Consulta 2010-45

Vittorio Pozzo, MOR

Understanding to respect the faiths and cultures of Europe

http://www.donbosco-humanrights.org/dh/j/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=342

The European society is now irreversibly destined to live with religious pluralism, without necessarily having the necessary cultural, civil and spiritual assumptions to avoid transforming diversity into difference, refusal or even rejection; this may lead to a path of violence and resentment. The objective of our project is promoting the capacity of intercultural dialogue of citizens through the prism of interreligious respect.
We hope that interreligious respect may be recognised as one of the “civil virtues” that stimulate the commitment of European citizenship and enrich its destiny.

Chronology

The project “Laity and religious pluralism in the public space in Europe” of which the learning program “Understanding to respect the faiths and cultures of Europe” is a part has lasted 12 months: July 2007 – June 2008. The first stage involved gathering the texts that then became integrated in the learning program; these texts began with the European conference that took place on 22-26 August at Gargnano and Verona.

The material obtained at the conference was subsequently integrated and elaborated until December 2007. This revision was carried out through an interactive, multimedial platform that was set up and administered by Edulife to allow participants to continue their reflections and elaborations.
From January 2008 the implementation of materials began in order to make them available for distance learning; after an experimental phase with a sample of 500 users in April, the final program is now on line for its clients.

Objectives

The European society is now irreversibly destined to live with religious pluralism, without necessarily having the necessary cultural, civil and spiritual assumptions to avoid transforming diversity into difference, refusal or even rejection; this may lead to a path of violence and resentment.
The objective of our project is promoting the capacity of intercultural dialogue of citizens through the prism of interreligious respect.

We hope that interreligious respect may be recognised as one of the “civil virtues” that stimulate the commitment of European citizenship and enrich its destiny.

The clients

Our clients are young and adult people, that is, all citizens who, as builders of the city, common living space, are called upon the dialogue and reciprocal awareness of their own cultures, even in their religious side.

As part of the EU project, this learning program is composed of four units:

1. Critical incidents
2. Stereotypes
3. Skills necessary for the dialogue
4. Best practices

In each one of the four units its objectives are indicated and learning material is offered with a consistent integration of text and images. Inside each unit, texts in italics without the indication of a source were obtained from the intervention of participants of the conference “Laity and religious pluralism in the European public space” (Gargnano-Verona, 22-26 August 2007). The name of the specific participant is not mentioned because we have given priority to the cooperative and collective dimension, which has positively characterised the presentations at the conference.

Information boxes deal with a peculiar aspect of a particular faith (for example, the refusal of blood transfusion by Jehovah Witnesses).

Links for in depth study highlight the differences among the five faiths in question, with reference to a precise aspect (dressing, feast and holidays, alimentary prescriptions, worshipping). Two more in depth studies explore the most frequent stereotypes in Europe concerning non-Christians and the best practices for intercultural and interreligious dialogue.

The texts in information boxes and in depth studies were composed after the conference mentioned above and carry, when appropriate, the indication of sources and authors. The few excepts in italics are, again, taken from contributions at the conference. Information provided refer only to the followers of the various faiths and not to ministers, consecrated people, monks or those who have specific functions and, as a consequence of their status, may have particular obligations.

Promoters

• Centro europeo di Gargnano (Brescia), Italian branch of Insertion (Brussels),

• association Voies de l’Orient with its headquarter in Brussels,

• Department of Education of the University of Verona

• with the collaboration Cepof e Edulife, leading institutions in the production and administration of distant learning.

Two types of persons have been invited to collaborate in the construction of this learning program: persons practically operating in the intercultural and/or interreligious dialogue and educators (teachers and lecturers) of various religions and secular ethics.
We also tried to benefit of the presence of believers and experts of the various faiths, used to teach religion (Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Sanathana Dharma - Hinduism) and secular ethics in a large number of international contexts: 8 countries (Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lebanon, Spain).

Other collaborators

Sponsors

• European Commission

• Foundation Banca San Paolo

• Foundation ASM

• Foundation Comunità Bresciana

and the patronage of the City Council of Gargnano