CALL FOR PAPERS: New Perspectives on the Dominican Engagement for a Catholic Dialogue with Jews and Muslims

60 Years of Nostra Aetate

New Perspectives on the Dominican Engagement for a Catholic Dialogue with Jews and Muslims

January 19‒21, 2024, in Trier (Germany)

From January 19ᵗʰ to 20ᵗʰ, 2024, an international conference will be held in Trier, Germany, on the reception of Nostra Aetate, entitled “60 years after Nostra Aetate. New Perspectives on the Dominican Engagement for a Catholic Dialogue with Jews and Muslims”.

As “one of the final surprises of the Second Vatican Council”¹ (Maurice Borrmans), its comparatively short declaration of Nostra Aetate “on the relation of the Church to non-Christian religions” (1965) marks a paradigm shift in the attitude of the Catholic Church towards other religions. Despite numerous theological —from today’s perspective— shortcomings of the Declaration, it represents a different, appreciative perception of other religions, especially Judaism and Islam, and thus laid the basis for a modern theology of religions from a Catholic perspective.

It is indisputable that various religious, among them Dominicans, played a significant role in drafting the Declaration.² Less known is their intensive, sometimes decades-long theological and/or practical work of preparation, which they carried out through personal encounters with Jews and Muslims as well as through their academic study of Judaism and Islam, paving the way for Nostra Aetate. In contrast, other members of the Order were critical of this engagement and attempted to prevent such a far-reaching declaration of the Council, but ultimately failed because of the Council Fathers’ call for an ‘aggiornamento’ in the Church.

Please continue to read on the IDEO website.

Please email an abstract of your paper, up to 300 words, and a short academic CV to halft@uni-trier.de by September 30, 2023 (subject heading: Trier Conference 2024).

Conference date: Friday, January 19ᵗʰ, through Sunday, January 21ˢᵗ, 2024.

Conference venue: Haus der pastoralen Berufe (Conference hall II), Jesuitenstraße 13, 54290 Trier, Germany.

Conference languages: English, French, German (no interpretation provided).

Organizers: Elias H. Füllenbach OP (IGDom) / Dr. Dennis Halft OP (Faculty of Theology in Trier, Emil Frank Institute).