Abstract
The 1965 Vatican II document Nostra Aetate encouraged Catholics and Muslims to “forget the past” and focus on a more positive future together, one based on dialogue and cooperation. Since then, Catholics at all levels, from popes to parishioners, have heeded this call. However, the complicated, centuries-long history of Christian-Muslim relations demands attention. Instead of “forgetting the past,” Catholics need to revisit this history, both on their own and with their Muslim partners.
Join us this summer for a webinar series on the history of encounter between Catholics and Muslims. In this series, we will examine Nicholas of Cusa’s approach to the Qur’an; the history of Mary as a bridge or barrier in Christian relations with Muslims; and St. Francis and Pope Francis as models of fraternal encounter. No preparation is necessary, and participants can attend according to their availability. *Click the links below for more information and to register for each session.
- Part I: July 21, 6pm CST: “Nicholas of Cusa & Qur’anic Exegesis” Dr. Wilhelmus (Pim) Valkenberg (Catholic University)
This session will focus on "faithful interpretation" (pia interpretatio) as characteristic of Nicholas of Cusa's approach to the Qur'ān as a book that claims to be revealed by God. He argues that it is possible to take the Qur'ān seriously as a theological source for Christian faith. Following Nicholas of Cusa's example he will also talk about his own experiences as a Christian theologian reading the Qur'an as confirmation and critique of Jews and Christians as "People of Scripture" (ahl al-kitāb). Dr. Pim Valkenberg, PhD, studied theology and religious studies in the Netherlands, where he was involved in dialogue between the three Abrahamic religions at the Radboud University of Nijmegen where he worked for twenty years until he came to the United States with his family to work at Loyola University Maryland and, since 2011, the Catholic University of America in Washington DC. His fields of specialization are comparative theology, interreligious dialogue and Christian - Muslim relations. Among his publications are: World Religions in Dialogue (2014, 2017), Renewing Islam By Service: A Christian View of Fethullah Gülen and the Hizmet Movement (2015), and Nostra Aetate: Celebrating Fifty Years of the Catholic Church's Dialogue with Jews and Muslims (2016). His latest book is published in 2021 by Peeters in Leuven: No Power over God's Bounty: A Christian Commentary on the "People of Scripture" in the Qur'ān.
- Part II: August 18, 6 pm CST: “Mary & Muslims: Bridge or Barrier?” Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković (Benedictine University), with a response by Dr. Zeki Saritoprak (John Carroll University)
- Part III: September 8, 6 pm CST: “Francis & Francis: Encountering Muslims, Past & Present” Dr. Jason Welle, OFM (Pontifical Institute of Arabic & Islamic Studies, Rome)
Sponsored and Organized by:
Promotional Cosponsors:
- Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute (New York)
- Nova Forum for Catholic Thought (University of Southern California)
- Saint Benedict Institute (Holland, MI)
- St. Paul's Catholic Student Center (Madison, WI)
- The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage at Loyola University (Chicago)
- Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies and the Encountering Islam Initiative at the University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)