Collection of writings in honor of Jesuit Islamic scholar released

By Matters India Reporter

Rome, Nov 2, 2022: Jesuit superior general Father General Arturo Sosa has released a collection of writings in honor of a pioneer in Christian-Muslim relations who had worked in India for decades.

While releasing the book “Witness to a Common Hope: Festschrift in honor of Jesuit Father Christian W. Troll on October 28 at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome, the general stressed the importance of the Jesuit works’ scholarly dimension.

The Festschrift (a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar) contains 26 essays that honor Father Troll. The volume was edited by Herman Roborgh, head of the School of Religion and Philosophy, Minhaj University Lahore, Pakistan, and Jesuit Father Joseph Victor Edwin, lecturer of Theology and Christian-Muslim Relations in Delhi’s Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies. It was published by the Gujarati Sahitya Praksash in Gujarat.

The editors while introducing Father Troll as a scholar and servant of reconciliation expressed joy in offering a bouquet of essays in honor of him through the edited volume.

Formed in the school of Ignatian discernment, Father Troll was inspired by the Second Vatican Council and its documents such as Lumen Gentium, Nostra Aetate and Dignitatis Humanae in his engagements with Muslims around the world.

He taught at Delhi’s Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies for 12 years from 1976 before moving to Birmingham and Rome for teaching and guiding students in research in the field of Christian-Muslim relations.

At Vidyajyoti, he set up a research library for studies and research in South Asian Islam. He also founded Vidyajyoti Institute, Department of Islamic Studies to encourage the students of theology in Christian-Muslim relations. He also one of the founder fathers of Islamic Studies Association, Delhi, to promote dialogue between Christians and Muslims as desired by the Church.

Father Troll was born December 25, 1937, in Berlin, Germany. He has engaged in studies of Islam since 1961. A graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, he is author of several books and numerous articles. He has taught in India, Rome, and the United Kingdom.