Building Bridges Across South Asia
“We want to listen to one another. Every young person has something to say to others. They have something to say to adults, something to say to priests, sisters, bishops, and even the Pope. All of us need to listen to you!” (Pope Francis, April 8, 2017)
September 26, 8:00 A.M. Chicago, 3:00 P.M. Rome, 6:30 P.M. Delhi (GMT +2)
Building Bridges Across South Asia
Around one quarter of the world’s population lives in South Asia, which is comprised of eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. This is a densely populated, politically and religiously diverse region where Christians make up barely 2% of the total population. The predominant religious traditions are Hinduism and Islam. This minority status of Christianity throughout the region is an important aspect of the experience of students who are Christian.
To form and facilitate student groups for the Building Bridges Initiative, several universities and religious centers are working together:
- Loyola Hall Research and Spirituality Centre (Lahore, Pakistan)
- Christ University (Bengaluru, India)
- St. Xavier's College (Kathmandu, Nepal)
- St. Stephen's College (Delhi, India)
- Loyola College (Autonomous) (Chennai, India)
- St. Joseph's University (Bengaluru, India)
Professors at those cooperating institutions are convening and accompanying students from across the region in 12 Working Groups. The students comprising those groups come from dozens of states, provinces, and union territories throughout three countries: Pakistan, Nepal, and India. Participating students are studying diverse fields, including Psychology, Commerce, Physics, Law, Computer Science, Chemistry, Philosophy, Economics, and more.
Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education sent to the students and those involved in Building Bridges Across South Asia a message. You can download and read his Message to South Asia.
To learn more about this upcoming event, you can download the Info Sheet.