This event is hosted by the Lumen Christi Institute and cosponsored by Collegium Institute.
In 1965, Nostra Aetate 3 acknowledged that Christian and Muslims share a devotion to Mary. But did Christians always view Mary as a bridge? A few medieval Latins stressed concord between the two Marys, but others raised the Virgin on military standards in battles against Muslims. This talk will consider the myriad ways in which Mary’s role in Christian-Muslim relations has shifted back and forth from bridge to barrier and back again. The lecture will be followed by a response from a Muslim scholar, and further dialogue.
Dr. Rita George-Tvrtković (PhD, University of Notre Dame), is Professor of Theology at Benedictine University in suburban Chicago, where she specializes in medieval Christian-Muslim relations and the contemporary theology and praxis of interreligious dialogue. Her books include A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s Encounter with Islam; a co-edited volume, Nicholas of Cusa and Islam; 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. 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.
Dr. Zeki Saritoprak is Professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies and the Said Nursi Chair in Islamic Studies at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio, He received his PhD in Islamic Theology from the University of Marmara in Turkey. He has published widely in English, Turkish, and Arabic on a variety of topics related to Islam, Islamic Studies, and Interfaith Dialogue and is the author of over thirty academic articles and encyclopedia entries on topics in Islam. He is editor and translator of Fundamentals of Rumi’s Thought: A Mevlevi Sufi Perspective and the editor of a critical edition of al-Sarakhsi’s Sifat Ashrat al-Sa’a. He has two books in English: Islam’s Jesus (University Press of Florida, 2014) and Islamic Spirituality: Theology and Practice for the Modern World (Bloomsbury Academic, 2017). He is currently working on the manuscript for a book on Islamic Eschatology.
Dr. George Tvrtković and Dr. Saritoprak collaborated in writing a chapter about Islam (insider/outsider views) in a comparative theology textbook, and since 2017 have participated together in a semi-annual Catholic-Muslim Scholars Dialogue.
Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Time: 7pm ET, 6pm CT
Registration: This event is free and open to the public. Click the link below to register to receive the Zoom information.
