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<\/a>Following the talk, reflections will be given by Rabbi Evan Rubin, leader of the congregation Etz Chayim, and Dr. S. Amjad Hussain, UT professor emeritus of thoracic and cardiovascular surgery and UT Board of Trustees member. <\/p>\n\u201cThe dialogue between Judaism, Christianity and Islam is a family dialogue,\u201d said Dr. Jeanine Diller, director of UT\u2019s Center for Religious Understanding. \u201cThese three religions all claim descent from Abraham in some way, and they all have as their ultimate concern the God of Abraham. These historical and theological linkages give them a lot to say to each other, and sometimes they disagree, sometimes they agree. This annual dialogue is a venue for that conversation.\u201d <\/p>\n
Each year for the past 12 years, members of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths on campus and in the community gather to talk about a topic of mutual interest, Diller said. The faiths take turns on a keynote speaker \u2014 this year being the Christian faith\u2019s turn. After the keynote talk and reflections, attendees are invited to break into religiously diverse groups to share thoughts on the evening. <\/p>\n
Bacik, the keynote speaker, is a Toledo diocesan priest and visiting adjunct professor at Lourdes University in Sylvania, who formerly served as pastor of Corpus Christi University Parish. He earned his doctorate of theology from the University of Oxford and has published 10 books and numerous articles, including Contemporary Theologians, Catholic Spirituality: Its History and Challenge, A Light Unto My Path: Crafting Effective Homilies,<\/em> and his latest book, Humble Confidence: Spiritual and Pastoral Guidance From Rahner. <\/em><\/p>\n \u201cCompassion is a wonderful topic for the three religious traditions,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are great examples of compassion existing in other communities and how they portray compassion in their own communities.\u201d <\/p>\n Bacik said he will focus on the work of 2008 Technology, Entertainment and Design (TED) prize recipient Karen Armstrong, who initiated the Charter for Compassion \u2014 a commitment to work to establish and sustain cultures of compassion locally and globally through diverse initiatives. Toledo joined the movement last year. <\/p>\n Bacik will tie Armstrong\u2019s work to the teachings of Pope Francis, who implements compassion into his homilies and daily practices. He cited the pope kissing and praying over a man with neurofibromatosis in 2013 as an example. Pope Francis also has spoken of the church as a battlefield hospital that cares for the wounded, Bacik said. <\/p>\n Prior to the free, public event, a student \u201cCompassion in Action\u201d reception will offer free hors d’oeuvres and an opportunity for students to share stories about compassion in their own lives. <\/p>\n Free dessert will be available during the dialogue. <\/p>\n Attendees are invited to bring canned or boxed food donations for the UT Student Food Pantry. <\/p>\n \u201cI hope students will walk away with a deep and specific understanding about the value all three of these traditions place on compassion,\u201d Diller said. \u201cI hope they meet and converse with people from each of these traditions, too, and that they can ask hard questions and talk honestly together. I hope we all come away inspired to work shoulder to shoulder on the massive problems our world faces.\u201d<\/p>\n This event is made possible by donations from the Jewish Federation, Corpus Christi University Parish, Toledo Campus Ministry, the Foundation of the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, Toledo Community Foundation, and UT\u2019s College of Languages, Literature and Social Sciences. <\/p>\n Visitor parking will be available in lot 13 or the west ramp; vehicles will not be ticketed during the event. <\/p>\n