Interreligious dialogue (course in English) WT-DTE-WJI

The aim of this course is to familiarize students with the contemporary, post-conciliar teaching of the Church's Magisterium on relations with members of other religions. The most important documents, such as the conciliar declaration "Nostra Aetate" and the two documents issued by the Council for Non-Christians on "Dialogue and Mission" and by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on "Dialogue and Proclamation" will be examined. As events without precedent in history, the circumstances of the interreligious meetings in Assisi, to which John Paul II and his successors invited leaders of different religions to pray for world peace, will be examined in more details. Papal travels abounded in meetings with religious leaders. On the occasion of these meetings, important decisions were made and various new issues were reflected upon. More recently, many new challenges have been posed by the activities of Pope Francis, among which his document on "Human Fraternity for World Peace and Coexistence," co-signed with the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar University, holds a special place. The course will also address issues of relations with followers of other religions taken up at a lower level, primarily by the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue in messages addressed to Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. Finally, the basic Polish initiatives in this field, such as the "Day of Judaism" or the "Day of Islam" in the Church in Poland will also be discussed. During the course there will be an opportunity to present specific issues chosen and developed by the students as part of their mid-term work.