"Rome and Jerusalem, between heaven and earth."

Symbolic cities. Crossroads cities. Cities between heaven and earth. Holy cities that, since their foundation, have been traversed by human stories, weight and intrigue. Heritage cities whose stones, buildings, palaces and basilicas bear witness to the age-old hopes of pilgrims of all faiths. Cities of promised and always fragile reconciliations. Cities of conversation and controversy... Rome and Jerusalem.

At the heart of these two exceptional cities: holy places that go beyond the borders of each city to aim for the universal. These places are fragile, as always the symbol that tries to bring together what is divided. The Church of Rome wants to be universal, but it must negotiate the differences of peoples, cultures and expectations; risk its identity by confronting other religions and refusals to believe. The holy places of Jerusalem where the religions of the Book share the same space have to negotiate together the stewardship of a not so holy land. Holy Places so that each can be close to the other. Holy places where division threatens. Holy places mirroring the contradictions of our time.

The crowds have been deserting this place for months. The silence of the stones of Rome and Jerusalem echoes more than ever the questions of men, their divisions and their expectations of landmarks for the future. The vocation of the two cities remains universal. Rome and Jerusalem, in their nakedness, are of current relevance in thinking about the challenges that our world must take up, since holiness is not to magically resolve everything but to confront together, all the differences that are called for, the limits of our common humanity.

Whether in the Vatican or in Jerusalem, long-standing and unprecedented experiments are taking on particular significance in the current context, whether in the field of education, ecology, dialogue between religions, conflict mediation, heritage preservation or the digital revolution. These experiences risk confronting the serious questions raised by the current pandemic: how can we remain close when everything encourages distance and, consequently, fear of others and violence? How can we maintain dialogue between beliefs and religions when events make them assume a face of hatred? How to educate for justice and peace in schools where religious and cultural differences are exacerbated by conflict? How can we invent the transmission of traditions, of worship, of liturgy in the digital age?

 Inaugural debate

6:30 p.m. (Rome time) / 7:30 p.m. (Jerusalem time)

- Video introduction by the Pontifical Council for Culture
- Speeches by Mireille Delmas-Marty, Professor Emeritus at the Collège de France and President of the Pharos Observatory of Pluralism of Cultures and Religions, and by Jérôme Clément, writer, former President of Arte and of the Alliance française Foundation.
Moderator: Etienne Vetö, Director of the Cardinal Bea Centre for Hebrew Studies, Pontifical Gregorian University.

Video Capsule : Rome, the Jerusalem of the West

1st conversation: the meeting

7:30 pm (Rome time) / 8:30 pm (Jerusalem time)

Words to actors in the field: how intercultural encounter transcends the religious fact

In Jerusalem: Daniel Sidès, history teacher at the French high school in Jerusalem, Rula Fatlas and Raeda Al-Shouaiby, religion teachers at the Ecole Saint-Joseph de l'Apparition in Ramallah (one Muslim, the other Christian).
Video: Religion lesson with two voices at Saint Joseph's School in Ramallah (Theme of the lesson: what brings Christians and Muslims together).
In Rome: Diego Sarrio Cucarella (to be confirmed), Director of the Pontifical Institute for Islamic and Arab Studies;
In Paris: Charles Personnaz, Director of the National Heritage Institute, author of the report "Strengthening French action to protect the heritage of the Middle East and support for the educational network of Christian communities in the region".
Moderator: pending confirmation

Video: Ali Qleibo (Al Quds University), in the form of a stroll, a Muslim anthropologist in front of the frescoes of the Templar church of Abu Gosh.

2nd conversation: the opening

8:30 p.m. (Rome time) / 9:30 p.m. (Jerusalem time)

Dialogue through initiatives of intellectual openness of religions

In Jerusalem: Jean-Jacques Pérennes, French Biblical and Archaeological School, for the publication programme "The Bible in its traditions";
In Paris: Ghaleb Bencheikh, president of the Fondation de l'islam de France, for the " Campus Islam des lumières " and Pauline Bebe, rabbi of the French liberal Jewish movement;
In Rome: Laurent Basanese, Director of the Centre for Interreligious Studies of the Pontifical Gregorian University.
Moderator: Luc Pareydt, Counsellor for Religious Affairs of the Consulate General of France in Jerusalem.

Video: French national domains in Jerusalem

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