The World Council of Churches hosts the opening session of the

18th Building Bridges Seminar for Muslim and Christian scholars

Freedom: Muslim and Christian Perspectives

sponsored and organized by Georgetown University

Date: 11th June, from 4pm to 6pm

Featuring presentations by:

• Dr Tuba Işık, University of Paderborn

• Dr C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell, Redcliffe College

• Dr Azza Karam, United Nations, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

The eighteenth Building Bridges Seminar will meet 11–15 June 2019 in the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in Geneva, Switzerland. An international circle of scholars will engage in close reading and dialogue on the topic of freedom—between humanity and God, different religions and politics, personal conviction and public order, and between individuals— exploring the historic role of faith communities in addressing freedom.

Building Bridges has been a long-running, high level process of theological dialogue between distinguished Muslim and Christian scholars. It was launched in 2002 by the Archbishop of Canterbury and gradually its stewardship passed to Georgetown University, Washington DC.

Approximately 30 Christian and Muslim scholars are invited every year by the President of Georgetown University to take part in the meeting of the seminar. Each year there is continuity in the group, along also with some new invitees, in order to gradually extend the Building Bridges community but also develop a sense of a continuing, coherent conversation among a community of scholars who have gradually come to know and trust each other.

Reception from 6 pm, Ecumenical Centre Lobby

Registration desired. RSVP by 5 June 2019 to [email protected]

WCC work on strengthening interreligious trust and respect

More information on Building Bridges and access to past volumes of the seminar