Inter-religious dialogue in Rome

MasterPeace is invited as an honorary guest at the 10th Anniversary of The John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue and The Russell Berrie Fellowship in Interreligious Studies. The conference held in Rome at the prestigious Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome (The “Angelicum”) a moment in which key players in tolerance and inter-religious dialogue come together.

Under the theme of “Education for Action: The Urgency of Interfaith Leadership for Global Good”, the event will host panel sessions, ‘marketplace’, and TED Style talks with more than 16 different organizations from grassroots and global levels, who are active in promoting inter-religious dialogue and peace-building.

MasterPeace global leader Aart Bos is among the main panel speakers, bringing the MasterPeace experience and work on interfaith dialogue in different countries around the world to a wider audience. Large number of MasterPeace Clubs have been putting interfaith dialogue at the heart of their activities, in countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Ukraine and some others.

Bos expressed his enthusiasm and honor on behalf of MasterPeace to be part of this historic event “ Our societies on a local and global level is at unprecedented pressure. Extremism, polarization, populism, the increasing gap between the have and have nots which we all can recognize, however in MasterPeace we believe in connecting all the positive dots together to create a change”

In addition, MasterPeace will be represented at the “Marketplace of Ideas” which is a fair including the major international interfaith organizations as well as an alumni to showcase grassroots projects promoting interfaith cooperation, further providing an opportunity to move from study to practice and education to action.

As the event’s main purpose is to encourage networking and learning between organizations, MasterPeace is a perfect match as Bos explains the model of MasterPeace in approaching networking events.

“Most development organizations would take part in networking; however, they don’t really like it! It is usually wrongly perceive as ‘hunting’ or ‘selling’. In my experience however it shows when an organization has a strong drive to realize its goals, it can’t happen without co-creation. In MasterPeace, we ask partners what can they bring on the table but more we ask them how can we help them achieve their goals”

“Friendship and partnership will sustain when they combine these two elements; values and commitment to inspiring goals” Bos concluded.

The event is organized by The John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue is an academic center that serves to build bridges between religious traditions, particularly between Catholic Christian and Jewish pastoral and academic leaders. The Center is a partnership between the Russell Berrie Foundation and the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). It operates as part of the Section for Ecumenism and Dialogue in the Theology Faculty of the Angelicum in Rome.