Dear Fellow Catholic,
The world desperately needs Dialogue among the religions of the world!

We Catholics have been called by our popes and bishops to take the lead in promoting dialogue. Pope Paul VI, in his very first encyclical proclaimed that "dialogue is demanded nowadays.... It is demanded by the dynamic course of action which is changing the face of modern society. It is demanded by the pluralism of society and by the maturity man has reached in this day and age" (Ecclesiam suam, no. 79).

It is also clear that religious dialogue is not to be limited to official representatives, or even to the experts. The pope and bishops "exhorted all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism.... Catholics must... make the first approaches toward [non-Catholics. Dialogue].... involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone, according to the talent of each" (Vatican II, Ecumenism Decree, 4).

We need to make use of the richest resources available if we are to meet the greatest challenge of the 21st century: to build bridges, not barriers between the religions. The Journal of Ecumenical Studies which has been judged the number one periodical in the world devoted to ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, is the doorway to those resources.

I wish to suggest two specific things that you can do to prepare yourself and your colleagues to meet the challenge of Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue in today's and tomorrow's world:

1. Personally subscribe to the Journal of Ecumenical Studies . Credit card, bank transfer, or check. See how to on brochure below;

2. See that your institution and/or organizations you are connected with also subscribe.

Sincerely,
Leonard Swidler, Ph.D., S.T.L., LL.D., LL.D.
Professor of Catholic Thought & Interreligious Dialogue
Co-Founder & Editor, Journal of Ecumenical Studies
Co-Founder/Co-Director, Global Dialogue Institute

Journal of Ecumenical Studies
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Professor Leonard Swidler, Ph.D., S.T.L., LL.D., LL.D.
Professor of Catholic Thought and Interreligious Dialogue
Co-Founder/Editor, Journal of Ecumenical Studies
(http://astro.temple.edu/~dialogue/jesindex.htm )
Co-Founder/Co-Director, Global Dialogue Institute
(http://global-dialogue.com )
Religion Department, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA
Tel: 215-204-7251 (Off.); 215-477-1080 (Home); Fax: 215-204-4569
E-mail: dialogue@temple.edu Web: http://blue.temple.edu/~dialogue