UM academic presides over European Congress on catechesis and peace

Rev. Prof. Carl-Mario Sultana from the Department of Pastoral Theology, Liturgy and Canon Law within the Faculty of Theology, convened and addressed the biennial Congress of the Équipe Européenne de Catéchèse, of which he is President. The meeting was held in Corato, near Bari, Italy, between 3 and 8 June 2026.

The Congress brought together more than 60 participants from over 17 European countries. Participants included national directors of Catechesis and/or Religious Education in their respective countries, as well as academics specialising in Catechetics and Religious Education in higher educational institutions.

The theme of this year’s Congress was “Catechesis for Encounter and for Peace: Bringing Together the Differences.”

In his introduction to the theme under study, Prof. Sultana highlighted the importance of addressing this topic within the contemporary European context, where several nations appear to react negatively to migration due to the perceived threat posed by encountering the other, including the cultures, languages, religions, and customs of migrants who come to live on the European continent.

Sultana explained that this challenge must be examined from multiple perspectives, namely the epistemological, ecclesiological, anthropological, pedagogical, and catechetical points of view.

Such reflection, he noted, is necessary in order to foster a convivial way of living together in which differences are brought together as a source of mutual enrichment, while recognising that this remains an ongoing and evolving process.

During the Congress, members of the Équipe also celebrated the 75th anniversary of the organisation, which first met in 1951. Its founding members came from France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, and the Netherlands, laying the foundations for a network that continues to contribute significantly to catechetical and religious education across Europe.