Panel: SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE 2025 JUBILEE



1211.3 - THE FAITH OF OTHERS: INTERRELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN THE JUBILEE HORIZON

AUTHORS:
Salerno R.M. (University of Palermo ~ Palermo ~ Italy)
Text:
This contribution explores the "faith" of the "others" from a sociological perspective, interpreting religious difference as a threshold rather than a boundary, in dialogue with the symbolic horizon of the Jubilee. The Jubilee is understood not only as a religious event, but also as a social and cultural device centered on passage, encounter, reconciliation, and the opening of thresholds. Within this framework, interreligious dialogue becomes an invitation to cross differences through listening, the suspension of judgment, and the recognition of a shared humanity oriented toward the common good. Religious otherness is approached not as an obstacle, but as a space of encounter capable of questioning and transforming individuals, fostering a deeper understanding of the self and revealing the shared fragility and search for meaning that unite believers across different traditions. The research focuses on the urban context of Palermo, considered a meaningful laboratory of lived religious pluralism. Through narratives, interviews, and visual materials, the empirical analysis examines how participants perceive the faith of others, how dialogue transforms relationships through reciprocal listening, and what forms of proximity and connection emerge among different religious traditions. The findings show that interreligious dialogue, like the Jubilee experience, is a demanding and transformative pathway that enables individuals to inhabit the threshold, value diversity as a resource, and open new possibilities for coexistence grounded in shared hope and responsibility. Keywords: Interreligious Dialogue; Jubilee; Religious Pluralism; Threshold; Liminality; Palermo; Sociology of Religion; Sacred; Proximity; Qualitative Research