Inter-religious Dialogue Seminars
The Hindu-Christian Christian Inter-religious Dialogue is a salient feature of the Peetham. The Peetham believes in the true spirit of tolerance and reverence for all faiths. The scholars from the Church deliver lectures in Christianity as a part of the course in Comparative Religion and the faculty members of the Peetham participate in Seminars and Inculturation Programmes arranged by the Church. The Peetham has been working as a nerve centre of the Hindu-Christian Dialogue in India. The honest and earnest attempts of the Peetham to establish an open platform for Hindu-Christian Interfaith Dialogue have been appreciated by the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue, Vatican.
The institute has organized Eighteen International Seminars for Interreligious Dialogue between Hinduism and Christianity; three of these seminars were held in Rome, Italy in 1998, 2002, and 2004. The participants were blessed by H.H. Pope John Paul II in the private audience in Vatican. A delegation of scholars from the Peetham participated in the Hindu Christian Symposium organized by Focolare Movement, at Castel Gandolfo, Rome, Italy in May 2008.
Late Dr. Shantilal K Somaiya, Chairman and Dr Kala Acharya, Director of the Peetham were specially invited to represent Hinduism in the Pontification Ceremony of H. H. Pope Benedict XVI at Vatican. They were the privileged members of the First Interreligious private audience of the Holy Father at Vatican in 2005. Late Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya has represented Hinduism in the International Congress of World and Traditional Religions organized by the Hon. N. A. Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan in 2003, 2006 and 2009 as the Leader of Hindu Delegation.
Since 2005 a new dimension was added to the Interreligious Dialogue with inclusion of Islam in the themes of the seminars. Dr. Kala Acharya has been invited as an expert to participate in the Interfaith Dialogue conferences organized by prestigious Muslim organizations.