Pope Francis appoints Notre Dame theologian to commission for Catholic-Muslim dialogue | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Pope Francis appoints Notre Dame theologian to commission for Catholic-Muslim dialogue Pope Francis appoints Notre Dame theologian to commission for Catholic-Muslim dialogue Published: February 28, 2020 Author: Amanda Skofstad ND Experts Gabriel Reynolds Jerome J. Crowley and Rosaleen G. Crowley Professor Gabriel Reynolds Gabriel Said Reynolds, professor of Islamic studies and theology at the University of Notre Dame, has been appointed by Pope Francis as consultor to the Commission for Religious Relations with Muslims, which is part of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue (PCID). The appointment lasts five years, and the commission meets annually in Rome to debrief and advise on the Church’s relations with Muslims. “I am humbled by the invitation to this commission, which seeks to advance theological understanding and deepen friendships with Muslim believers,” Reynolds said.     Reynolds is an expert in the common themes and content between the Quran and the Bible, as well as the ideas of divine mercy and divine judgment in the Quran. His service in Catholic-Muslim dialogue includes being selected by the Vatican in 2017 to participate in bilateral conversations with 15 Muslim counterparts at Al-Azhar University in preparation for Pope Francis’ historic apostolic visit to Cairo. In 2019, Pope Francis also met with religious leaders in Abu Dhabi at a gathering meant to confront religious extremism and promote peace; this visit marked the first time a pope has visited the Arabian Peninsula. “In the Vatican II documents Lumen Gentium and Nostra Aetate, the Church emphasizes common bonds with Islam,” Reynolds said. “Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have all reached out in friendship to Muslims and visited the Islamic world.”   Reynolds was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship in 2016, and in 2018 he published The Quran and the Bible, which offers a complete translation of the Quran along with Reynolds’ analysis of its relationship to the Bible. Reynolds coordinates the World Religions World Church program in Notre Dame’s Department of Theology. Posted In: Faith Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 03, 2022 dCEC to Award 2023 ND Evangelium Vitae Medal to Robert P. George September 22, 2022 In memoriam: Rev. Richard Warner, C.S.C., longtime leader for Notre Dame, Congregation of Holy Cross September 15, 2022 In new book on global Catholicism, Provost John McGreevy explores modern history, current challenges of the Church September 15, 2022 Death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean to speak at Notre Dame September 14, 2022 Apostolic nuncio to Great Britain to deliver the 2022 Keeley Vatican Lecture For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn