Review of Pope Francis and Interreligious Dialogue, ed. H. Kasimov & A. Race (New York: Palgrave, 2018) (original) (raw)
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Pope Francis’ leadership has stimulated several debates within the Catholic Church and even in larger segments of the public. One of the most prominently debated issues is the one concerning the relationship with people of different religions and, more specifically, with the world of Islam. Since 2013, the Argentinean pontiff appeared to be unambiguously committed to finding an alternative pathway to the much-publicized category of ‘clash of civilisations’, which, in the last few decades, has been the reference paradigm in Christian–Muslim relationships. Papal initiatives, gestures and journeys have consistently aimed at a ‘culture of dialogue and encounter’. Nevertheless, the present pope’s open attitude has encountered severe criticism even inside certain circles of the Catholic world, which have accused him of compromising on theological issues. However, Pope Francis is highly appreciated by leaders of other traditions, including Muslims. In the face of such debate, Bergoglio has...
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I wrote this text (except for the last couple of paragraphs) while working in Jordan for the Royal Hashemite Court as Interfaith Affairs Advisor. A few years later my authorship was made public as detailed on p. 131 of this booklet by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad: http://rissc.jo/docs/20-acw/20-ACW-5.pdf
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Following the death of Pope Benedict (formerly Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) on 31 December 2022, many reflected on his legacy and impact. This article aims to examine his contribution to and impact on Islamic-Christian dialogue by examining his writings, most notably the Regensburg address, as well as Dominus Iesus. The essay will also examine the approach to Muslim-Christian dialogue of his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, and his successor, Pope Francis, in the process showing how these three pontiffs' approaches to Islamic-Christian dialogue both build on and differ from one another. It will also consider how Catholic-Muslim dialogue continues to develop and how the papacy continues to adapt to changing contexts that shape its relations with Islam. It will look in particular at how Muslim-Catholic dialogue during the pontificate of John Paul II was shaped by Cold War concerns and, in contrast, how Benedict's comments about Islam were shaped by and fed into the War on Terror discourse. It will then briefly make the argument that Francis, through his visits, most notably to Iraq in March of 2021, seems to be engaged in building a postWar on Terror phase of Muslim-Christian relations.
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This article aims at exploring some recent developments in Catholic Church's recent relationship with religious others. It does so by exploring the theological‐anthropological sources behind Vatican II and some subsequent Papal teachings concerning the Church's mission of dialogue. Specifically, it discusses the notion of common origin, destiny and common humanity as sources for praxis‐oriented and faith‐based initiatives in a Christian‐Muslim dialogue. This article is divided into three sub‐sections. First, it considers the Catholic Church's renewed dialogue with non‐Christian believers, with particular focus on the theological‐anthropological turn in recent Church teaching. Second, it examines the prospects and challenges of Christian‐Muslim dialogue based on belief in God the creator and divine revelation, and human beings' response to divine manifestations in history. Finally, it considers some faith‐based humanistic and dialogic initiatives that emerge from the ...
POPE FRANCIS' DIALOGUE INITIATIVES WITH MUSLIMS: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES
Australian Journal of Islamic Studies 6, no. 3 (2021): 56-68, 2021
Pope Francis' dialogue activities with the Muslim world have been welcomed by the majority of Muslims and covered extensively in media. His visits to Muslim countries, meetings with heads of state and official religious authorities, and encouraging Catholics for dialogue activities can contribute to world peace. This article focuses on Nostra Aetate, which is considered one of the most critical turning points in the history of Catholic-Muslim relations. This study has two arguments. The first is that Pope Francis' statements about the practice of dialogue can contribute to world peace if applied within institutions and at the grassroots. The second is that if Pope Francis' dialogue activities involve only religious leaders officially appointed by governments in the Muslim world and exclude independent religious leaders, the impact will be significantly lessened. This paper also proposes that, for fruitful dialogue activities, Catholics and Muslims should focus on moral qualities rather than theological differences.
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Mission Impossible? Pope Benedict XVI and Interreligious Dialogue
This is the initially accepted version; for the published version, see Theological Studies Vol 78, Issue 4, 2017, 2017
There exist very different accounts about the attitude of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI to interreligious dialogue. Does interreligious dialogue aim at theological truth and intertwine with mission, or is it an impossibility that needs to be replaced with an intercultural dialogue about peaceful coexistence and common values? This article traces the complex history and relationship of these views from the 1990s, through the much-misunderstood letter to Marcello Pera in 2008, until Benedict’s retirement. Despite impressions to the contrary, Pope Benedict XVI’s commitment to interreligious dialogue remains firm.
Religion Within Reason: Pope Benedict’s Critique of Islam
P ope benedict's controversial remarks about Islam a year ago at the University of Regensburg were a reaffirmation of the fundamental values of the academy. The pope was making the Enlightenment's argument about the necessity for discourse mediated by reason in the search for truth; he claimed that his Christian faith is constituted through reason, that it can contain no tenets, and legitimate no actions, that are unreasonable. He was not claiming that Christians have never acted irrationally, violently; he was making a moral argument about what a Christian's faith demands, and he was making this argument as a religious leader desirous and capable of engaging in a serious and reasoned dialogue with people of other faiths about their respective convictions. His speech demonstrated both his ability to engage in such a dialogue and a willingness to do so.