The University of Deusto (Spain) hosted the 3rd International Symposium of the HEST cluster on Christian-Muslim relations titled: "Universal-Communitarian Approaches to Social Values in Christianity and Islam." The HEST Programme (Higher Education for Social Transformation) is an academic initiative of the Kircher Network, the association of Jesuit higher education institutions in Europe and Lebanon.

The symposium clearly shows the intensive work of the cluster and further strengthens it as one of the most dynamic groups within the network. With this third symposium, the two webinars on democracy in Islamic countries, and the annual international online course on Islamic-Christian dialogue theology, the cluster strengthens its vitality.

The legitimacy of discussing universal values

The symposium brought together professors and students working on this topic from the Kircher member universities and centres, and professors from other universities in Europe. The various presentations at the symposium examined the legitimacy of discussing universal values - rooted in human nature - present in all religions. These values could serve as a starting point for Islamic-Christian dialogue. Additionally, there was a discussion on whether the concept of ethics, as understood in Christianity, could find an equivalent in the Islamic tradition or if this tradition addresses moral issues from the perspective of law through the concept of sharia (Islamic law) and fiqh (jurisprudence). There was also a prominent discussion on the meaning of the Western concept of citizenship and its counterpart, al-muwâtana, in the Islamic world.

Besides the Loyola University, which led the organization of the symposium, professors and PhD students from the following institutions attended the event: Deusto University (Spain), PTH Sankt Georgen (Frankfurt - Germany), University of Innsbruck (Austria), Université Saint Joseph (Beirut - Lebanon), Centre Sèvres (Paris - France), Jesuit University Ignatianum in Krakow (Poland), Collegium Bobolanum (Warsaw - Poland), Hochschule für Philosophie (Munich - Germany), The Newman Institute (Sweden),  Jesuit Worldwide Learning (Switzerland) and Pontificia Universita Gregorian (Rome - Italy). Guest professors from non-Jesuit universities were invited: Humboldt University Berlin (Germany), Goethe University (Germany), Université Aix-Marseille, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg. 

European Laicity on a Global Scale

The opening presentation was delivered by Professor Dr. Alessandro Ferrari (University of Insubria - Italy) titled "European Laicity on a Global Scale: The Osmosys Between the Religious and Secular Juridical Orders."

Christian and Muslim professors participated in the symposium, so the gathering went beyond the academic discussion. It became a space for both theoretical and practical interreligious dialogue, focusing on the minutiae of daily coexistence.

The Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Loyola University Andalucía, Professor Gonzalo Villagrán, and Professor Jaime Flaquer coordinate the group alongside with Professor Tobias Specker SJ (PTH Sankt Georgen) and Professor Michaela Quast-Neulinger (University of Innsbruck), and the assistantship of Maryam Ballout (Université Saint Joseph Beirut. The dedicated efforts of Dr Susana Di Trolio, Executive Secretary of the Kircher Network, secured funding and the inclusion of this symposium in the Erasmus programs.

This network collaboration, developed from the Granada campus, contributes to the international projection of the Andalusian Chair for Interreligious Dialogue, directed by Professor Jaime Flaquer SJ.

HEST