Search Results (122)

The study of the relationship between religion and newspapers embodies a well-established research field. However, relatively few studies focus on interfaith dialogue in the press. Against this backdrop, important questions about the manifestations and dynamics of interreligious dialogue in newspapers remain largely unexplored. Adopting a quali-quantitative approach and a topic-detection methodology, the research analyzes 1186 articles from four Italian newspapers (Corriere della Sera, Il Giornale, La Stampa, Il Mattino di Padova) mentioning interreligious dialogue between 2010 and 2023. The research seeks to answer the question: how do major Italian newspapers discursively construct and represent the topic of interreligious dialogue in their coverage? The results identify five representations of interreligious dialogue in the Italian press, each interconnected and/or partially overlapping. Specifically, the analysis of the newspapers’ articles reveals: (i) a broad but fragmented and episodic representation of interreligious dialogue, highlighting a lack of systematic or sustained discussion on the topic; (ii) a hegemonic presence of the Catholic Church in the various representations of interreligious dialogue, expressed through the Pope, Church organizations, and leaders; (iii) a widespread portrayal of Islam as a “challenging religion”, associated with the idea of a “clash of civilizations” and issues surrounding the integration of Muslim immigrants; (iv) a general focus on traditional Abrahamic religions in the representation of interreligious dialogue, which tends to exclude other religious minorities. Full article

As interactions between Eastern and Western religions increase, “interreligious dialogue (IRD)” has become more prevalent. This study investigates the evolving religious landscape of South Korea, shaped by the growing presence of “religious nones” (or simply “nones”), through the framework of IRD. Since the 1960s, IRD in South Korea has been predominantly led by Christian institutions and facilitated by experts, such as theologians and religious studies scholars. However, the rise of the nones is driving a profound shift in the dialogic paradigm. The traditional intellectual approach, which focused on identifying doctrinal similarities, is shifting toward an emphasis on practical dimensions, including personal religious experiences and the concept of salvation. In this shifting context, “religious literacy” and “meditation” are emerging as crucial points of convergence, not only for IRD but also for interactions between the religious and the nones. While the growing presence of the nones may initially lead to confusion and conflict, it has the potential, in the long run, to foster religious coexistence. South Korea serves as a notable case illustrating how IRD can open new pathways in the realm of praxis. Religious literacy enhances understanding and promotes a tolerant attitude toward the broader social relationships that religion cultivates, while meditation provides a shared platform for dialogue and engagement at the societal level. In this regard, Korea presents a particularly compelling case study, offering a critical examination of the feasibility of these possibilities. Full article

Religious freedom, the management of religious diversity, and interreligious dialogue are emerging and closely interconnected phenomena. In the context of increasing religious pluralism, policymakers, religious institutions, and other civil society actors and organizations face challenges, particularly as they strive to legitimize their religious, social, and legal positions in contemporary societies. Drawing on 47 interviews with policymakers (N° 10), privileged informants (N° 15), and religious (N° 18) and interreligious leaders (N° 4), conducted as part of the Project Urban Governance of Religious Diversity (2023–2025), this article examines interreligious dialogue, as a social practice shaped by national legal frameworks on religious freedom and local governance mechanisms regulating religious diversity. More specifically, we analyze the three most relevant themes that emerged from the interview material: first, the limitations and opportunities within the current legislative framework, particularly in relation to local administrations’ efforts to complement national regulations and support religious communities in innovative ways; second, critiques of top-down initiatives on interreligious dialogue, wherein institutional priorities sometimes overshadow the voices and needs of religious groups; and finally, the impact of global events, such as the ongoing genocide in Palestine, on interreligious dialogue and established relationships among different faith communities. The article concludes by summarizing the main findings and outlining potential avenues for future research. Full article

This article examines the communication strategies of religious diplomacy used by Pope Francis in his diplomatic relations with the countries of the Middle East from 2013 to 2025. The study identifies and characterizes key elements of papal communication, taking into account both verbal and nonverbal dimensions, in the context of the complex geopolitical and religious situation of the region. Based on the analysis of official documents, speeches, foreign visits and diplomatic initiatives, specific communication patterns are identified that distinguish Francis’ pontificate from that of his predecessors. The research results indicate an innovative approach of the Pope, combining traditional Vatican diplomacy with direct personal engagement, the use of symbolism of gestures and the promotion of interreligious dialogue as a tool for building peace and intercultural understanding. Full article

The work Xingli zhenquan tigang (Sing lii jen ciyan bithei hešen) was written in Chinese and Manchu by the French Jesuit Alexandre de la Charme (1695–1767) and published in Beijing in 1753. The first two sections of this paper provide an introduction to de la Charme’s work biography and to further textual and historical contexts, explore the peculiarities of the subsequent early German reception of the work almost 90 years later, and introduce the content from an overview perspective. The third section explores the most essential contents of Book 1 (of 3) of the Manchu version. The investigation is based on Hans Conon von der Gabelentz’s (1807–1874) German translation from 1840. Camouflaged as a Confucian educational dialogue, and by blurring his true identity in his publication, de la Charme criticizes Neo-Confucian positions from an implicitly Cartesian and hidden Christian perspective, tacitly blending Cartesian views with traditional Chinese concepts. In addition, he alludes to Manchu shamanic views in the same regard. De la Charme’s assimilating rhetoric “triangulation” of three different cultural and linguistic horizons of thought and spirituality proves that later Jesuit scholarship reached out into the inherent ethnic and spiritual diversity of the Qing intellectual and political elites. Hidden allusions to Descartes’s dualistic concepts of res cogitans and res extensa implicitly anticipate the beginnings of China’s intellectual modernization period one and a half centuries later. This work also provides an example of how the exchange of intellectual and religious elements persisted despite the Rites Controversy and demonstrates how the fading Jesuit mission influenced early German sinology. I believe that this previously underexplored work is significant in both systematic and historical respects. It is particularly relevant in the context of current comparative research fields, as well as transcultural and interreligious intellectual dialogue in East Asia and around the world. Full article

The text analyzes interreligious organizations and movements in Brazil based on the concept of the pluralist principle. It aims to systematize, based on observations of practices and studies of documents from prominent inter-religious experiences in Brazil, the degree of incidence of efforts to deepen democracy; defend human rights and the rights of nature; provide citizenship; appreciate ethnic, sexual, and gender diversity; and other effective decolonial forms of counter-hegemonic social articulation in these groups. Among the results, we present theoretical bases that show that it is necessary, for social analyses, to pay special attention to the articulation of the intersection between religious groups’ capacity for dialogue and the challenges surrounding social agendas that reinforce decolonial socio-religious perspectives. The profile of some inter-religious experiences within the scope of the research is also indicated. Full article

The aim of the article is to analyze the relationship between the Christian faith and the spiritual traditions of the indigenous peoples of Latin America, seeking to identify elements that make it possible to trace paths of dialogue and mutual cooperation. It shows that historically, there have been tensions and conflicts between these traditions, but today, there is a path towards overcoming this reality through social solidarity, which serves as a basis for dialogue between the ways of believing. The research method is comparative and involves a qualitative analysis of the bibliography dealing with the relationship between the Church and Latin American indigenous spiritualities. The bibliographic base is documental, with emphasis on the conferences of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), the Synod for the Amazon (2019) and the magisterium of Pope Francis, read from the perspective of the Second Vatican Council and the current theology of religions. The conclusion is that the Church is developing an important social dialogue to promote justice and the rights of indigenous peoples. This dialogue serves as the basis for a dialogue with the beliefs and spiritualities of these peoples. The challenge for this is to review mission objectives and methods in order to overcome the conversionist perspective in the relationship with indigenous peoples, taking paths of mutual respect and acceptance and valuing them beyond being the recipients of evangelization. In this way, indigenous spiritual traditions can be recognized not only as “seeds” of the Word to be developed by evangelization but as an already mature fruit of God’s relationship with these peoples. Full article

This article stems from the PRIN GOV_REL (Urban Governance of Interreligious Dialogue) research project carried out in four Italian cities in 2023–2025 and reports on some preliminary results of the empirical enquiry held in the city of Brescia. The Brescia area is characterised by high rates of residents with an immigrant background and a consolidated presence of religious minorities (Muslim, Orthodox, Sikh, Hindu and Protestant groups), many recognised centres (mosques, temples and Christian non-Catholic churches) and a significant commitment of ethnic–religious communities to local public life. This paper examines the creation of grassroots-level interreligious dialogue, seen as a communicative process. The empirical evidence is based on material collected by participant observations and semi-structured interviews regarding four initiatives that occurred in 2024. A sociocultural analysis outlines the communicative frame: text; context; aims; acts; interlocutors and their power/freedom of expression; interactions; results. The article examines the communicative pattern of each initiative, considering an intercultural orientation and a pluralistic model of interfaith dialogue. It seeks to answer the following questions: what was the fundamental message that the promoters wanted to convey? How do the single actors communicate their perspective of religious “others”, and what results did they achieve or not achieve? The analysis leads to identifying the patterns that facilitate and/or hamper dialogue, taking into account misunderstandings and “cul-de-sac” aspects. Final recommendations highlight the recurrent breaking points that should be prevented and some premises to guarantee successful communication between members of different religions in multicultural urban spaces. Full article

Urban space is the social field in which religious diversity in contemporary Italy becomes most evident and where religious groups compete for visibility, recognition, and places of worship. The sites of so-called minorities can be observed as indicators of a plural religious geography. Peaceful and conflictual dynamics are both expressed precisely through external recognition, which may be horizontal—religious and social—when between peers or vertical therefore juridical. This study presents the findings of research conducted in the city of Turin, an emblematic case within the Italian religious landscape for the management of religious diversity and interreligious dialogue initiatives. The analysis focuses on the Romanian Orthodox Church located in the historic center, which we interpret as a shared religious place. This case shows how a spatial and material perspective can offer an innovative approach to the field of interreligious dialogue. Places of worship are crucial spaces for interreligious dialogue: they serve as laboratories of local peace-building and experiments in coexistence, mutual respect, encounter, and conflict mediation. However, in a frame of multiple secularities, the ambiguity of both the national and regional legal systems contribute to marginality of the religious dimension in the city’s urban planning policies, ignoring the important role these places play as spaces of cohesion, identity, inclusion. Full article

The introduction of Christian angelology during the Ming and Qing dynasties was driven by strong practical needs. As intermediaries bridging the sacred and the secular, angels were endowed with crucial functions in core sacraments such as baptism and the Mass, including the purification of sins, protection, and the connection between God and humanity. Their participation in these rituals not only enhanced the sanctity of the ceremonies but also facilitated a dialogue with traditional Chinese spirits. Missionaries deliberately avoided abstract theological discussions about angels, instead emphasizing their role in accompanying and guiding believers in daily life. The concept of “guardian angels” addressed the spiritual needs of believers, while the imagery of angels in funeral rites helped reconstruct expressions of filial piety, thereby mitigating cultural conflicts between China and the West. At the same time, the localized understanding of angels among Chinese Catholics during this period focused on ritual practices and the affirmation of their own identity. The introduction of Christian angels during the Ming and Qing dynasties, with their practical dimensions, facilitated the indigenization process of Catholicism in China and provided new perspectives and pathways for interreligious and intercultural dialogue. Full article

It is important to underline that the history of Canon Law has a specific significance, even considering the methodological opportunity to find and to reconsider documents, periods, and personalities in order to modify and to enhance already acquired hermeneutical data. A partially unexplored hypothesis, however, consists in the peculiar attitude of Canon Law in approaching themes coming from the current configuration of legal relationships because the ecclesial paradigm has represented a primary framework, not only in Western societies, for Christian cultures and a not necessarily hostile and antithetical model to the others. By selecting a restrained amount of critical case studies, this essay will consider juridical institutes related to the legitimacy of public authorities, the legal protection of dissent (but on the basis of limited circumstances), the Private law possibility to realize human interests in a pacific, mutual, contractual way. Full article

From the 16th to the 18th century, Jesuit missionaries in China pioneered inter-cultural exchange by integrating cultural accommodation with groundbreaking linguistic research. By adopting Confucian scholarly practices and systematically studying the Chinese language, they developed innovative approaches to Chinese phonetics, grammar, lexicography, rhetoric, and teaching. Their linguistic achievements not only facilitated missionary work but also contributed to early modern sinology and cross-cultural communications. This paper examines the Jesuits’ dual strategy of cultural accommodation and linguistic research, demonstrating how their deep engagement with Chinese intellectual traditions enabled them to study the Chinese language successfully, to communicate with local elites smoothly, and to disseminate Christianity effectively. Through the combination of local philological traditions with Western linguistic techniques, they introduced new perspectives on the Chinese language, influencing both Western sinology and China’s linguistic development. Their translations of religious, scientific, and philosophical texts also played a key role in shaping Sino-Western intellectual exchanges. By analyzing the Jesuits’ linguistic activities and the strategies they employed in the process, this study highlights the Jesuits’ impact on Chinese linguistic scholarship, the transmission of Christianity, and their role in cross-cultural communication. Their work also exemplifies how language, culture, and religion can effectively collaborate in cross-cultural encounters, shaping historical narratives and fostering dialogue between civilizations. Full article

This article explores the evolution of Jewish–Christian dialogue in the Roman Catholic Church, focusing on the theological and pastoral contributions of three post-Vatican II Popes—John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. Beginning with the transformative Nostra Ætate declaration of the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965), this study examines how each Pope uniquely advanced Jewish–Christian relations through doctrinal development, symbolic gestures, and interreligious dialogue. John Paul II’s performative theology emphasized reconciliation and outreach, significantly enhancing Jewish–Christian relations through groundbreaking gestures and public declarations. Benedict XVI sought to deepen the theological foundations of Jewish–Christian dialogue, integrating it into broader Roman Catholic theology while navigating challenges of reception due to his intellectual style. Francis emphasized relational warmth, shared ethical commitments, and a theology of reconciliation, fostering a more inclusive and dialogical approach to interreligious engagement. By analysing the continuities and discontinuities in the approaches of these three Popes, this article highlights the dynamic interplay between theology, symbolism, and pastoral care in advancing Jewish–Christian relations, offering a comprehensive overview of a pivotal era in interreligious dialogue. Full article

The management of laicity in Mexico, legally and politically, is a federal issue that involves regulating the activities of Churches and religious communities in the public space, in their practices, rituals, and relations with the organs of the state. However, in recent years, the growing presence and activity of Churches at the local level has called into question the need to observe how laicity is managed by subnational governments, both state and municipal. Are there mechanisms at the local level to regulate the presence of religion in the public space? How are religious traditions presented as culturally managed? What are the demands of Churches on local authorities and what is their political relationship with them? How is the demand for religious freedom resolved locally without violating citizens’ other freedoms, such as the freedom of conscience in issues such as education, health, traffic, and freedom of expression? All this has put into perspective whether laicity and the secular state should continue to be a national dimension or whether it is necessary to rethink legal and political forms at the local level, building new frameworks of governance and governability. This text reviews the public management of laicity in eight entities of the country, which in turn is representative of the rest of the entities with their local variations. However, they generally move in the constant dimensions of religious diversity, interreligious councils, offices, or those in charge of religious affairs, and levels of municipal participation. The construction of a new laicity is then proposed, which does not exclude religion from the public agenda but rather a new secular perspective on the participation of religious communities in public affairs. From a Latin American perspective, Mexico is seen as an effective government regime that separates religion from politics, restricting the participation of religious organizations in the public agenda. However, at the local level, this regime is changing with the inclusion of faith-based organizations in politics. This will undoubtedly lead to a change in the historical concept, a reference point in the region. The term management of laicity refers to the regulation and administration of governments (services, legal support, spaces, and dialogues) with religious communities. Management (control, regulation, permits, sanctions, and recognition) is defined by law and in public policy towards religion from the federal government, but not in local governments that lack clear regulatory frameworks, intervention guidelines, and support, hence the emphasis on the term. Full article

On the 60th anniversary of the publication of Paul VI’s encyclical Ecclesiam suam, dedicated to the issue of dialogue, we propose an analysis of this document focused on interreligious dialogue. We will identify the relationship between the encyclical, the theology of religions and the documents of the Second Vatican Council, focusing especially on the declaration Nostra aetate. In addition, we will point out how this encyclical has indirectly influenced the evolution of interreligious dialogue in the post-council period until today. Full article