Newsletter March 2026

There are those who do not choose between friendship and knowledge because they have understood—through a profound intuition, perhaps irreducible to any demonstration—that one without the other is but half an existence. Father Georges Anawati was certainly one of these men. The documentary recently produced by IDEO, which we are now making available to you, does not claim to exhaustively cover his journey; rather, it more modestly restores a presence. For Anawati, before being the author of a significant body of work on Avicenna, Arabic philosophy, or Islamic mysticism—and even before being that discreet expert and advisor at the Second Vatican Council—was, in fact, a man of encounters. Through this presence and his wit, he was not a man of committees or mere declarations of intent. He was the very image of dialogue as scholarly friendship. Friendship requires time and a certain acceptance of the risk of being disturbed by the “other”. Knowledge requires rigor, critical distance, and an honesty that makes no concessions to complacency. Anawati did not choose between the two; instead, he thought and lived them together, within that fruitful tension where something new becomes possible for all parties involved. This “something new” is what the documentary attempts to name through the testimonies of those who have read his work and who seek to follow in his footsteps today. Perhaps this is the lesson of Anawati: there is no great text without small gestures, and no theology of dialogue without the daily patience of friendship. The documentary we offer you presents this reality. More than that, it brings it to life. Session on Islamic Studies From March 9 to 13, Emmanuel Pisani, OP and Adrien Candiard, OP led a session on Islamic studies and an introduction to interreligious dialogue at the interdiocesan seminary in N’Djamena, Chad. This formation brought together fourth-year seminarians as well as key figures in interreligious dialogue from all six Chadian dioceses. Talks and lectures On March 6, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave a lecture at the Resalt al-Salam International Foundation on the topic “al-salām fī al-masīḥiyya” [Peace in Christianity]. On March 17, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave a talk on Islamic studies during the Catholic Education Study Day for the Diocese of Toulon. The event’s topic was “War and Peace in Religions”. On March 18, Claudio Monge, OP gave a talk entitled “ Contaminazioni devozionali islamo-cristiane: monologhi a due voci” [Reciprocal Influences between Islam and Christianity in Devotion: Monologues for Two Voice]. This took place during the SACROSANCTUM conference: “The Sacred, at the Crossroads of Theology and Culture”, held in Bologna. On March 21, Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP gave a talk in Saint-Avold on the topic “Eastern Christians in a Middle East in Crisis: Situation and Perspectives”. On March 22, Claudio Monge, OP gave a talk on the topic “Osare l’ospitalità” [Daring Hospitality], at the Shoah Memorial in Milan, as part of the SOUL Spirituality Festival 2026. Board members meeting On March 14, Emmanuel Pisani, OP participated in the Board members meeting of the association “The Friends of IDEO”. Visits On March 7, we welcomed Ms. Angelika Schmähling, Project Manager, and Mr. Nadim K. Ammann, Director of the “Universal Church and Dialogue” Department, at the Archdiocese of Cologne. On March 31, we welcomed Ms. Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s former Special Representative for Combating Islamophobia and Human Rights activist. Scholars’ House During the month of March, we had the pleasure of receiving in the Scholars’ House: Ms. Rosalie Mahieu, PhD student in Contemporary History at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS); Mr. Thomas Kremer, Director of the Research Center for the Christian East (FSCO) at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt. Publications Dennis Halft, “Zeitenwende auch in Iran? Zwischen Warten, Bangen und Hoffen”, feinschwarz.net. Theologisches Feuilleton. Dennis Halft, “Algerien. Kirche der Märtyrer und der Versöhnung” Information Christlicher Orient 26, n° 112, p. 12-13. Adrien Candiard, “The God of the Philosophers: The Refutation of Thābit b. Qurra’s Talkhīṣ of the Metaphysics in Ibn Taymiyya’s Darʾ taʿāruḍ al-ʿaql wa-l-naql”, dans Mehdi Berriah et Arjan Post (ed.),  Ibn Taymiyya’s Thought: Corpus, Reception, and Legacy, Leuven, Leuven University Press, 2026, p. 99-132. Dominique Avon, « Hommes de religion sunnites et études profanes sur le Coran. Controverses autour de la distinction entre versets mecquois et médinois (années 1910 – années 1970) », dans Constance Arminjon et Rainer Brunner (dir.), Herméneutiques en Islam contemporain. Théologie, exégèse et philosophie, Turnhout, Brepols, 2026, p. 173-199. Claudio Monge, “Riconciliarsi con la violenza del testo biblico” [Se réconcilier avec la violence du texte biblique], dans Marco dal Corso, Religioni e riconciliazione, Roma, Themis, 2026, p. 17-41.

The proceedings of the Islam and Fraternity conference, organized in Abu Dhabi by the Pluriel network with the support of the Anawati Chair, in partnership with Trends, and to which several members of the IDEO contributed, have just been published in the series Les Cahiers du Midéo (No. 7). They are fully accessible online, as indicated in the link provided in this newsletter. This volume goes beyond simply recording an academic event: it represents a moment of theological and interdisciplinary reflection on the Document on Human Fraternity, signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed al-Tayyeb of al-Azhar, and its implications for coexistence between Christians and Muslims in the contemporary world. Five years after this signing, the conference aimed to examine the actual impact of this Document and to explore its implications, not only doctrinally, but also in the social and cultural practices that bring human fraternity to life. The contributions gathered show how the act of speaking represented by this declaration engages not only institutions but also imaginations and practices. Through the three main thematic axes explored, these proceedings show that human fraternity is not merely an intention, but presents itself as a promise—one that is not always easy to uphold—over the long term of institutions, cultures, and human consciousness. Anawati Chair International Academic Dialogue around the NIJA Report On January 22, on the occasion of the publication of the Italian edition of the NIJA report entitled “Negotiating with Islamist and Jihadist Armed Groups: Practices, Discourses, and Mechanisms in Asia and Africa”, we welcomed researchers from the Italian department of the al-Azhar Observatory for Combating Extremism, as well as Professor Martino Diez from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan). The speakers were: Dr. Elsayed Abdelhady Mohammed, Head of the Italian Department, al-Azhar Observatory Dr. Martino Diez, Scientific Director of the International Oasis Foundation and Associate Professor of Arabic Language and Literature, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (Milan) Dr. Abdelwahab Ibrahim, Researcher, al-Azhar Observatory Dr. Ahmed al-Attar, Researcher, al-Azhar Observatory Mobility Grant Mrs. Mona Sabry, Director of the CEF of al-Azhar, benefited from an international mobility grant enabling her to take part in the doctoral thesis jury of Mrs. Nada Ossama Ezzat Amin, held on January 30, 2025. The thesis was entitled “Gender and Political Transitions: The Instrumentalization of Gender in Post-Revolutionary Egypt (2011–2023)” and was supervised by Mr. Stéphane Valter at the Doctoral School “Arabic Linguistics, Literature, and Civilization”, of Lyon 2 University. IDEO seminar On January 20, Professor Jaafar Ben El Haj Soulami, holder of the Chair of Moroccan and Andalusian Studies at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences, led a seminar at IDEO in Arabic entitled “The Development of Islamic Theology after the Fall of Granada: The Position of Maghrebi Envoys toward the ‘Heritage of al-Andalus’ and Christian Doctrines”. Conference  and Academic gathering On January 9, Matthieu Palayret, OP participated in the annual meeting of the Epiphany Philosophers in Oxford, a group of researchers focused on the relationship between science and faith. He presented a paper entitled “Ibn al-Durayhim: How a 14th-Century Islamic Scholar Integrated His Expertise in Both the Natural Sciences and Mystical Theology”. From January 25 to 27, Mateus Domingues da Silva, OP participated in the joint annual conference of MELA and MELCom, entitled “Reflecting on Our Past, Charting Our Future: Middle East Librarianship in Transition”, which was held at the American University in Cairo. Teaching and Study Day On January 16, Mr. Dominique Avon, in collaboration with Mr. Rainer Brunner, organized a study day entitled “Salaf, Salafiyya, Salafism: Faith in the Good Old Days in Modern Islam” at the Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (MSH) in Raspail. On January 24, Emmanuel Pisani, OP led a workshop on “Qurʾānic Christology” in person at the Catholic Institute of Paris, as part of a day organized online by the Theologicum. Appointment On January 19, 2026, Emmanuel Pisani, OP was appointed by the Holy Father as Consultant to the Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue Call for papers | Sībawayh and the Knowledge of his Time MIDEO is issuing a call for papers for its volume 43 (2028), devoted to Sībawayh and the knowledge of his time. This volume will focus on his work, its influences, the debates it generated, and its legacy. Paper proposals are expected by 31 December 2026. Call for Contributions | Abu Dhabi Declaration In collaboration with the Pluriel network and the Anawati Chair, the Research Center Religions, Rights, and Economies in the Mediterranean Space (REDESM) of the University of Insubria is launching a call for contributions for a collective volume within the REDESM editorial collection on The Abu Dhabi Declaration and New Forms of Citizenship. The deadline for submissions is March 15, 2026. Call for Papers | PISAI Conference On December 11-12, 2026, PISAI will celebrate its centenary in Rome with an international conference entitled “ Per un futuro di eccellenza: cento anni tra missione e formazione”. As part of this conference, a call for papers is open for researchers wishing to propose contributions on the history of the Institute, its figures in interreligious dialogue, its international collaborations, and its educational approach. Presentations may be in Italian, French, English, or Arabic. The deadline for submissions is 1 April 2026. Ali al-Samman Award On 31 January, Emmanuel Pisani, OP and Jean Jacques Pérennès, OP attended the ceremony for the Ali al-Samman Awar, organized by the Christian-Islamic Center for Dialogue and Partnership. As in the previous year, IDEO was part of the jury for the award selection. The three awarded projects are: First Prize: “Dialogue around the Document on Human Fraternity” by the The Mediterranean Youth for Development Institute, aiming to create a dialogue space for youth. Second Prize: Journalist Teresa Kamal (al-Masry al-Youm) for her articles on coexistence between Muslims and Copts in Upper Egypt. Third Prize: International Youth Initiative for Climate Peace, involving young people from Egypt, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Yemen, promoting interreligious cooperation for climate action and peace. Visits On January 13, we had the pleasure of welcoming Ms. Zaida

Sometimes a place calls upon those who inhabit it to bring it out of oblivion. When Francesco Antonini came in September 2023 as a recipient of the IDEO-Ifao-IFI predoctoral fellowship, as a philosopher and historian by training, he did not remain long deaf to this call. Because our walls are not only meant for sleep and study; they carry a memory waiting to be heard again. Who, then, were these Dominican brothers who founded this Institute in 1953? What hope guided them, and what understanding of Islam did they wish to convey? How did this venture take shape, and by what paths did it become today’s Idéo? To such questions, one must turn either to the patience of conventual archives or to the biography that Jean Jacques Pérennès devoted to this history. It is this second path that Francesco chose. And he emerged deeply marked, not only by the scope but also by the rigor and boldness of a project that did not separate the intellect from faith, nor scholarship from hospitality. From this reading arose a conviction: the necessity of making this story known in his own language, for his country, Italy. From this conviction arose a gesture: an Italian translation, which we could only welcome with gratitude. Thus, day by day, with meticulous attention, he set to work, allowing the sentences and paragraphs written in French to pass into another language without losing their breath. The visit of Brother Jean-Jacques to Cairo helped refine his work, shed light on obscure points, and render the transmission he sought even more accurate. Thus this book was born, published at the very moment when we commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of Nostra Aetate, whose influence by Father Anawati was decisive for the fathers of the Council. Francesco Antonini is warmly thanked here for this remarkable, discreet, yet essential work. He reminds us that transmitting a history is answering a voice that precedes us, so that it may continue to call other readers, other brothers and scholars, elsewhere, today, here and there, in Alexandria as in Italy. Lectures and talks On December 3, as part of the Orient Institut Beirut lecture series, Emmanuel Pisani, OP gave the conference “From Ideology to Critique: History in the Thought of the Iraqi Philosopher ʿAbd al-Ǧabbār al-Rifaʾī (b. 1954)” at the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst in Zamalek. On December 13, Jean Jacques Pérennès gave a lecture on the topic “How Does One Become Henri Teissier?” For context, Mgr Henri Teissier (1929–2020), former Archbishop of Algiers, was an intern at IDEO from 1956 to 1958. Distinction On December 20, Jean Druel, OP alongside five other individuals, received an award from the Cairo Academy of the Arabic Language as a “Personality of the Year” on the occasion of World Arabic Language Day. Launch Ceremony On December 22 and 23, Jean Druel, OP was invited to the launch of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language in Doha, Qatar. He also attended the conference on artificial intelligence applied to the Arabic language. IDEO in the Medias On December 24, Mr. Raphaël Georgy published an article entitled “These Christians Who Pray in Arabic”, in Résonances Abrahamiques No. 12. In December, the French Embassy in Egypt produced two videos dedicated to IDEO. In the first, its director leads a tour in Arabic to introduce the Institute and some of its treasures. In the second, young Egyptian researchers share their experiences and impressions of IDEO. Thesis Defense On 12 December, at the University of Nantes, Emmanuel Pisani, OP second rapporteur, presided the thesis committee of Mr. Pierre Courtain, entitled “The Dominican Qur’an in Latin Europe in the 13th Century”, supervised by Mr. John Tolan, a 488-page thesis. The committee was composed of Mr. Mehdi Azaiez, Mr. Paul Bertrand, Mr. Thomas Burman, Ms. Candida Ferrero Hernández, and Mr. John Tolan. Visits On December 2, we welcomed for lunch Mr. Yousef Elzalabany, he has just defended his Master’s thesis at the Aga Khan University (London). On December 27, we welcomed Mrs. Reham Salamah (Al-Azhar Observatory), Mr. Ibrahim Salamah (British University in Cairo), and Mrs. Mona Sabry (CEF, Al-Azhar) to discuss planning of various activities for the Anawati Chair. Scholars’ House During the month of December, we had the pleasure of welcoming to the Scholars’ House: Mr. Walid Saleh, Professor at the University of Toronto (Department of Religious Studies), member of IDEO and specialist in the Qurʾān and the history of its interpretation (tafsīr). Publications Jean Jacques Pérennès, Georges Anawati (1905-1994). Un cristiano arabo, traduzzione Francesco Antonini, Castelvecchi, Collana Teologia dalle periferie, 2025. Dennis Halft,  “Ḥabīb al-ḥaqq’s Miftāḥ al-ḥuqūq: A Persian Treatise on the Qurʾān and the Bible by a Catholic Missionary in the Persianate World”, in: Mission Studies 42, 2025, Issue 3: Special Issue: Indo-Persian Missions and Their Interreligious Challenge, pp. 426‒450. Dominique Avon et Othman El Kachtoul, « Une fatwā saoudienne portant sur la question de ’l’unité des religions’ ». Deux versions : 1997 et 2023, Studia Islamica, 120, 2025, p. 1-22.