austraLasia 1088
Salesian Sister defends Interreligious dialogue thesis at Gregorian
ROME: 21st March 2005 -- Sr Teresa Joseph FMA of the Salesian Sisters' Mumbai province, recently defended her doctoral thesis 'Family of truth: the liminal context of interreligious dialogue' at Rome's 450 year-old Jesuit Pontifical Gregorian University. Just three years ago the University set up its Institute for Interreligious Dialogue, officially known as the Institute for the study of religions and cultures.
Sr Teresa's thesis was defended before an unusually large crowd, many of them Salesian Sisters, prompting her Moderator's wry comment: "I'm not sure if the Salesian Sisters are here to encourage Sr Teresa or to threaten the Board of Examiners"!
The Vatican, which gave its approval to the setting up of the Institute several years ago, has often expressed concern over inter-faith encounters which are likely to muddy the waters, something that was stressed in the 'Dominus Jesus' Declaration some years ago. Sr Teresa's thesis highlights the importance of maintaining networks and an equilibrium of certain uncompromising principles needed in any genuine inter-faith encounter.
Sr Teresa's 'Family of Truth' notion is based on the work of the symbolic anthropologist Victor Turner who considered that the symbolic expression of shared meanings, rather than the attraction of material interests, lies at the centre of human relationships.
The Salesian defended her views for an hour, fielding sometimes tough questions from theological, anthropological, pedagogical and even catehcetical points of view. Her study is regarded as innovative, her command of the issues under questioning was demonstrated to be outstanding and her defence was commended for being spirited and forthright.
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