Chief Religious Leader at the Abrahamic Family House, St. Francis Church

Father Stefano Luca (a Capuchin Franciscan friar) is the director of the Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue Office of the Apostolic Vicariate of Southern Arabia (AVOSA) and the Chief Religious Leader of the St. Francis Church in the Abrahamic Family House (AFH) of Abu Dhabi. He is also a representative of the Catholic Church in the Gulf Churches Fellowship.

He earned his PhD with a thesis on Interreligious Dialogue at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; he has a strong background in Islamic Studies having obtained a licentiate from the Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies of Rome (PISAI). He is a researcher at the University Platform for Research on Islam in Europe and Lebanon (PLURIEL).

Prior to his assignment in Arabia, he served for five years as a consultor for the Interreligious Dialogue with Muslims at the Italian Episcopal Conference. He has been a university professor in the areas of: Islam, Interreligious Dialogue, Missiology and Social Theatre. 

Additionally, he is the founder and the co-director of the ministry Franciscan Social Theatre – Empowering human fraternity through the Arts. Father Stefano has extensive work experience in promoting JPIC through the Franciscan charism in different parts of the world.