celebration of the pisai's centenary
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF PISAI
Roma 11-12 dicembre 2026
FOR A FUTURE OF EXCELLENCE: ONE HUNDRED YEARS
BETWEEN MISSION AND FORMATION
CALL FOR PAPERS
The year 2026 marks the centenary of the foundation of the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI), a training, study, and research institute dedicated to religious dialogue and a witness to a century of encounters, and which has always been linked to the activities of the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers).
On the occasion of this important anniversary, PISAI is organising an international scientific conference dedicated to the past, present, and future of the Institute and invites researchers and scholars to submit original contributions.
CONFERENCE TOPICS
1. The History: A Century-Long Journey
• The foundation in the Maghreb and the original mission
• The transfer of PISAI to Rome and the influence of the Second Vatican Council
• Commitment to Christian-Muslim Dialogue
• Events that have marked the life of the Institute and the Church
2. The Pillars of PISAI: Figures of Dialogue
• Profiles and contributions of key figures in interreligious dialogue: Maurice Borrmans, Robert Caspar, Étienne Renaud, Jean Fontaine, Michael Fitzgerald, etc.
• The legacy of the martyrs of Algeria, seven of whom had been students at PISAI
• Muslim-Christian relations as they are experienced in the field and their impact on the Institute’s studies
3. International Dimension: Publications, Conventions, and Research
• PISAI as an expression of the universal Church and a Centre of Excellence for training in Arabic and Islamic studies
• The important collaborative relationships the Institute has developed over time, with Western and Arab universities, networks and research centres (Gregorian University, Georgetown University, the Institut Français Centre Saint-Louis, IDÉO, ICM, Trends, CEI, Pluriel), and has also inspired various institutions in Africa (Dar Comboni in Cairo, IFIC in Bamako, IRDIS in Nairobi)
• The Chaire Méditerranée, religions et sociétés in the Mediterranean context, which is the result of a strategic partnership between PISAI and IFCSL, translating and putting into practice Pope Francis’ commitment to developing a dialogical theology in the Mediterranean context
• Academic journals as a reflection of the Institute’s scientific continuity: Islamochristiana, Études Arabes, Encounter
4. Teaching Today: Methods and Content Between Past and Future
• The approach to teaching Arabic, Islamic Sciences, and Christian-Muslim Relations
• The evolution of teaching methods and future prospects for specialised training
• The role of seminars, conferences, and study days as an integral part of PISAI’s pedagogy
• Enrolled students and alumni who have already completed their studies are invited to share their experiences, both during their studies and when the content they learned was put into practice as a lived experience
• The Library as the beating heart of PISAI. Since its foundation, it has specialised in works and journals on Arab and Islamic culture, in line with the Institute’s scientific approach to sources in their original language, without neglecting texts on Oriental studies and works dedicated to interreligious dialogue
For more information download Call for Papers
Chaire Méditerranée, religions et sociétés
Per la prima volta nella sua storia, il PISAI ha il piacere di ospitare una cattedra universitaria dal titolo « Chaire Méditerranée, Religions et sociétés ».
Lo scopo della cattedra è quello di riunire università e istituti di ricerca del sud e del nord del Mediterraneo per affrontare temi di attualità cruciali per il futuro del nostro mare comune, basati sul rapporto tra religioni e società, attingendo al più ampio spettro possibile delle scienze umane e sociali da una prospettiva accademica e non confessionale. Questa cattedra, prevalentemente francofona, sarà sostenuta dall’Institut français Centre Saint-Louis e avrà lo scopo di promuovere il dialogo intellettuale tra le due sponde al servizio della pace. Rafforzerà la legittimità scientifica del PISAI, ampiamente riconosciuto nel campo della lingua araba e delle scienze islamiche, in una prospettiva mediterranea.
Il primo titolare della cattedra sarà scelto dal Consiglio scientifico e assumerà l'incarico il 1° settembre 2025.
Coordinatore della cattedra
Roland Dubertrand
roland.dubertrand@expertisefrance.fr
Islamochristiana – Call for Papers
The Editorial Committee of Islamochristiana, published annually in Rome since 1975 by the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI), invites proposals for essays to be published in forthcoming volumes.
• St Paul and Islam
• The Contribution of Women to Islamic Religious Thought
We also welcome proposals in the broad fields of the study of Islam and of Christian-Muslim relations. For example, recent volumes have included essays in the following areas, among many others: Qurʾānic Studies; Islam and Society; Christian-Muslim Relations in History; Christian Theological Engagement with Islam; Christian-Arabic Studies.
Essays can be submitted in Arabic, English, French and Italian, and can be between 5,000 and 10,000 words long, including footnotes and bibliography.
Proposals of between 100-200 words should be submitted in the language in which the essay will be written. They should indicate the theme to be addressed, the main points of the argument, key publications to be engaged and how the essay would add to existing scholarship. If any part of the proposed essay has already been published, or there are plans to publish it elsewhere, in any language, this should be mentioned.
Please indicate with your proposal the date by which you can submit your essay.
Please submit proposals as soon as possible to islamochristiana@pisai.it.
Islamochristiana publishes a substantial section of book-reviews in every volume. Proposals for book-reviews may also be sent by email to islamochristiana@pisai.it.
In order to be included in the next volume essays and book reviews must be submitted by 1 November 2026.
Islamochristiana is not a peer-reviewed journal but belongs to the highest category of academic journals in Italy – Classe A, Area 10.
Série de conférences dédiées a l’inoubliable père Étienne Renaud (1926-2013),
ancien professeur et recteur du PISAI, constructeur de ponts
« Conférence Étienne Renaud »
14 janvier 2026
Le dialogue avec l'islam à l'école des Pères Blancs
Rémi Caucanas
28 novembre 2024
La liberté de conscience, un droit contesté et résilient
Dominique Avon
27 avril 2023
Dans le dialogue, que faire des auteurs qui fâchent ?
Le dialogue islamo-chrétien à l’épreuve d’Ibn Taymiyya
Adrien Candiard
12 mai 2022
Partager les sens du Coran : pour une herméneutique dialogique
Mehdi Azaiez
16 janvier 2020
L’Œuvre d’Orient aux défis des sociétés du Moyen-Orient
Pascal Gollnisch
11 avril 2019
Les fondements coraniques du dialogue interreligieux autour de la personne de Jésus
Geneviève Gobillot
18 mai 2018
Etienne Renaud : une rencontre à l’avant-garde
Rémi Caucanas
19 mai 2017
Christian de Chergé, un chrétien face à la violence
Christian Salenson
20 mai 2016
Chrétiens et musulmans : la passion du dialogue
Mgr. Jean-Marc Aveline
22 mai 2015
Fondements théologiques d’un dialogue avec l’islam dans une société plurielle
Jean-Marie Ploux
The Georgetown Lecture on Contemporary Islam 2017 - 2025
Sponsored by the Office of the President at Georgetown University
May 29, 2025
Divine Love in Islam: From Quranic Foundations to Ibn ʿArabi’s Metaphysical Vision
Muhammad MODASSIR ALI, Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Video available here
May 22, 2024
The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad: Historical Legacy & Contemporary Human Rights
Ibrahim ZEIN, Hamad Bin Khalifa University
Ādamiyyah: Humanity as a Ground for Universal Human Rights in Islam
Recep ŞENTÜRK, Hamad Bin Khalifa University
May 22, 2023
Benedict XVI and Islam: Rethinking Theological Interaction
Felix KÖRNER, IKT Humboldt University
June 8, 2022
Do Muslims Today “Call on Mary with Devotion”?
Rita GEORGE-TVRTKOVIÇ, Benedictine University
May 6, 2021
The Visit of Pope Francis to Iraq: Its Significance for Religious Relations
Cardinal Michael L. FITZGERALD
Cindy WOODEN, Catholic News Service
Video coverage of the event here
December 12, 2019
Muslims and Secularism: Some Contributions to the Debate
David MARSHALL, World Council of Churches
March 21, 2019
The Call to Jihad and the Lure of Prosperity: Contemporary Polarities
in African Islam and Christianity
Patrick J. RYAN, S.J., Fordham University
December 14, 2017
Is Islam an Enemy of the West?
Tamara SONN, Georgetown University
February 23, 2017
A Christian Encounter with Said Nursi’s Risale-i Nur
Thomas MICHEL, S.J., Georgetown University
