Fostering dialogue between Christians and Muslims in light of the ministry of Blessed Pierre Claverie

Abstract

The aim of the dissertation is to present how Blessed Pierre Claverie’s ministry is an example as to how Christian-Muslim dialogue may be fostered within interreligious communities, and to appraise his role as a Christian witness promoting a culture of encounter. This study is based on an extensive literature review spanning across a myriad of books, articles and journals. Emphasis is laid on a selection of letters and of homilies from Claverie’s episcopacy and other documents from his successors following his martyrdom, mainly, Alphonse Georger, Jean-Paul Vesco and the present bishop of Oran, Davide Carraro. This literature sheds light not only on the building of an ecclesial community but also on a continuum of Claverie’s pastoral ministry to foster dialogue within a densely Muslim-populated country. This theological line of inquiry studies an area of ecclesiology which has not been analysed in sufficient detail and therefore offers comprehensive potential to contribute to the literature on this subject. The first chapter deals with a philosophical background of dialogue to highlight the crucial role that the other plays as shown through Claverie’s apertura towards the other. The shift from a deal-logue to a dia-logue is illustrated in Claverie’s ministry despite the challenges he overcame in a culture which is rooted in its Muslim history, culture and ethnicity. The second chapter expounds upon a transformation from being enclosed in one’s own niche to being open towards the other. Pastoral images used in Claverie’s retreats and an extensive exposition of the practices of dialogue during Claverie’s episcopacy illustrate the main findings of the dissertation. These two chapters lay the foundation for the third one which explores theological, cultural, and pastoral transformations in Algeria and in different continents. The findings of interreligious orthopraxis in education and social ministry in the Church, highlight how a culture of encounter may be promoted in a Christian-Muslim world. This study is important as it offers a sign of hope for a synodal Church journeying with the other despite any differences in religion or culture.