For the panel "Theology of Peace: the Contribution of Religions", in the context of reflection on the role of religions in promoting peace among peoples, this paper offers a study of the theology of hospitality in the thought of Jean Daniélou. The starting point is his famous statement, repeatedly cited in the volume Teologia dell'ospitalità edited by Marco Dal Corso, according to which civilization takes a decisive step forward when the stranger, from being an enemy (hostis), becomes a guest (hospes). This insight is considered in light of two of Daniélou's key texts — Déportation et hospitalité (1951) and Migration et vie chrétienne (1963) — written in the historical context of post-war deportations and migrations.
According to Daniélou, hospitality is an ambiguous human reality: it can generate conflict, identity fears, and cultural anxieties, yet it also offers extraordinary opportunities for mutual enrichment and the building of fraternity among peoples. It requires a delicate balance between rejecting cultural and religious fundamentalism and avoiding homogenization that erases differences. Only a reciprocal openness, grounded in respect and listening to the other, can foster authentic dialogue among faiths and cultures and lead to enduring fraternity. Hospitality, as a concrete human gesture, thus becomes a theological site of encounter, capable of avoiding the symbolic risk of the "Tower of Babel" — a unity achieved through uniformity — and instead promoting a communion that values differences. In this sense, Daniélou's theology of hospitality represents a significant resource for interreligious dialogue and the promotion of peace among peoples and religions.