Jesuit participation in first international congress.

The Federation of Catholic Universities of Europe and Lebanon, responsible for setting up a university research platform on Islam, PLURIEL, met for its first international congress. The platform can count on a significant Jesuit participation: Saint Joseph University of Beirut, the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and the faculties of Theology of Granada, Frankfurt and Innsbruck.

Held in Lyon, the congress carried the title ‘Islam in plural: thinking, faith and society’. Structured around three axes - geopolitical, theological and social -, the congress focused on the very plurality of Islam. It addressed substantive issues as diverse as the ability of European Islam to voice itself; the processes of radicalization; the theological foundation of radicalism and that of its critics; and the conditions for considering democracy and secular law from an Islamic standpoint.

Jesuit research teams forming part of PLURIEL have recognized the value of belonging to such a platform, in view of an increased contact and reflection on the specific contribution of the Society to this endeavour.