LOCATIONS:
- Abbey of Melk (Abt-Berthold-Dietmayr-Straße 1, 3390 Melk):
- Sunday, February 2nd, 2:30 to 7:00 p.m.
- Monday, February 3rd, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- University of Vienna (Universitätsring 1, 1010 Wien):
- Tuesday, February 4th, 9:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
- Deans Office at the Faculty of Catholic Theology (Main Building of the University of Vienna, Staircase 8, 2nd floor):
- Tuesday, February 4th, 7:00 to 08:00 p.m.: Public Lecture by H. B. Dr. Lic. Pierbattista Card. Pizzaballa (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem)
- Franz-König-Saal (Main Building of the University of Vienna, Lecture Hall 6)
- Tuesday, February 4th, 9:00 a.m. to 06:00 p.m.
In view of the many crises that are currently threatening humanity in general and the relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in particular, this conference aims to focus on the fundamental question that unites these three Abrahamic religions: the possible manifestation of the one God and its corresponding mission. This question not only represents the common center of theological reflection, but is also closely linked to the demand of living according to this mission. Therefore, it also affects the coexistence of members of the religions mentioned , for Judaism, Christianity and Islam each claim that the Torah, Jesus and the Qu’ran respectively have been ‘revealed’ to them. For this reason, the question of the significance of and the relation to the two others is intrinsically connected to the question of the One God.
The international conference One God? One Mission? will consist of two parts: the first bilateral part (Christianity and Islam) will take place in February 2025; the second trilateral part (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) in February 2027. The last panel of the conference, including inputs from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish scholars, functions as a bridge towards the second trilateral part in 2027. The aim of both parts is to renew and deepen our understanding of what links the three so-called Abrahamic Religions without blurring their differences.
For this occasion, the Research Centre Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society of the University of Vienna, in cooperation with the University of Montreal and the University of Loppiano, has invited internationally recognized scholars from all three Abrahamic religions to discuss the significance of the respective other. The underlying thrust of the conference is that it is through the other that one’s own tradition can become more profoundly comprehensible.
The detailed conference programme can be found here.
If you are interested in the conference, please register per mail at marian.weingartshofer@univie.ac.at by January 17, 2025. Attention: Only limited space available.
With presentations by:
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Isabella Guanzini (Catholic Private University of Linz/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Adnane Mokrani (Pontifical Gregorian University/Rome/Italy)
- Prof. Dr. Dina El Omari (University of Münster/Germany)
- Prof. Dr. Aysun Yaşar (University of Vienna/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Fr. Guy-Raymond Sarkis (Saint Joseph Jesuit University / Beirut / Lebanon)
- Prof. Dr. Klaus von Stosch (University of Bonn/Germany)
- Prof. Dr. Regina Polak (University of Vienna/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Roberto Catalano (Sophia University Institute of Loppiano/Florence Italy)
- Mag. Awi Blumenfeld (University of Vienna/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Zekirija Sejdini (University of Innsbruck/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Jakob Deibl (University of Vienna/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Mouhanad Khorchide (University Münster/Germany)
- Prof. Dr. Bernhard Callebaut (Sophia University Institute of Loppiano/Florence Italy)
- Prof. Dr. Sheikh Mohammad Ali Shomali (Teheran/Iran)
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Kurt Appel (University of Vienna/Austria)
- Prof. Dr. Dr. Piero Coda (Sophia University Institute of Loppiano/Florence Italy)
- Prof. Dr. Patrice Brodeur (University of Montreal/Canada)
- Prof. Dr. Susannah Heschel (Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College)
- H. B. Dr. Lic. Pierbattista Card. Pizzaballa (Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem)
Eduard Prenga
Report on the International Conference One God? One Mission? The Significance of the Abrahamic Others Today
Part 1: Between Christianity and Islam
From 2 to 4 February 2025, Melk Abbey and the University of Vienna hosted the international conference One God? One Mission? The Significance of the Abrahamic Others Today. The event was organised by the Research Centre Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society (RaT) at the University of Vienna, in cooperation with the Université de Montréal (Canada) and the Sophia University Institute (Italy). The organisers – Kurt Appel, Piero Coda, Aysun Yaşar, Patrice Brodeur, and Eduard Prenga – worked for almost two years to bring the conference to fruition. They were supported on site by the entire team of the Research Centre RaT, particularly Jakob Deibl, Noemi Call, and Marian Weingartshofer.
Thematically, the conference focused on the question of the revelation of the one God as the fundamental unifying concern of the three Abrahamic religions. In reflecting on this question, the speakers placed particular emphasis on the current global context in which humanity finds itself. Each presentation was followed by the opportunity for direct dialogue and exchange.
Among the speakers were world-renowned scholars such as Susannah Heschel (USA), Mohammed Ali Shomali (Iran), and Patriarch Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Jerusalem), alongside experts from Canada, the Middle East, and Europe. Notably, several professors from the Faculty of Catholic Theology in Vienna (Regina Polak, Kurt Appel, and Jakob Deibl) made outstanding contributions.
This conference constituted the first part of a broader event and focused in particular – though not exclusively – on the relationship between Christianity and Islam, highlighting the mutual significance of the other. The concluding presentations served as a bridge to the second part of the event, which is expected to take place in 2027. That next phase will focus on the respective relationships between (1) Judaism and Christianity, (2) Christianity and Islam, (3) Judaism and Islam, and (4) Judaism-Christianity-Islam. These reflections aim to offer new perspectives for a renewed and deepened sense of shared humanity.
