TheJohn Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue was an academic center that serves to build bridges between religious traditions, particularly betweenCatholic Christian andJewish pastoral and academic leaders. The Center is a partnership between theRussell Berrie Foundation^[1] and thePontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum). It operated as part of the Section forEcumenism andDialogue in theTheology Faculty of theAngelicum inRome.^[2][3]

The mission of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue was to build bridges betweenChristian and other religious traditions by promoting interreligious study and dialogue locally in Rome and on the global level through academic study and formation for religious leadership and dialogue in life and action.^[4]

The Center was officially opened in 2010 after an agreement was reached between the Angelicum and the Russell Berrie Foundation, based on several years of close collaboration between two of theAngelicum faculty, Rev. Frederick M. Bliss, SM, then-director of the Ecumenical Section of the Theology Faculty, and Rabbi Jack Bemporad, director of theCenter for Interreligious Understanding, in New Jersey.^{[citation needed]}. The Russell Berrie Fellowship in Interreligious Studies was offered from October 2008.

In December 2024, the center officially closed, as the sundowning of the Russell Berrie Foundation prompted consolidation of its funded programs. Over 15 years, the Center has produced 133 Fellows, and funded 40 projects and initiatives.

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The most famous alumnus of theAngelicum is Karol Wojtyła –Pope John Paul II – who earned a doctorate of philosophy there in the late 1940s.

As a child, Karol Wojtyla forged close relationships with Jewish families in his Polish hometown, witnessed first hand the horrors of theSecond World War and Sovietcommunism, and was deeply influenced in his studies by Jewish philosophersMartin Buber andEmmanuel Levinas. All of these life events contributed to his commitment to interreligious bridge building.

Asbishop of Rome, Pope John Paul II was a tireless advocate forinterreligious dialogue, and lead theCatholic Church in its implementation of theVatican Council II documentsNostra aetate andDignitatis humanae, including profound work for the healing of memories, outreach to the Jewish community, and establishing theAssisi interreligious day of prayer for peace.Pope John Paul II died on 2 April 2005, after nearly 27 years as bishop of Rome. He wasbeatified on 1 May 2011 atSt. Peter's Square in Rome, at a ceremony attended by approximately 2 million people, including representatives of the John Paul II Center.

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The Center operated under the auspices of theEcumenical Section in the Faculty of Theology, but serves as a resource for all faculty, students and guests of the university on interreligious issues and subjects. The Center provides support for the visiting faculty and students in its various programs, which include the following.

TheRussell Berrie Fellowship in Interreligious Studies was designed to provide current and future religious leadership with a comprehensive understanding of and dedication to interreligious ideas, issues, and concerns. The Fellowship invites religious leaders – whetherordained,religious, orlay – to spend a year in Rome studying at theAngelicum for a Certificate in Interreligious Studies, participate in a seminar and study tour inIsrael, and in a number of specialized courses and extracurricular activities.

The Fellowship was the only “full-ride” scholarship available for most students at the pontifical universities in Rome, as it covers tuition, room and board, books and travel expenses.

“Jerusalem and Judaism: Identity and Challenges” is the study tour in which the Russell Berrie Fellows participate as a part of their program. The three major components of include the academic seminar organized and staffed by theShalom Hartman Institute inJerusalem, the pilgrimage toJewish andChristianHoly Land around Jerusalem and in theGalilee, and a series of cultural meetings and programs with local leaders. The study tour generally has taken place between semesters, in February.

One of the largest and most high-profile events of the Angelicum has been the Pope John Paul II Lectures on Interreligious Understanding. Globally-recognized religious leaders and academics have been invited each spring to offer insights into contemporary developments in interreligious dialogue.

• 2008: ArchbishopDonald Wuerl, Washington, DC, USA “Unifying Threads among World Religions: The Common Ground in Search for World Peace”
• 2009: Chief RabbiMichael Schudrich, Warsaw, Poland “A Rabbi’s Reflection on the Teachings of John Paul II”
• 2010: Prof.Mona Siddiqui, OBE, University of Glasgow, Scotland “Islamic Perspectives on Judaism and Christianity”
• 2011: Prof.David F. Ford, University of Cambridge, England “Jews, Christians, and Muslims meet around their Scriptures: An Inter-faith Practice for the Twenty-first Century”
• 2012: CardinalKurt Koch, Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews “Nostra Aetate: 50 Years of Christian–Jewish Dialogue.”

Starting in 2013, the annual lecture was moved to theCentro Pro Unione:

• 2013: Prof. Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Jerusalem “Judaism and the Problem of Evil”
• 2014: Rabbi Prof.Burton Visotzky, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, "Sin and Atonement in the Rabbinic and Patristic Literature"
• 2015: Conference in collaboration with the US Embassy to the Holy See, “Women’s Leadership in Conflict Resolution”
• 2016: Conference in collaboration with the US Embassy to the Holy See, “Conflict Analysis and Dialogue Skill Building Training for Religious Actors Working in Conflict-Affected Settings”
• 2017: Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Center for Interreligious Understanding, “Monotheism and All That It Implies”
• 2018: Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Center for Interreligious Understanding, “The Philosophy of the Midrash”
• 2018: Prof. Marshall J. Breger, Catholic University of America, “The Place of the Land of Israel in Jewish Though”
• 2019: 10th anniversary celebration of the John Paul II Center for Interreligious Studies at the Angelicum, “Education for Action: The Urgency of Interreligious Leadership for the Global Good”
• 2019: Prof. Adam Afterman, Tel Aviv University, “The “Holy Spirit” in Medieval Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality”
• 2020: Prof. Menachem Lorberbaum, Tel Aviv University, “True Religion – Maimonides’ Legacy and Inter-religious Theology”
• 2020: Rabbi Jack Bemporad, Center for Interreligious Understanding, God, Science and Religion

Every year the John Paul II Center brought 2-3 distinguished visiting professors to Rome, particularly in the areas ofJewish studies andinterreligious dialogue. The courses they offer are intensive, ranging from 1.5ects 8-day courses, to 3.0 ects 15-day courses. The professors are chosen by the Center's Academic Committee. Recent visiting professors have included:

• Prof. Adam Afterman, Shalom Hartman Institute, Israel
• Rabbi Prof. Jack Bemporad, Center for Interreligious Understanding, New Jersey, United States
• Prof.Marshall Breger, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, United States
• Prof. Moshe Idel, Hebrew University, Israel
• Prof.Israel Knohl, Hebrew University, Israel
• Prof.Menachem Lorberbaum, Tel Aviv University, Israel
• Prof.Mona Siddiqui, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• Prof. Josef Stern,University of Chicago, Illinois, United States

Apostgraduate diploma, the Certificate in Interreligious Studies is offered through the Ecumenical Section of the Faculty of Theology at theAngelicum as an opportunity for students who do not qualify for regular admission to the STL program (usually because their education came from outside thepontifical system) to enroll as students in the field of Interreligious Studies, or as a post-doctoral or sabbatical year of study.

The focus of the certificate is on methodological issues in dealing with the philosophy, theology, and sociology of religion, and the teaching of the Catholic Church in relation to interreligious dialogue and other religions. In total, the Certificate represents 14 lecture courses and two seminars totaling 50 ects, plus the redaction of an integrative final paper worth 10 ects, for a total of 60 ects.

The program has four areas of study:

• Introduction and methodology (philosophy, hermeneutics, social sciences, anthropology of dialogue, method) 3 courses
• History (world religions, new religious movements) 2 courses
• Systematic (biblical themes, ecclesiology, theology/philosophy of religion, ethics) 8 courses
• Practical (spirituality/mysticism, ecumenical and interreligious commissions, catechesis) 1 course

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• Prof. Paola Bernardini, Former Academic Dean, St. John Vianney College Seminary, Miami, FL, USA
• Most Rev.John Bogna Bakeni, Bishop of the Diocese of Maiduguri, Nigeria
• Prof. Andrew Boyd, Director of the KAICIID International Fellows Programme, Professor of Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue
• Elena Dini, Senior Program Manager, John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue
• Dr. Taras Dzyubanskyy, Director, Libertas Interfaith Dialogue Center, Lviv, Ukraine
• Dr. Claudia Leal Luna, Professor at the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Consultor to the Pontifical Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
• Rev. Ryan A. Muldoon, Director of the Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue for the Archdiocese of New York
• Rev. Jan Nowotnik, National Ecumenical Officer, Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales^[5]
• Sister Gracy Vadakara, Provincial of the Daughters of the Church in India, member of the Joint Working Group between the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
• Rabbi Allyson Zacharoff, Congregation Beth Hatikvah, Summit, NJ^[6]

• Michael L. Fitzgerald
• Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue

• John Paul II Center for Interreligious Dialogue
• Russell Berrie Fellowship
• Russell Berrie Foundation
• Angelicum University
• Institute of International EducationArchived 2013-05-17 at theWayback Machine
• Shalom Hartman Institute
• Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas
• Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue
• Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relationships with the Jews
• Nostra aetate: Declaration on the Relationship of the Church to Non-Christian Religions
• Dignitatis Humanae: Declaration on Religious Freedom

• Pontifical universities
• Educational institutions established in 2010
• Christian and Jewish interfaith dialogue
• Interfaith organizations
• Catholicism and Judaism
• 2010 establishments in Italy

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