Pope Francis & Rabbi Skorka: Forging a Deeper Relationship
Ruth Broyde Sharone – TIO Correspondent “The Grandeur that You See in the Other” There may come a moment in long-standing interfaith friendships when individuals deeply devoted to their religious traditions notice how the differences that separate them from their dialogue partner begin to recede or even dissolve. While recognizing...
Pope Francis & Rabbi Skorka: Forging a Deeper Relationship
Ruth Broyde Sharone – TIO Correspondent “The Grandeur that You See in the Other” There may come a moment in long-standing interfaith friendships when individuals deeply devoted to their religious traditions notice how the differences that separate them from their dialogue partner begin to recede or even dissolve. While recognizing...
Schools in Sierra Leone Open Sporadically After Nine Month Ebola Shutdown
Fr. Franciskus Xaverius Sudarmanto (pictured above saying mass), or as his friends call him, “Sudar,” reports on the spotty opening of schools after being shutdown throughout the country for nine months due to the Ebola Crisis. Presently, even though neighboring Liberia, Sierra Leone has not been declared Ebola free...
An Easter Reflection on What Christians and Atheists have in Common
In light of our dialogue work with Atheists and Humanists, we found this article by John L. Allen, Jr. in Crux to be quite thought provoking. We re-present his article for you here with the one caveat. Mr. Allen seems to naively equate Atheists with Richard Dawkins or Christopher...
The Urgency of Catholic Interfaith Advocacy
On March 30, 2015, the Xaverian Missionaries throughout the world, along with many lay people who collaborate with us globally, will celebrate the 150th birth anniversary of St. Guido Conforti, founder of the Xaverian Missionaries in 1895. His legacy lives on today in the the desire of the Church...
Lent is not only a time for personal conversion…
“Dear friends, Lent is not only a time for personal conversion. It’s not about becoming ‘better', but it’s about overcoming the 'noonday devil' that wants to keep us from believing and living in the certainty that we are one Church, one human family and one Body of Christ with...
Newest Mission in Sierra Leone, West Africa
The Xaverian Missionaries have been working in Sierra Leone, West Africa since the early 1950’s. In recent times we have moved to the peripheral area of Mongo Bodugu. The mission of Mongo Bendugu is settled by the Koranko Tribe, traditional Muslims who migrated from the nearby borders of Guinea in...
Healing the Divisions Among Us
The Gospel for February 8, 2015: Mark 1: 29-39 A time will come for singing when all your tears are shed, when sorrows chains are broken, and broken hearts will mend. The deaf will hear your singing when silent tongues are freed. The lame will join your dancing when...
Civil Conversations Project: Kwame Anthony Appiah — Sidling Up to Difference
One of the more remarkable projects out there today is one called: Civil Conversations Project: A Public Forum Providing Ideas and Tools for Healing our Fractured Civic Spaces. It is hosted by Krista Tippet. Each week, those who listen to her show ‘On Being’ have the opportunity of listening...
The Religious Commitment to Eradicate Human Slavery
On January 11 National Awareness Day for Human Slavery and Trafficking was held with activities throughout the country to spotlight this insistent, relentless injustice that harms mostly women and children. Religious leaders from around the world gathered at the Vatican with Pope Francis in order to declare together that...