Italian Catholic bishops launch Islamic education program

The Italian Bishops’ Conference (CEI), in collaboration with the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies and the Italian diplomatic mission, has introduced a new educational initiative titled ‘Factsheets for Understanding Islam’. The program is designed for teachers of Catholic religion classes in state schools.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna and president of the CEI, presented the 11-module curriculum at the Palazzo Borromeo in Rome. The materials, developed by a joint team of Catholic and Muslim experts, describe the Koran as the ‘revealed Word of God’.

Zuppi characterized Catholic religious education classes as a ‘laboratory of culture and dialogue’ rather than a space for teaching catechism. He described the initiative as an ‘antidote to violence and ignorance’ intended to foster social cohesion and combat what he termed ‘remarkable ignorance’ regarding Islam.