Nostra aetate, or the Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, is an official declaration of the Second Vatican Council and was promulgated on October 28, 1965 by Pope Paul VI. For sixty years, Nostra aetate has called Catholics to respect other faiths, reject antisemitism, promote dialogue and cooperation among different religious traditions, and acknowledge the shared humanity of all people.

The university community is invited to a timely discussion on the legacy and call of this important declaration with the Right Reverend Alexei Smith, ecumenical and interreligious officer of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and a leader in American interfaith and intergroup relations for over 25 years. The evening will be moderated by Amir Hussain, professor of theological studies and a scholar of world religions at LMU. A reception will follow. All are welcome.

To Attend. This event is free and open to the public; campus parking fees will apply. RSVP is requested (click Register button). It is sponsored by Campus Ministry and the CSJ Center for Reconciliation and Justice. For more information, please contact Campus Ministry at (310) 338-2860 or email ministry@lmu.edu. 

About the Rt. Rev. Smith
The Right Reverend Alexei Smith, a Greek Catholic priest, has served as Ecumenical and Interreligious Officer of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles since November 2000. As such he directs the Catholic Church’s relations with all other Faiths in Los Angeles. Additionally, he is currently serving as CADEIO’s [the Catholic Association of Diocesan Ecumenical and Interreligious Officers] liaison to Christian Churches Together, a growing Ecumenical movement, and as the co-coordinator of the Western Region’s Catholic/Muslim Dialogue for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Locally, Father Alexei served for many years as President of the Interreligious Council of Southern California and is the recipient of numerous commendations and awards. In 2011, he was elected President of the Southern California Ecumenical Council, now the Southern California Christian Forum, a post he still holds. In 2019, he received Loyola Marymount University’s President’s Award, the highest non-degree honor given by LMU. He is currently a member of the Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese, and has been invested as a Knight Commander of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, and recently was named to the Board of the Academy of Judaic, Christian, and Islamic Studies.

About Professor Hussain
Amir Hussain, Ph.D. is Professor of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he teaches courses on world religions. His own particular speciality is the study of Islam, focusing on contemporary Muslim societies in North America. His academic degrees (BSc, MA, PhD) are all from the University of Toronto where he received a number of awards, including the university’s highest award for alumni service. He is the co-editor for the fourth editions of World Religions: Western Traditions, and World Religions: Eastern Traditions, textbooks published in 2014 by Oxford University Press. He is also the co-editor for the third edition of A Concise Introduction to World Religions, published by OUP in 2015. Prior to those books, he wrote an introduction to Islam for North Americans entitled Oil and Water: Two Faiths, One God (Kelowna: Copper House, 2006). He has published over 50 book chapters and scholarly articles about religion.