Franciscan Friars of the Atomentment and University Of San Francisco Announce XXVIII Paul Wattson Lecture Series
Garrison, NY, October 25, 2006
The XXVIII Paul Wattson Christian Unity Lecture will be held at the University of San Francisco on Monday, February 26, 2007. Dr. Mona Siddiqui, Head of the Religious Studies Program and Director of the Islamic Center at the University of Glasgow, Scotland, will speak on the topic “Divine Love and Divine Law: Human Dignity in Islam” at 8 p.m. on the Main Campus in the McLaren Building, Room 252, of the University of San Francisco, 2500 Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Dr. Siddiqui is well-known for writing and consulting on Islamic issues. She was the first Muslim speaker to deliver the 'Time for Reflection' at the Scottish Parliament in December 1999. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio Scotland, BBC Radio 4 and to Central Asia-based Radio Free Europe. She has also appeared in television programmes on BBC Channel 4 and BBC Scotland to discuss religious and ethics matters.
The Paul Wattson Lectures honor the memory of the Reverend Paul James Francis Wattson, S.A. (1863-1940), pioneer of Christian Unity and founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement, a Roman Catholic religious order that continues to work for Christian Unity and interreligious understanding. These annual lectures feature international leaders who contribute to the friars mission of at-one-ment with their expertise. Initiated in 1974 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, DC, the lecture series was later transferred to the University of San Francisco in 1980. Paul Wattson Lectures are also held at the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax; the Toronto School of Theology in Toronto; Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, and at the friars' Centro Pro Unione in Rome.
For more information about the San Francisco lecture, call Gary McDonald, Director of Media Relations at the University of San Francisco 415-422-2699.
About the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement
The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement are a religious order of brothers and priests founded in 1898 by Father Paul Wattson. Their worldwide ministries include Christian unity; interfaith dialogue among Christians, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists; serving the homeless and those suffering from alcoholism, drug addictions, and HIV/AIDS; preaching the gospel in parishes around the world, and offering respite and hope to those in need of spiritual renewal.
