Rome Global Gateways hosts policy dialogue on religious engagement and sustainable development | News | Notre Dame Rome

The Notre Dame Rome Global Gateway hosted an international event on religious engagement on June 23-24, 2022. “A View from Rome” roundtable was organized by the Italian Institute for International Political Studies (ISPI) and the Keough School of Global Affairs in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation (MFAIC) and the International Partnership on Religious and Sustainable Development (PaRD).

Institutional and academic speakers from various continents discussed politics and religion, and the delicate relationship between these two dimensions.

The event originated from the fact that lately the international community has gradually recognized the important role that religious organizations can play with regard to objectives such as sustainable development and building peaceful and inclusive societies. The need to involve religious organizations more broadly in these ambitious challenges is also becoming clear.

During the event much attention has been paid to the need of providing more opportunities for political and religious authorities and other experts in civil society to meet and exchange views, so as to be able to develop greater continuity of collaboration. It was stressed how a key aspect for the functioning of this dialogue between politics and religion is the detectable engagement in terms of interreligious dialogue and commitment through which religious authorities can propose a different approach, aiming at the growth of mutual listening and harmony at a global level.

Environmental protection and climate change, the development of new responsible consumption models, the right to education, the right to medical care, gender equality, and the need for dialogue in various contexts of political conflict and crisis have been addressed during the round-table.

During the discussion, special attention was paid to the encyclical Laudato Sì, suggested by Pope Francis in 2015, among other documents.

It was also discussed in this policy dialogue how strategically important Rome can be in this process of cooperation. Rome is a city where incisive initiatives have recently taken place in terms of interreligious dialogue, and also of dialogue between political and religious actors. This city is acquiring a symbolic value that it is important to consider, as a place of connection and confrontation.