Excursions

Excursion: to Mar Musa Monastery, Syria

In love with Islam, believing in Jesus Paolo Dall'Oglio (b. 1954) is a Jesuit monastic priest, peace activist, renewer of the Mar Musa Monastery near Damascus, and founder of the mixed and ecumenical monastic community al-Khalil, which is committed to Christian-Islamic dialogue. In his book, In Love with Islam, Believing in Jesus (Amoureux de l'islam, croyant en Jésus, 2009), written with Églantine Gabais-Hialé, Father Paolo sets out his vision of a dual belonging to Christianity and Islam: "My belonging to Jesus of Nazareth, causes me to belong to Islam." On the occasion of the publication of an English translation of this important contribution to the Christian-Islamic dialogue, this advanced seminar invites to a critical reading of Dall'Oglio's work and a relating of its author's basic thesis and further intuitions to the previous approaches of the Christian theology of religions (especially in view of Islam).

The 2-week excursion will take us to the desert monastery of Mar Musa al-Habashi (Moses of Abyssinia) in Syria, sometimes referred to as the Taizé of the Orient.  The monastery, which was built in the Middle Ages and later fell into disrepair, is located an hour's drive outside Damascus on the slopes of the Antilibanon Mountains and was renovated in the 1980s by the Jesuit Paolo Dall'Oglio. He also founded a mixed and ecumenical monastic community al-Khalil there in 1991 under the auspices of the Syrian Catholic Church, dedicated to Christian-Islamic dialogue, with a corresponding interfaith spirituality and practice. In addition to a 1-week stay at the monastery, during which we will follow its thinking and also participate in the Holy and Easter liturgies there, we will visit some institutions of the Syrian Catholic and Syrian Orthodox Churches, as well as Islamic sites in the Damascus area.

Announcement

From Urmia to Isfahan and Shiraz: Stations of Christianity in Iran

The study tour "From Urmia to Isfahan and Shiraz" traces the historical evidence, the socio-cultural situation and significance of Christian churches and missions in the "Persian area" through the centuries as well as the situation of Christians in today's Iran. It begins with the "Persian" churches -- the Assyrian Church of the East around Urmia as well as the Armenian Church in Isfahan (New Julfa) -- and tours their dramatic journey as well as cultural contribution from the 5th to the 20th centuries. Another focus is on examples of Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Anglican missions since the 16th century and their respective historical, theological, and cultural testimonies in different regions of Iran. Finally, the precarious situation of Christians in Iran today, from the remaining Christian communities to the so-called mostly Muslim crypto-Christians, is of interest. Attention will also be paid to the recent confrontation between Christian thinkers and Iranian intellectuals since 1979, as well as to isolated efforts to develop "contextual theologies" in Iran.

Organization: Prof. Norbert Hintersteiner, Institute for Missiology and the study of Theologies Beyond Europe, and Dr. Haila Manteghi, Cluster of Excellence Religion and Politics, WWU Münster.

Contact: intstudy.imw@uni-muenster.de

Past Excursions

Ghana Excursion 2019

"Magic Africa": Intercultural meeting and sightseeing in Ghana.

In a cooperation between Catholic students and the University Community of Münster (KSHG), the Philosophical Seminar of Prof. Klaus Müller and our institute, an excursion to Ghana was carried out from 10th to 30th September 2019 with 22 students. The Catholic student church of Tamale (Sts. Peter and Pauls Church), together with colleagues from the University of Development Studies (UDS) of Tamale, coordinated a diverse program of intercultural encounters with visits to social pastoral and educational projects and tourist sites across Ghana, as well as a two Theological Study Days at the Philosophical-Theological College / Catholic Seminary St.Victor in Tamale. The return visit from Ghana is expected in the summer of 2020.