This book engages thinkers from different religious and humanist traditions in response to Pope Francis's pronouncements on interreligious dialogue. The contributors write from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Humanism. Each author elaborates on how the pope's openness to dialogue and invitation to practical collaboration on global concerns represents a significant achievement as the world faces an uncertain future. The theological tension within the Catholic double commitment to evangelization on the one hand, and dialogue on the other, remains unresolved for most writers, but this does not prevent them from praising the strong invitation to dialogue-especially with the focus on justice, peace, and ecological sustainability.
"The reader of this volume comes away enriched not only by a better appreciation of how variegated the Pope's contribution to interreligious relations has been but also by the critical as well as the constructive relation of Francis's thought to the thought of other religions and their key thinkers. One imagines that this is precisely the kind of conversation that Francis himself would like to see emerging from his work." (Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Modern Believing, Vol. 61 (2), April, 2020)
"Pope Francis and Interreligious Dialogue has earned a place on any short list of resources dealing with Francis' engagement with various traditions and cultures. The chapters are rich, diverse, and accessible. They are appropriate for students, scholars, and lay reading groups seeking to understand Francis' vision of cultivating a culture of [interreligious] encounter." (Hans Gustafson, Reading Religion, August 08, 2019)
"Pope Francis and Interreligious Dialogue has earned a place on any short list of resources dealing with Francis' engagement with various traditions and cultures. The chapters are rich, diverse, and accessible. They are appropriate for students, scholars, and lay reading groups seeking to understand Francis' vision of cultivating a culture of [interreligious] encounter." (Hans Gustafson, Reading Religion, August 08, 2019)