Award for interfaith advocate
Local
Columban priest Rev Dr Patrick McInerney, who was born and raised in the South Australian town of Riverton, is the inaugural recipient of the Interfaith Dialogue Award by the University of Notre Dame Australia.
The presentation took place in Sydney at the 11th annual Religious Liberty Lecture on September 11.
A missionary priest, Fr McInerney (pictured) was assigned to Pakistan for more than 20 years.
He is the director of the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations, editor of its quarterly newsletter, Bridges, and an interfaith advocate on its social media platforms.
He has lectured in Interreligious Dialogue and Islam at the Catholic Institute of Sydney and the Broken Bay Institute.
In his acceptance speech, Fr Patrick expressed thanks and appreciation for the recognition given to him but noted that interfaith is about encounter and cooperation with others.
He said the award was not just a personal honour, but extends to all the dialogue partners, to Columban colleagues, and to those who laid the foundations for the interfaith work of the Columban Centre for Christian-Muslim Relations.
“The award also recognises the importance of interfaith dialogue in these challenging times,” he said.
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