In the current pluralistic world, The Benedict Summer Institute – a series of conferences held by the center “Saint Paul Inside the Walls” in New Jersey (USA) – took place from June 7th to 9th of this year, to discuss the importance of dialogue nowadays.
In the eighth edition of this event, Fr. Rocco Viviano, Xaverian Missionary working in Japan and Ph.D. in Missiology, went to the US to preside the conference by the title, “Truth and Tolerance: Pope Benedict XVI on Christianity and World Religions.”
Fr. Viviano divided his speech into three parts. The first day was about giving a foundation of Benedict XVI’s teaching on interfaith dialogue. The next day, Fr. Viviano dove deeper into the topic analyzing the relations between Christianity and other religions through the lens of Benedict XVI’s teachings. Finally, the event concluded with a reflection on practical ways to live the interfaith dialogue according to the Pope emeritus.
A very diverse audience attended the three days event. There were around 40 people every day, from 20 to 70 years old folks, and with very different educational backgrounds, said Brian Honsberger – director of programs and operations at the center. There were people with a high school diploma while others with a Ph.D. degree, and not all of them where Catholics.
“Teaching the Benedict XVI Institute was much more than giving some lectures,” said Fr. Viviano, “It was an experience of encounter at various levels, filled with God’s blessings, after which I returned to my mission in Japan with the heart full of gratitude.”
These meetings are crucial because create a connection between the Xaverians and other missionary organizations and communities.
“We found Fr. Rocco on Google,” said Honsberger, “We were looking for an expert of Benedict XVI and interfaith dialogue, and his name pops up. But we didn’t know if he would accept our invitation because he works in Japan. But surprisingly, he welcomed our request!”
There are three main takes away from this conference for Honsberger. First, participants could understand better Benedict's teaching about interfaith dialogue. Next, people attending the conference are more motivated now to engage in interfaith dialogue actions. Finally, Fr. Rocco was able to give very practical tools on how to live this dialogue daily.
“Many young-adults participants shared that they found Q&A sections, at the end of each day, very fruitful,” said Honsberger, “We asked Fr. Rocco to speak to a ‘master-level audience’, but his practical style helped also people without higher education to engage in the discussion.”
“We bring a lot of speakers at the center. And Fr. Rocco was the most missionary-minded one,” said Honsberger, “Although we don’t have anything planned yet, we hope to continue to collaborate with the Xaverian Missionaries in the future.”
Fr. Mark Marangone, the Superior of the Xaverian Missionaries in the US, shared the importance of this kind of meetings for our congregation, “These meeting help us, Xaverian Missionaries, to delve into the Scriptures and go beyond our comfort zones so ‘to make of the world one family’.”
Moreover, opportunities like this make the Xaverians working in network and reveal the need to educate people about interfaith dialogue.
“At the 2021 Pope Benedict XVI Institute God surprised me with a beautiful gift,” said Fr. Viviano, “Showing me that many Catholics feel the need to understand more clearly the place of interreligious dialogue in relation to the Christian faith and in the life of the Church and that they were really interested in hearing what I had to share.”
