Inspiring each other to step outside our comfort zone
An “energizing and enriching” meeting took place on Friday 10 January 2025: twelve students and two professors from St. Norbert College near Green Bay, Wisconsin, met with members of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue in the Vatican.
Dr. O’Connor briefly illustrates the course content and the purpose of the study trip: “The class is “Interfaith Relations in the Mediterranean”, a theology class co-taught by Dr. Thomas Bolin and Dr. Andrew O’Connor. The students are spending about a week and a half in Rome to study Catholic-Jewish relations followed by a week and a half in Jordan to study Catholic-Muslim relations. “We are discussing important documents like Nostra Aetate, Human Fraternity, as well as the story of St. Francis and the Sultan during the Fifth Crusade… We are hoping that students develop a strong understanding of not only the history of the Church’s interactions with other religions, but also an appreciation for the efforts she is undertaking today to build relationships, foster understanding, and facilitate dialogue” and adds “we could have spoken with you all day. I wish more American Catholics knew about the work you are doing”.
During the meeting, students were very engaged in the conversation, with many relevant questions on the topic of interfaith dialogue in the modern world. Here are some reflections by one of them after the meeting:
“…grazie mille for hosting us and creating a space for open discussion, questions, and the sharing of experiences with people of other religions and their interactions with one another. To start, I was extremely glad to hear an organisation already exists that is working to create this open forum of discussion between groups that so often are pitted against one another; however, as we spoke of, this only results in dragging each other down!
Human beings are extremely complex creatures, and naturally, our faiths and religious practices are as well. They range by culture, region, and ethnic background, and being able to have a civil and intelligent conversation about this extremely important matter of spirituality may begin with growing pains and discomfort, but in the end, we are all part of the human race. We should be there to bolster one another, not to tear each other down for believing something different.
I am excited to go home and put into practice what we talked about: have patience, be respectful, and truly listen and comprehend what others have to say on the matter. There is something to be learned from everyone.
Lastly, in the past, I have attempted to talk about these things, like religion or politics, with friends back home in university, but I don’t think I went about it the right way. As a very curious person, I am always looking for answers, instead of honest experiences and perspectives that provide data points guiding us in the right direction.
These issues, that may be difficult or impossible to talk about in some situations, are vital to our understanding of the human experience, which is why we must be willing to fully step outside our comfort zones and be present with each other, no matter our differences.
Thank you for your time, and I hope our paths will cross again in the future.”
From Logan Anderson, SNC Class of 2025
– Source: Dicastery for Interreligious Tolerance, Vatican
