MADISON — The Jubilee Year of Mercy may have concluded, but its emphasis on forgiveness will continue in a unique international conference to be held in Jerusalem next summer.
The International Forgiveness Institute (IFI) headquartered in Madison has been asked to organize the Jerusalem Conference on Forgiveness for Peace, which will be held on July 12 and 13, 2017, at the Pontifical Notre Dame of Jerusalem Center.
“To my knowledge, there has never been an international conference on person-to-person forgiveness in the Middle East,” said Dr. Robert Enright, professor of educational psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and founding board member of the International Forgiveness Institute.
He is a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Monona.
Two-day conference
He explained that the first day of this two-day conference will concern interfaith dialogue among Jewish, Christian, and Muslim experts discussing what the term “to forgive” means within their own belief system and how that knowledge of forgiveness can be used to enhance and deepen interfaith dialogue.
Internationally known speakers who have agreed to participate include Rabbi Jonathan Sachs, this year’s recipient of the Templeton Prize; Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, archbishop of Manila in the Philippines and president of Caritas International; and Dr. Mustafa Ceric, grand mufti emeritus of Bosnia.
“All are world-renowned within their own faith communities,” said Dr. Enright.
The second day of the conference will focus on forgiveness education with educators from Belfast, Athens, Lebanon,the U.S., and the Galilee or Jerusalem areas discussing how they implement forgiveness education for children and adolescents.