Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue

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The Dicastery is the central office of the Catholic Church for promoting interreligious dialogue in accordance with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, in particular the declaration Nostra aetate. It has the following responsibilities:

1. to promote mutual understanding, respect and collaboration between Catholics and the followers of other religious traditions;
2. to encourage the study of religions;
3. to promote the formation of persons dedicated to dialogue.

While the Dicastery is responsible for the promotion of inter-religious dialogue, it does not cover Christian-Jewish relations. This is the responsibility of the entirely separate Pontifical Commission of the Holy See for Religious Relations with the Jews, which reports to the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, and is headed by the prefect of that dicastery, Cardinal Kurt Koch.

The Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue is the central hub for dialogue in the Catholic Church. However, dialogue is often carried out at the local level by individual churches, many of which are supported by regional or national dialogue commissions. The PCID works closely to support these commissions and encourages their formation in areas where they do not yet exist.

The Dicastery is restricted to matters of religion and interreligious dialogue. It does not address social or economic issues, which are covered by other departments in the Roman Curia.{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_pro_20051996_en.html|title=The Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue|website=Vatican.va|access-date=30 September 2017}}

The Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims is part of the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue.{{efn|"The PCID has a special commission for relations with Muslims."}} The Commission's place within the Council’s structure reflects a degree of independence. The Council's president is ex officio president of the Muslim Commission, but the Commission has its own secretary and its own group of eight consultors.

The Dicastery undertakes a range of activities that support its work of promoting mutual understanding between Catholicism and other religions. It welcomes visitors to Rome, it visits others, runs meetings and participates in many more. It publishes a bulletin called Pro dialogo three times a year, containing "significant Church texts on dialogue, articles, and news of dialogue activities throughout the world" as well as an Interreligious Dialogue Directory.

The council was created on 19 May 1964 as the Secretariat for Non-Christians by Pope Paul VI with his apostolic letter Progrediente Concilio.{{cite web | access-date = 26 May 2019 | date= 19 May 1964 |author= Pope Paul VI | url =https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/it/motu_proprio/documents/hf_p-vi_motu-proprio_19640519_progrediente-concilio.html |language= it | title = Progrediente Concilio | publisher = Libreria Editrice Vaticana}} It was renamed the Council for Interreligious Dialogue by Pope John Paul II on 12 June 1988.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}

On 11 March 2006, Pope Benedict XVI altered the status of that Pontifical Council by combining the Council's presidency with that of the Pontifical Council for Culture, then led by Cardinal Paul Poupard, who shared Benedict's skeptical view of interreligious discussions.{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 26 May 2019 | date = 11 March 2006| language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 11.03.2006 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2006/03/11/0120/00363.html |quote= Il Papa, al fine di favorire un dialogo più intenso fra gli uomini di cultura e gli esponenti delle varie religioni, ha unito per ora la presidenza del Pontificio Consiglio per il Dialogo Interreligioso a quella del Pontificio Consiglio della Cultura...}} This organizational change reflected Benedict's view of the nature of dialogue with non-Christians, which he thought could not be theological and needed to focus on shared values, questions not of doctrine but culture.{{cite magazine | magazine = The New Yorker| access-date = 26 May 2019 | url = https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/04/02/the-pope-and-islam | title = The Pope and Islam | first = Jane| last = Kramer| date= 26 March 2007}} In the tense atmosphere of Catholic-Muslim relations at the time, just months after Benedict’s Regensburg address was met with outraged reactions in the Muslim community,{{cite news | access-date = 26 May 2019 | url = http://m.ncregister.com/daily-news/on-islam-francis-follows-in-benedicts-footsteps | title = On Islam, Francis Follows in Benedict's Footsteps | date = 8 February 2019 | first = Raymond J. | last = de Souza}} Benedict's organizational move was seen as "downgrading" the significance of Catholic-Muslim relations.{{cite news | work= National Catholic Reporter | first = John L. | last = Allen Jr. | url = https://www.ncronline.org/news/council-interreligious-dialogue-be-restored-vatican-says | title = Council for Interreligious Dialogue to be restored, Vatican says| date = 30 May 2007 }} After some criticism, Benedict restored the independence of the Pontifical Council distinct from the Council for Culture, separating the presidencies once again and appointing Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue on 25 June 2007, effective 1 September 2007.{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office | access-date = 26 May 2019 | date = 25 June 2007 | language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 25.06.2007 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2007/06/25/0351/00945.html }}{{efn|The Vatican, atypically, announced the restoration of the independence of the Council on Interreligious Dialogue a month in advance of the official change, through a statement by the Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone in late May 2007.{{cite news | access-date = 26 May 2019 | date= 28 May 2007 | work = Reuters | first = Philip | last = Pullella | url = https://www.reuters.com/article/us-pope-muslims/pope-in-about-face-over-muslim-dialogue-office-idUSL2834877820070528?feedType=RSS | title = Pope in about-face over Muslim dialogue office}}}}

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The Dicastery consists of a decision-making body, an advisory body and executive body.

The Members of the Council is the Dicastery’s decision-making body. Around 30 in number, members include Cardinals and Bishops from around the world. Every two or three years, a Plenary Assembly is convened to discuss important issues and to set guidelines for the work of the Council.

The Dicastery has an advisory body of around 50 advisors, called Consultors, who provide research, advice and information to the Council. The Consultors are specialists in religious studies or in the practice of inter-religious dialogue, hailing from all corners of the world.

The Dicastery’s executive body comprises the President, Secretary, Under-Secretary, bureau chief for Islam, staff members for Africa and Asia, a staff member for new religious movements, as well as administrative and support staff.

Presidents (before March 2022) / Prefects (since March 2022):

• Cardinal Paolo Marella (1964–1973){{cite news | work= The New York Times | access-date = 26 May 2019 | date= 27 February 1973| url = https://www.nytimes.com/1973/02/27/archives/pope-paul-appoints-key-church-administrators-held-diplomatic-posts.html | title = Pope Paul Appoints Key Church Administrators | first = Paul | last = Hofmann}}
• Cardinal Sergio Pignedoli (1973–1980)
• Archbishop Jean Jadot (1980–1984)
• Cardinal Francis Arinze (1984–2002)
• Cardinal Michael Fitzgerald, M. Afr. (2002–2006){{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office |date= 1 October 2002 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2002/10/01/0483/01492.html | language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 02.10.2002 | access-date = 27 May 2019}}{{cite press release | publisher = Holy See Press Office |date= 15 February 2006 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2006/02/15/0081/00237.html | language = it | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 15.02.2006 | access-date = 27 May 2019}}
• Cardinal Paul Poupard (2006–2007)
• Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran (2007–2018)
• Cardinal Miguel Ángel Ayuso Guixot, M.C.C.J. (2019–2024){{cite press release |language= it | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2019/05/25/0448/00919.html |publisher= Holy See Press Office | title = Rinunce e Nomine, 25.05.2019 |date = 25 May 2019 |access-date = 26 May 2019}}
• Cardinal George Koovakad (2025–present)

The Secretary of the Dicastery since 3 July 2019 has been Fr. Indunil Janakaratne Kodithuwakku Kankanamalage.{{cite press release | access-date = 3 July 2019 | date= 3 July 2019 | url = http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/07/03/190703a.html| publisher = Holy See Press Office | title= Resignations and Appointments, 03.07.2019}} He was previously Undersecretary for seven years. A Sri Lankan, he has taught at the missiology faculty of the Pontifical Urban University.{{cite press release|date= 12 June 2012 |title=Rinunce e Nomine, 12.06.2012 |access-date=26 May 2019 |url= http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2012/06/12/0348/00817.html|language = it | publisher = Holy See Press Office }} The Under Secretary is Paulin Batairwa Kubuya, S.X. appointed 11 November 2019; he taught at Fu Jen Catholic University and was executive secretary of the commission for interreligious and ecumenical dialogue of the Regional Episcopal Conference of Taiwan.{{cite press release | access-date = 11 November 2019 | date= 11 November 2019 | url = https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/it/bollettino/pubblico/2019/11/11/0859/01787.html | language = it | title = Rinunce e nomine, 11.11.2019 | publisher = Holy See Press Office}}{{efn|"Batairwa Kubuya, Paulin, SX is a Xaverian priest from Congo (Kinshasa). He obtained his MA in Theological Studies at Maryhill School of Theology (Quezon City) and has been in Taiwan for seven years [as of 2008]. He is based at the Tien Educational Center, Office for Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation. He is doing his doctoral studies at the Department of Religious Studies of Fu Jen Catholic University in Taipei."{{cite web | access-date = 12 November 2019 | first = Paulin | last = Batairwa Kubuya | url = http://www.eapi.org.ph/resources/eapr/east-asian-pastoral-review-2008/volume-45-2008-number-1/body-and-prayer-comparing-taoist-and-christian-methods-of-meditation/ | archive-date = 7 January 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200107111418/http://www.eapi.org.ph:80/resources/eapr/east-asian-pastoral-review-2008/volume-45-2008-number-1/body-and-prayer-comparing-taoist-and-christian-methods-of-meditation/ | title = Body and Prayer: Comparing Taoist and Christian Methods of Meditation | publisher = East Asian Pastoral Institute | date= 2008}}}}

{{Portal|Catholicism|Vatican City}}

• John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue
• Pontifical Council
• Studia Linguarum
• Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers

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{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.pcinterreligious.org/ Pontifical Council For Interreligious Dialogue web page]
• [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/documents/rc_pc_interelg_pro_20051996_en.html Official history of the PCID]
• [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/interelg/ Official vatican.va web page]
• [http://www.gcatholic.org/dioceses/romancuria/d23.htm GCatholic.org]
• [https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/relations-jews-docs/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19740101_commission-jews_en.html Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews]

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Category:Catholic ecumenical and interfaith relations

Interreligious Dialogue

Category:Religious organisations based in Italy

Category:Religious organizations established in 1964