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College of Human Development, Culture, and Media

Catholic and Latter-day Saints Dialogue Event  

 

Mathew Schmalz

Mathew Schmalz

On November 12, the Institute of Communication and Religion (ICR) within the College of Communication and the Arts will host a groundbreaking event on dialogue between members of the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"Catholics and Latter-day Saints: A Dialogue" will be streamed via Teams at 4 p.m. and feature speakers from both traditions.

 

Chivers_Corey Headshot

Corey Chivers

Experts include Seton Hall's specialist in ecumenical studies Msgr. John Radano; Mathew Schmalz, professor of religion at College of the Holy Cross; Father Dan Dwyer, associate professor of history at Siena College; Mauro Properzi, associate professor of Religion at Brigham Young University; Hanna Seariac, an M.A. candidate in comparative religion at Brigham Young University; and Corey Chivers, a local Latter-day Saint leader who is active on the New Jersey Summit Interfaith Council. Undergraduate Communication and English dual major Ellen Paul will host the panel as part of her senior thesis project.

 

Father Dan Dwyer

Father Dan Dwyer

While previous communication between Catholics and Latter-day Saints has occurred, relations between the churches still remain largely unexplored; especially in New Jersey, which happens to be the state with the lowest percentage of Latter-day Saints.

This event will be the first dialogue between Latter-day Saints and Catholics to take place at Seton Hall. In the mid-twentieth century, Vatican II opened the door for more interfaith communication. Important documents like Nostrae Aetate, which discusses relations with non-Christian faiths, and Unitatis Redintegratio, which focuses on ecumenical communication made headway but do not address non-trinitarian Christian Churches like the Latter-day Saint tradition. ICR Director Jon Radwan pointed to this gap as an important opportunity.

 

Rev. Msgr. John Radano, Ph.D.

Monsignor John Radano

"In 2019 Pope Francis met with LDS Prophet Nelson and the two leaders even shared a hug! This recent top-level meeting was a historic first," said Radwan. "It represents a key step toward greater fraternity and the Institute for Communication and Religion is honored to help advance dialogue and collaboration to build healthy inter-Church relationships."

At the event, panelists will discuss the historical relations between the two churches, past experiences they have had with interfaith dialogue, and steps forward that can be taken for a continuing friendship between Latter-day Saints and Catholics.

 

Hanna Seariac

Hanna Seariac

While the event hopes to invite new voices to join in the dialogue between Catholics and Latter-day Saints, many of the guests’ background involve the intersection of the two faiths. Schmalz’s article "Mormon/Catholic Dialogue: Thinking about Ways Forward", published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought in 2016, discusses ways both Latter-day Saints and Catholics can come to understand one another more fully.
 

 

Mauro Properzi Headshot

Mauro Properzi

Properzi, a Latter-day Saint, studied in Rome at the Pontifical Gregorian University to receive his Post Doctorate in Interfaith Dialogue. Schmalz and Properzi, as well as Father Dwyer, have participated in past dialogue events, notably the 2015 Mormon Studies Conference "Mormons and Catholics: From the Margins to the Mainstream" held at Utah Valley University.

This event will be presented virtually over Teams on November 12 at 4 p.m. EST. Click here to register. For those unable to attend the live event, the panel will be recorded and archived for future viewing and research.

Categories: Faith and Service