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Vatican II gave strong encouragement to dialogue between Christians and Muslims. This Santa Clara Lecture wishes to assess the progress of this dialogue since Vatican II in four areas: harmonious living, cooperation in the service of others, theoretical foundations, and sharing of religious experience. An example will be given of how the consideration of Qur'anic texts can enrich a Christian's spiritual life. 

Archbishop Michael Fitzgerald was born in Walsall (U.K.) in 1937. Ordained priest as a member of the Society of Missionaries of Africa (White Fathers) in 1961, he obtained his doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (1965) and a B.A.hons in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University (1968). After teaching at Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda and at the Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Rome, there followed two years of pastoral work in Sudan. After a period on the General Council of the Missionaries of Africa 1980-1986, there came in 1987 an appointment as Secretary of the Secretariat for Non Christians, now Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue. In 1991 Fr Fitzgerald was appointed titular bishop of Nepte and was ordained by Pope John Paul II on 6 January 1992. On 1 October 2002 he was appointed President of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue and was raised to the rank of archbishop. On 15 February 2006 he was appointed Apostolic Nuncio in Egypt and Delegate to the League of Arab States. He is author (with R.Caspar) of Signs of Dialogue: Christian Encounter with Muslims (1992); Dieu rêve d'unité. Les catholiques et les religions: les leçons du dialogue, Entretiens avec Annie Laurent (2005); (with John Borelli) of Interfaith Dialogue. A Catholic View (2006), and of numerous articles in Concilium, Islamochristiana, Pro Dialogo, Spiritus.  A new festschrift in his honor, Mission in Dialogue, was published in 2012.

Co-Sponsored with the Religious Studies Department and the Jesuit School of Theology