WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23 7 p.m. | The Lin Great Speakers Series Lecture Interfaith Friend, Interfaith Kin: Reflections on Fratelli Tutti

CULTIVATING COMMUNITY THROUGH DIALOGUE AND ACTION: SYNODALITY AS JOURNEYING TOGETHER

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 23 

Religions in Service of Fraternity on Our World 

7 p.m. | The Lin Great Speakers Series Lecture Interfaith Friend, Interfaith Kin: Reflections on Fratelli Tutti 

Rita George-Tvrtković, Ph.D. 

Professor of Theology, Benedictine University and 

Appointed Member, Pontifical Interfaith Commission 

In his 2020 encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis stresses the idea of fraternity (brotherhood or kinship) as the basis for good interreligious relations. But what does it really mean to call the Religious Other my brother or sister? How does that affect interreligious dialogue and cooperation? Can a broader vision of human kinship help us to heal the various divides—interreligious, interracial, intercultural, inter political—plaguing America today? 

About Rita George-Tvrtković, Ph.D.

Rita George-Tvrtković earned her Ph.D. in Theology from the University of Notre Dame. She is currently a Professor of Theology at Benedictine University in suburban Chicago, where she specializes in medieval Christian Muslim relations and contemporary interreligious dialogue. Her books include A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s Encounter with Islam; Nicholas of Cusa

and Islam: Polemic and Dialogue in the Late Middle Ages (co-edited); and Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History. Her articles have appeared in Theological Studies, Catholic Historical Review, Journal of Jesuit Studies, Medieval Encounters, and America magazine. A former associate director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, she was recently appointed by Pope Francis to be a consultor for the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

The 2022 Conference on Justice and Social Concerns is inspired by Fratelli Tutti: Encyclical Letter on Fraternity and Social Friendship by Pope Francis and the concept of synodality, a term the Catholic Church used to describe the process of togetherness and collaboration. 

The three-day conference will reflect on the last two chapters, Paths of Renewed Encounter and Religions in Service of Fraternity in Our World. 

The conference will examine the chapters as they speak to community, action and dialogue.

All events are free and open to the public. Unless otherwise stated, all sessions will be held in the University Center, Conference Room A. To find daily links and detailed conference information, including discussion topics and questions and speaker biographies, visit www.stmarytx.edu/conference.