Religion, Conflict and Peace in Ireland and Beyond

Religion, Conflict and Peace in Ireland and Beyond

26 January 2023 - Time 5PM-6.30PM (Irish Time)

Featuring:

Lesley Carroll, Presbyterian Minister and Prisoner Ombudsman for Northern Ireland

Michael Kelleher, Catholic Priest and Former Provincial, Religious Congregation of Redemptorists, Ireland

Mitri Raheb, Palestinian Liberation Theologian and President of Dar al-Kalima University, Bethlehem

Magali Cunha, Independent Researcher and Journalist, Religions and Politics Project/Institute for Religious Studies, Rio de Janeiro

Neville Cox, Professor of Law and Registrar, Trinity College Dublin

Chaired by

Jude Lal Fernando, Associate Professor, School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin

Not every form of peace is desirable. Nor is every form of conflict undesirable. The prophetic disruption of the established order envisages a just peace which gives rise to a conflict based on two kinds of peace: peace based on the imperial or national state law and peace based on justice. Religion’s role in conflict and peace must be determined by religion’s political encounter rather than by some inherent moral feature of religion, and its doctrines and practices. Therefore, rather than talking about the interplay of religion, conflict and peace, it is necessary to focus on the politics of religion, conflict and peace. On the island of Ireland, what kind of politics is involved in the interplay of religion and conflict (divided past) as well as religion and peace (shared future)? How do Jewish and Christian Zionism operate not only as a theology of displacement of the Palestinians, but also as an ideological tool of suppression of the prophetic tradition of the three Abrahamic faiths? How has religious fake news in Brazil formed part of a political agenda in opposing progressive change in that country? In what way can citizens and believers counter such news religiously and politically? In the face of a rising wave of Islamophobia, is European law able to enhance everyone’s right to religious freedom and expression so that the false binary of Islam versus the West is overcome?

This Irish School of Ecumenics at 50 webinar gathers renowned scholars/practitioners from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Brazil and Palestine to critically reflect on the above questions with a view to creating space for just peace, whether on the island of Ireland or beyond. Also, the webinar marks a momentous response to this challenge and opportunity: the reinvigorated MPhil in Contextual Theologies and Interfaith Relations, in the School of Religion, Theology, and Peace Studies, Trinity College Dublin.

ISE was founded in 1970 by Fr. Michael Hurley, with a vision of a place where people from diverse backgrounds and disciplinary perspectives could together explore the meaning and possibilities of peace and reconciliation. For more than fifty years, ISE has developed and shaped the broad field of Ecumenics, combining theological reflection, social and political analysis, and civic engagement. ISE continues to uphold Fr. Hurley’s vision as an academic institute in Trinity College Dublin.