Référence :
Proche-Orient Chrétien 65, 2015, 309-323
English
On Interreligious Dialogue
Abstract : To be able to speak seriously about interreligious dialogue, we must first clarify what is meant by religion. It is necessary to distinguish “religious tradition”, “religious institution” and “religiosity”. It is also important to reflect on people in dialogue, in this case theologians in the majority of cases. What do they represent? Their own opinion? The point of view of the institution to which they belong? Is it a consensus among theologians? It must be recognized that there are many and different kinds of dialogue. The article identifies three standard examples. First, two Christian theologians who seek to give a place to Islam within the framework of their own theology. Then, two theologians, one Christian and the other Muslim, who reflect on the place to give to believers of another religion in their theology. Finally, a person who studies the point of view of several theologians, two Christians and two Muslims, and points out the points of convergence and divergence, sometimes even within the same religious tradition. To conclude: any form of interreligious dialogue presupposes a culture of dialogue that is first and foremost based on good human relations. Training to foster such a culture exists and must follow different steps. The author presents an example of this kind of training.
Titre original : “On Interreligious Dialogue”
Résumé
Pour pouvoir parler sérieusement de dialogue interreligieux, il faut d’abord préciser ce que l’on entend par religion. Il est nécessaire de distinguer “tradition religieuse”, “institution religieuse” et “religiosité”. Il est de même important de réfléchir sur les personnes en dialogue, en l’occurrence des théologiens dans la majorité des cas. Que représentent-ils ? Leur propre opinion ? Le point de vue de l’institution à laquelle ils appartiennent ? S’agit-il d’un consensus entre théologiens ? Il faut reconnaître qu’il existe plusieurs et différents genres de dialogue. L’article relève trois exemples-types. D’abord, deux théologiens chrétiens qui cherchent à donner une place à l’islam au sein du cadre de leur propre théologie. Ensuite, deux théologiens amis, l’un chrétien et l’autre musulman qui réfléchissent sur la place à donner aux croyants d’une autre religion dans leur théologie. Enfin, une personne qui étudie le point de vue de plusieurs théologiens, deux chrétiens et deux musulmans, et relève les points de convergence et de divergence, parfois même à l’intérieur d’une même tradition religieuse. Pour conclure : toute forme de dialogue interreligieux suppose une culture de dialogue qui est d’abord basée sur de bonnes relations humaines. Des formations pour favoriser une telle culture existent et doivent suivre différentes étapes. L’auteur nous y présente un exemple de ce genre de formation.
Thom Sicking s.j.
Download PDF
Author(s)
Resources of this researcher
publication
Religion and Territories (Proceedings of the international colloquium organised by the Centre for the Study and Interpretation of Religious Fact, USJ, Beyrouth)
Proceedings of the international colloquium organised by the Centre for the Study and Interpretation of Religious Fact of the Faculty of Religious Sciences of the USJ. (10-11 February 2017) Publish...
publication
Proche Orient Chrétien N°67 – Al Azhar Declaration (2017)
Tome 67 de la revue fondée par les Pères blancs en 1965 et éditée depuis 2005 par l’Université Saint Joseph de Beyrouth. Il est possible de lire en ligne les éléments suivants en cliquant sur...
publication
Female figures of holiness, Muslim and Christian, in the MENA region
Actes du colloque du centre d’études et d’interprétation du fait religieux, Université Saint Joseph, 20-21 février 2015. Sommaire Afrique du Nord : Nelly Amri : Entre Orient et Occciden...
article
On Interreligious Dialogue
Abstract : To be able to speak seriously about interreligious dialogue, we must first clarify what is meant by religion. It is necessary to distinguish “religious tradition”, “religious institution...
publication
Religions. Between universality and particularity.
Conference of the Centre for Study and Interpretation of Religious Facts, Saint Joseph University of Beirut. February 27-28, 2014. Contents 1. Thom SICKING Présentation du colloque 2. Antoine FLE...
publication
Religious Spaces in Lebanon
Extracts from the foreword by Louis Boisset s.j., Holder of the Unesco Chair of Comparative Studies of Religions, Mediation and Dialogue, USJ and Honorary Dean of the Faculty of Religious Sciences ...
Resources related to
Muslim-Christian Dialogue
article
Kenneth Cragg and the Event of the Qur’an
- Timo Güzelmansur
Article by Timo Güzelmansur published under the title Kenneth Cragg und das Ereignis des Koran on the theological portal feinschwarz.net (12 June 2026, open access). Timo Güzelmansur presents the A...
article
Leo XIV’s encyclical Magnifica Humanitas and the Pluriel working group on AI-assisted interreligious dialogue
- Wael Saleh
Text by Wael Saleh, researcher at the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and member of the Pluriel coordination committee. The simultaneous appearance of Leo XIV's encyclical Magnifica Human...
publication
The Recognition of a Hummingbird. Essays on Interreligious Dialogue and Missionary Work (2007-2025)
- Rémi Caucanas
Published in May 2026 by PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome), this collection brings together the essays of Rémi Caucanas on interreligious dialogue and missionary wor...
videos
From Lavigerie to PISAI: The Institutional History of the Missionaries of Africa’s Engagement with Islam
Delivered on 21 May 2026 at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) in Rome, this lecture opens the series of conferences marking the institute's centenary (1926-2026). Fr. ...
videos
Interreligious Dialogue and Ethnic Nationalisms in the Balkans
At the invitation of PISAI (Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome) and Georgetown University, Ahmet Alibašić, professor of Islamic civilization at the Faculty of Islamic Studies...
publication
For a Christian Theology of Religions
- Michel Younès
Faced with contemporary religious diversity, how can Christian theology make sense of the place that other religions occupy in God’s design? Michel Younès examines the three traditional ̶...
publication
Intercultural Theology
- Jean Patrick Nkolo Fanga
Because every theology is culturally situated, Christian theology is inevitably multicultural. Yet one step remains to be taken: to become intercultural. Crossing languages, contexts, origins, ages...
article
Bells and Muezzin in Harmony: Dialogue with Islam as a Spiritual Responsibility
- Timo Güzelmansur
Article by Timo Güzelmansur published under the title Glocken und Muezzin im Einklang. Der Dialog mit dem Islam als geistliche Verantwortung in Herder Korrespondenz (special issue devoted to Pope L...