The Chair of Interreligious Dialogue and Peace aims to delve into the foundations of interreligious dialogue, which is essential for establishing social friendship in our multi-religious and multicultural societies. The religious dimension cannot be overlooked in the management and resolution of conflicts, whether international or local. Faith -following the Document on Human Fraternity (2019) signed by Imam Al-Tayyed Pope Francis- is not a cause of division, but the foundation of universal human fraternity: «Faith leads a believer to see in the other a brother or sister to be supported and loved. Through faith in God […] believers are called to express this human fraternity».
This Chair responds to the invitation made by the aforementioned Document to adopt «the culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard». It serves as a leading platform for interdisciplinary research, academic publications, international congresses and symposia to advance a culture of mutual respect and peace.
Strategic objectives
- Strengthen understanding of the foundations of Interreligious Dialogue and the religious and human values that each religion can contribute to the service of the common good and peace.
- Analyze the religious question in European societies in order to evaluate the Right to Religious Freedom and how religions influence society and culture.
- Promote a culture of encounter by facilitating interdisciplinary collaboration among researchers from diverse academic fields and religious backgrounds, enabling them to develop the habit of addressing challenges together.
- Share the results of research, conferences, and publications with academic institutions and the general public, so that this Chair may shed light on current challenges.
Chair Director: Rafael Vázquez Jiménez
Rafael Vázquez Jiménez is a Catholic priest ordained on 11 September 2004 and holds a PhD in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome (2011), graduating with a dissertation on the Church as sacrament and ecumenical ecclesiology. He is a tenured professor at the San Pablo Higher Institute of Religious Sciences in Malaga and at the Aggregated Centre “San Pablo”, affiliated with the Faculty of Theology of Loyola Andalucía University. He also serves as visiting professor at the Catholic University of Valencia and the Pontifical University of Salamanca.
Since 2026 he has served as Consultant to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue of the Holy See. He is Director of the Secretariat of the Episcopal Subcommission for Interconfessional Relations and Interreligious Dialogue of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (since 2019), Director of the Secretariat of the Episcopal Commission for the Doctrine of the Faith (since 2022), Episcopal Delegate for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue of the Diocese of Málaga (since 2015), and Secretary of the Spanish Interconfessional Dialogue Board (since 2022).
His research focuses on ecclesiology, ecumenism, interreligious dialogue, religious freedom, and II Vatican Council. He has authored books and peer-reviewed articles in leading journals and serves on international academic committees. He has also edited and co-edited several academic volumes and regularly participates in international conferences on ecumenism, theology, and interreligious dialogue.