Mary–Bridge between Catholics and Muslims?

Monday, November 5, 7-8:30pm

Presented by Rita George-Tvrtković

How has the Virgin Mary been “shared” by Christians and Muslims over time? We’ll begin by comparing Biblical and Qur’anic Annunciation stories, and then sketch out the contours of a broad historical trajectory which has vacillated between two opposite ideas: Mary as interfaith bridge, or Mary as interfaith barrier. We’ll examine pivotal texts, art works, and shrines which have brought Christians, Muslims, and Mary together, and which have affected Catholic views of Islam in both positive and negative directions, depending on time and place. We’ll end by learning what a key Vatican II document, “Nostra Aetate,” has to say about Muslims and Mary. Does this long history of sharing Mary continue to affect Christian-Muslim relations today?  CFD: Spirituality       ($10 donation requested)

Rita George-Tvrtković (PhD, University of Notre Dame) is associate professor of theology at Benedictine University in Illinois, where she specializes in medieval and contemporary Christian-Muslim relations. She is former associate director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs, and currently serves on the USCCB’s National Catholic-Muslim Dialogue. Her books include Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History (Paulist Press, 2018). She lives in Chicago with her husband Zoran and their two children, Anya and Luka.

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