IJCR Upcoming Events
The Pontificate of Pope Francis and Catholic-Jewish Relations
WEDNESDAY, MAY 12, 2025, 1:00-2:30 P.M. EDT
Live Webinar - Register Here
Join us as we discuss the legacy of Pope Francis with three international experts who will assess the achievements and difficulties in Jewish-Catholic relations during his twelve-year papacy. They will also consider what his successor's interfaith priorities should be.
Dr. Karma Ben Johanan teaches modern Christianity and Jewish-Christian Relations in the Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is a historian of late-modern religion and religious ideas, focusing on Jewish-Christian relations on the one hand, and on religious-secular and church-state relations on the other.
Dr. Massimo Faggioli is a professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University in Philadelphia. A scholar of the papacy, Vatican II, liturgical reform, and the intersection of Catholicism and global politics, he is a frequent contributor to prominent national and international media outlets, including The Washington Post, The New York Times, and National Public Radio.
Rabbi Abraham Skorka is a senior research fellow for Jewish studies and Jewish-Christian relations at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is also a senior research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and has taught courses for Center for Jewish Civilization. With his friend Pope Francis, he co-authored the book On Heaven and Earth.
Facing the Future as Friends
Catholics, Jews, and Muslims Reflect on Their Relationship 60 Years after Vatican II
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2025, 9 A.M. TO 1:00 P.M. (lunch to follow)
Campion Student Center: Doyle Banquet Hall South (campus map)
Registration Required
[This is an early notice of an event in development].
Organized in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, City of Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, City of Philadelphia Office of Muslim Engagement, and the Peace Islands Institute with support from the American Jewish Committee, the Jewish Community Relations Council, the Philadelphia Religious Leaders Council, and others.]
On October 28, 1965, the Second Vatican Council of the Catholic Church issued an authoritative declaration on its relationship with other religions. Entitled Nostra Aetate, Latin for “In Our Time,” it called for interreligious dialogue, devoting special attention to Jews and Muslims. To mark its sixtieth anniversary, we will reflect together on the new possibilities for interreligious friendships that declaration enabled, consider the religious topics we need to keep exploring, and discuss how to continue building the interreligious solidarity that is desperately needed in today’s divided and violent world.
Keynote Speaker: Cardinal Wilton Gregory
His Eminence Cardinal Wilton Gregory is Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, having served as its seventh Archbishop from 2019–2025. He is co-chair of the dialogue between the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Council of Synagogues. Cardinal Gregory will be introduced by Philadelphia's Archbishop Nelson Pérez.
Panel: The Past and Future Impact of Nostra Aetate on Catholic relations with Jews and Muslims
Rev. Russell K. McDougall is the Executive Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
Rabba Rori Picker Neiss serves as the Senior Vice President for Community Relations at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA).
Dr. Zeki Saritoprak is a Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and Director of the Bediuzzaman Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University.
Facilitated Process: Interfaith Friendships in Times of Crisis
Rabbi Or Rose is the founding Director of the Betty Ann Greenbaum Miller Center for Interreligious Learning & Leadership and also of the Center for Global Judaism at Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts.
Dr. Homayra Ziad is Director of Campus Partnerships at Interfaith America and Senior Lecturer in the Program in Islamic Studies at Johns Hopkins University.