“Who is my Neighbour? Interfaith Dialogue and Theological Formation” (Responses)

Abstract

The following are three response papers that were presented at the “Who is My Neighbour? Interfaith Dialogue and Theological Formation Conference,” held on October 19, 2022, and are indirectly responding to Amy-Jill Levine's discussion on Christian-Jewish dialogue.
 The first response paper by Jean Duhaime, entitled “Christian-Jewish Dialogue and Theological Formation,” discusses how Christian-Jewish dialogue has been viewed and theologically negotiated in the Catholic tradition since Vatican II. By also addressing various Jewish reactions to the shift in Catholic attitudes towards the Jewish tradition, Duhaime illustrates the work still needed to be done for the Catholic Church to clarify its understanding of the relationship between Christianity and Judaism while simultaneously highlighting the value of including Jewish-Christian dialogue in the formation and training of religious leaders.
 The second response paper by Sherril Gilbert, entitled “Why Training in the Art of Interreligious Dialogue Is Necessary for Theological Education: Thinking About ‘Who Is My Neighbour?’ From a Jewish Perspective,” discusses her personal experience in the seminary and her work as a Rabbi in multifaith contexts. Rabbi Sherril Gilbert’s response shifts the focus from the dialogue of theological exchange to what interreligious dialogue theorists would call “the dialogue of life” – which is to say, she articulates the wholistic value of interfaith dialogue, and, in doing so, demonstrates why it is crucial to incorporate a concern for interfaith dialogue into modern theological education.
 The last response paper by Hassan Guillet, entitled “La Table interreligieuse de concentration du Québec: A Case Study” examines his personal experiences with interfaith dialogue during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a founding member of the Table Interreligieuse de concertation du Québec. He explains how this experience opened his eyes to the power of interfaith dialogue and collaboration, and also to the need to expand interfaith dialogue initiatives to include as many faith communities as possible, including Indigenous faith communities that are not as clearly demarcated as, say, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam