinity degree on March 12. The Careys also visited the Diocese of Alabama and the Cathedral Church of the Advent March 13-14, addressing the clergy of the diocese and the chapter of the cathedral and their spouses at a dinner given in his honor and preached to overflow crowds.