Christian Troll
After studying philosophy and theology in Tübingen and Bonn (1957-1961), he studied Arabic at the University of St Joseph in Beirut (1961-1963). After entering the Jesuit order and the Jesuit basic training, he studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London from 1966 onwards, where he obtained an honours degree in Urdu literature in 1970 and a doctorate in 1975 with a thesis on modern Islam. In 2001 he was appointed to the Philosophical and Theological University of Sankt Georgen in Frankfurt am Main as an honorary professor. He retired in 2007.
Until 2005, Troll was a member of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, part of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID), for twelve years. He is considered an eminent scholar of Islam. Pope Benedict XVI appointed him in 2008 as one of the scientists who – at the invitation of 138 Islamic scholars – collaborate in the Catholic-Islamic Forum. In addition, Troll is a member of the German Bishops’ Conference’s sub-commission for interreligious dialogue and an advisor to the Bishops’ Office CIBEDO.
He is co-author with Tobias Specker, SJ, of the book that gave rise to the website in German: “Muslims ask, Christians answer.”
Resources of this researcher
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publication
Muslims ask, Christians answer
- Christian Troll
Muslims and Christians meet more and more and Muslims often ask for the faith of Christians. This volume discusses 12 of the most important issues and explains the context in which they arise. On t...
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publication
What to say to Muslims?
- Christian Troll
Muslims sometimes question Christians. But what is behind their questions? Here is a book to avoid misunderstandings. Too often, the same words mean different horizons.
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...