The Death of Father Maurice Borrmans

Father Maurice Borrmans, a member of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers), died on December 26th 2017, in Bry-sur-Marne in France, on the feast of St Stephen. He was 92 years old. With his passing, one of the greatest figures in the world of Christian-Muslim Dialogue has been lost. Born in Lille on October 22nd 1925, he studied theology in Lille and in Thibar in Tunisia and was ordained a priest on February 1st 1949. Having received his Ph.D. from Paris-Sorbonne, he lived for twenty years in Algeria and Tunisia. He taught at the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies (PISAI) from the time of its transfer to Rome in 1964 until 2004, when he went into ‘active retirement’ in Ste Foy-lès-Lyons in France. Editor of PISAI’s prestigious journal Islamochristiana from 1975 till 2004, he took part in numerous Muslim-Christian colloquiums in different Mediterranean capitals. He is the author of a number of books and countless articles. The Rector of PISAI, Valentino Cottini, and the Director of studies, Diego Sarrió Cucarella, participated in Father Borrmans’ requiem mass which was celebrated in the parish church of Bry-sur-Marne on Tuesday, January 2nd 2018. PISAI’s academic community joins the Borrmans family in commending Father Maurice to the Lord’s infinite mercy.