The John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue

Professor Mona Sidiqui speaking at the Pope John Paul II 2010 Annual Lecture

The John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue (JPC), a partnership between The Russell Berrie Foundation and the Pontifical University of St Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), has the goal of building bridges between the Catholic, Jewish and other religious traditions by providing the next generation of religious leaders with a comprehensive understanding of and dedication to inter-faith issues. The Center, located at the Angelicum in Rome, Italy, will encompass a variety of creative, effective, and well-planned activities to achieve this goal; including an Annual Lecture on Interreligious Dialogue, and a two-year Fellowship which is designed to attract highly qualified students to become engaged in inter-religious study and research.

The Angelicum is an international ecclesiastical Dominican centre for teaching and research. At present, there are one hundred and fifty professorsfrom thirty countries, and twelve hundred students from ninety different nations working and studying in the faculties of Theology, Philosophy, Canon Law and the Social Sciences. Today the courses offered also include topical issues such as ecumenism, religious pluralism, multiculturalism and economic and financial ethics. (www.angelicum.org) Students may receive a Baccalaureate, Master’s, License and Doctoral Degrees and many past Angelicum graduates have gone on to hold positions of leadership in the Catholic Church.

Since 1998, Rabbi Jack Bemporad, the founder of the Center for Interreligious Understanding (CIU), (www.faithindialogue.org) has been a visiting professor teaching courses at the Angelicum to members of the clergy and laity pursuing their advanced academic degrees.

Over the past several years, the Foundation and the faculty and leadership of the Angelicum have been working closely to develop a center for interreligious dialogue, which will expand course offerings on interreligious subjects at the University.

John Paul II Center

The John Paul II Center will operate out of the Department of Theology at the Angelicum and will serve as a resource and space for faculty, students and guests on interreligious subjects and issues. The Center will also organize seminars, conferences and activities for faculty and students and will house a resource library of interreligious books and publications. The Center will manage the common initiatives of The Russell Berrie Foundation, the Angelicum and other interested and committed partners in the area of interreligious studies.

The Russell Berrie Fellowship Program

Angelica Berrie, President of the Russell Berrie Foundation, Father Bliss and members of Berrie Fellows Cohort 2

The goal of the Russell Berrie Fellowship program is to attract well-qualified students to engage in two years of interreligious study and research at either the license or doctorate level. The Fellowship will normally be available to students for study at the Angelicum for up to two years. The Russell Berrie Foundation conducts a worldwide outreach/recruitment effort to attract qualified candidates. Admission for the Fellowship is highly selective. All Fellowship candidates have to gain admission to the Angelicum in order to qualify for the Fellowship.

In 2008, seven fellowships were awarded to the first cohort of students originating from five different countries: India, Italy, Nigeria, Romania, and the United States. A second cohort of thirteen fellows has recently been selected, who will be commencing their studies in the fall of 2009. These fellows originate from nine different countries: Australia, Croatia, India, Italy, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, and the United States. For more information on the fellowship and how to apply for it, please click on the following link: http://www.iie.eu/pages/index.php

Study Trip to Israel

As part of the fellowship, a summer study opportunity will be offered to Berrie Fellows for the purpose of providing them with academic and interreligious experience in Israel. Fellows will receive academic credit for this study program. The first cohort of Berrie Fellows recently traveled to Israel for a ten day study trip. Highlights included learning sessions at the Shalom Hartman Institute, and visits to the Dead Sea and Nazareth and touring the holy sites in and around Jerusalem.

Roman Islamic Leaders host Berrie Fellows, Russell Berrie Foundation Staff and Representatives and Angelicum Leadership at the Mosque and Islamic Cultural Center, Rome, Italy- April 2010

Pope John Paul II Annual Lecture on Interreligious Dialogue

The goal of the annual lecture is to raise the profile of interreligious studies at the Angelicum and throughout the world. The annual lecture will feature a world religious leader who embodies the ideals of interreligious understanding. The lecture will be a major event at the University and in the Roman academic community, and is expected to generate significant press coverage.

The First Annual Lecture was held on April 4, 2008 and Reverend Donald W. Wuerl, S.T.D. Archbishop of Washington, DC was the keynote speaker. His speech was entitled: Unifying Religious Threads that Provide a Common Ground for Peace. Please click here for his remarks. The event was a great success with over 100 people in attendance.

Rabbi Michael Schudrich, the Chief Rabbi of Poland, was the speaker for Second Annual Lecture on March 4, 2009. His lecture was entitled: A Rabbi’s Reflection on the Teachings of John Paul II. Please click here for his remarks. The Russell Berrie Fellowship newsletter highlights the Second Annual Lecture.

Both events garnered positive Italian and international press coverage:
Please click here to read an article about the Annual Lecture in the Washington Post. Please click here to watch Rabbi Schudrich speak about interfaith relations.

The Third Annual Pope John Paul II Lecture on Interreligious Understanding took place on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas, in Rome, Italy. Dr. Mona Siddiqui, Prominent Islamic Scholar and Professor of Islamic Studies and Public Understanding at the University of Glasgow, presented a lecture entitled, “Islamic Perspectives on Judaism and Christianity”. For more information on Mona Siddiqui and to read her bio, please click the following link: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/theology/staff/monasiddiqui/

To learn more about the Pope John Paul II Center, watch the Annual Lecture and view an engaging roundtable discussion with Mona Siddiqui, Rabbi Jack Bemporad and Angelicum Rector Charles Morerod, please click the following link: www.jp2center.org/

Institute for International Education (IIE)

The Foundation has partnered with IIE to administer, plan and organize various aspects of this initiative, including the Russell Berrie Fellowship program. IIE is among the world’s largest and most experienced international education and training organizations. Last year, over 20,000 men and women from 175 countries received scholarships and professional trainingthrough IIE programs, including the Fulbright Program.