Pluralism watch

Christian Century, June 19, 2002

PLURALISM WATCH: Last summer Dennis R. Janz taught a comparative religion course in Kosovo. Janz, a professor of religious studies at Loyola University in New Orleans, had hoped that class discussion might inspire some respect and understanding of different faiths--and a capacity for self-criticism.

He was not encouraged by the response he got from his Muslim students at the University of Pristina. At one point he held up the example of Pope John Paul II apologizing for the sins of the Catholic Church. "The looks of satisfaction on the students' faces spoke volumes. They did not say it, but they might as well have: `It's about time.' With great delicacy, then, and without even mentioning Islam, I raised the tough question: Could it be, I wondered, that leaders of other religions might also have something to apologize for? Blank looks. The seed I was trying to plant was falling on stony ground" (Journal of the American Academy of Religion, June).