Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti (“brothers and sisters, all”), released on October 4, 2020, develops at length a call for a “culture of encounter” in which dialogue among people, communities, and religious traditions is not merely a cosmetic or pragmatic opportunity, but an urgently needed means of healing our corroded public culture, which has increasingly been marked more by clashes of opinion grounded in alternative realities than by empathy and ethical engagement with otherness. Genuine dialogue can, Pope Francis suggests, be a transformative path of “peace to heal open wounds” (FT 225): a path with no end, as the building of peace does not conclude with the cessation of violence. The encyclical, accordingly, builds toward its concluding appeal to the religions—not merely to the people of conscience who constitute them, but to the traditions themselves—to become cultivators of universal fraternity, which does not abolish or even marginalize difference but grounds it in a familial love that subordinates disagreement to reciprocal commitment.

This online colloquium brings together scholars and leaders from several religious traditions who represent a wealth of experience and guiding insight with the public interreligious dialogue for which Fratelli Tutti calls. The colloquium will be moderated by the Very Rev. Brian Terry, SA, Minister General of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. Following the panel, our conversation will continue in small groups, moderated by staff and local interfaith leaders.

Panelists include:

-Dr. Pritpal Kaur (The Sikh Coalition)

-Dr. Mona Siddiqui (The University of Edinburgh)

-Rev. Kosen Gregory Snyder (Union Theological Seminary)

-Rabbi Burton Visotzky (Jewish Theological Seminary)

This event is free and open to the public. We gratefully acknowledge our co-organizers and co-sponsors:

-The Interfaith Center of New York

-The Milstein Center for Interreligious Dialogue

-Religions for Peace USA

-The Thich Nhat Hanh Program for Engaged Buddhism