More than a dozen KAICIID Fellows, Network for Dialogue and other KAICIID network members from across Europe gathered in Vienna for the European Academy of Religion (#EuARe2025) – Europe region's largest annual event promoting interreligious dialogue and the study of religions – to explore how interreligious dialogue can intersect with governmental and community-level diplomacy, fostering trust and rebuilding fractured communities in a region shaped by deep historical divisions.

At a panel on religious literacy, Fellow Besa Ismaili, former member of the Kosovo Parliament and faculty member at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Pristina,  argued for the active engagement of religious leaders in fostering a more inclusive and equitable society in the region, by  promoting religious pluralism and gender equality:

Religious leaders continue to wield considerable moral authority within their communities,

While at the KAICIID-hosted session on “Religion, Diplomacy, and Dialogue in the Balkan Context: Intersectional Perspectives”, panellists from Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia and Austria reflected on the role of faith-based actors, journalists, educators and policymakers in promoting peace and inclusive societies.

In his opening remarks as moderator, Senior Programme Manager at the KAICIID International Fellows Programme, Prof. Andrew J. Boyd highlighted the crucial role religious literacy and the institutionalisation of dialogue across sectors.

Religion is too often seen by secular viewers only as a source of conflict. But when responsibly engaged rather than ignored or relegated only to the private sphere, it becomes a catalyst for diplomacy, reconciliation and human fraternity. Religion is part of the solution more often than part of the problem.

The session, in the form of an interactive dialogue circle, engaged speakers and attendees in identifying barriers to cooperation – such as competitive victim narratives, policy inertia, and reactionary dialogue framing – and putting forward recommendations that call for a more proactive, generationally engaged approach.

Developing regional and global-level support for religious literacy as a tool for democratic resilience

Religious pluralism should not remain solely the responsibility of faith-based actors. It must be met with a policy-level religious literacy that equips institutions to engage with religion constructively. In drawing on his work in academia and the Albanian Interreligious Council, the President of Religions for Peace Europe, Prof. Dr. Genti Kruja, advocated for transformative religious education rooted in both tradition and civic responsibility, highlighting that,

faith-based diplomacy can integrate moral and spiritual values into the policy sphere, enabling reconciliation, preventing violence and fostering inclusive communities.

At the same time, local actors – such as religious leaders, educators and community representatives – often carry the burden of building trust and sustaining social cohesion. Known as Track II and III diplomacy, local dialogue structures, community-level engagement and education systems play a vital role in addressing and preventing tensions on the ground.

Dialogue must be authentic, not performative … Policies need incentives to integrate religious diversity into education and municipal planning, stated Ms. Anesa Colakovic, reflecting on her work with interfaith and youth initiatives in North Mitrovica, Kosovo.

Institutionalising interreligious dialogue at the municipal level through inclusive councils

Expanding on the local governance perspective, Rev. Dr. Vedran Obucina, President of the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue, drew on examples from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia to illustrate how religious councils are helping to bridge divides at the grassroots level. “Despite political pressures and co-optation risks,” he noted, “local faith-based cooperation remains one of the most resilient means of bridging divides and overcoming nationalist narratives.”

Embedding interreligious dialogue in national education policy and teacher training

The role of education systems in building interreligious understanding was also a focal point. Hofrätin Mabrouka Rayachi, Supervisor for Islamic Religious Education in Lower Austria and member of the Network for Dialogue, presented classroom initiatives that support migrant inclusion by promoting empathy and mutual respect among students. “Schools must be safe spaces where dialogue and understanding are learned and lived,” she said.

Reshaping public discourse by increasing collaboration between journalists and faith-based actors

Serbian journalist and PhD researcher Jelena Jorgacevic Kisic called for ethical journalism that resists sensationalism, and manipulation or marginalisation of religious narratives, instead prioritising stories of reconciliation, saying that, 

Journalists have a duty to present the rich internal diversity within faith communities and to amplify voices of peace and dialogue.

Surveying the global state of interreligious relationships and dialogues

In bringing the session to a close, Prof. Boyd emphasised that

The future of the Balkans – and of Europe – depends on our ability to keep our commitment to dialogue, to deeper relationships, and recognising new stories rooted in hope.

The session in Vienna is an example of such a commitment, showcasing the impact of the KAICIID Fellows Programme, with members now actively shaping policy, media, education and grassroots peacebuilding across the region.

A comprehensive study of such programmes and their effectiveness in fostering long-term interreligious relationships and collaboration through dialogue could provide an empirical foundation for implementing many of the session’s recommendations. This was the focus of the work of KAICIID Fellow, Capuchin Franciscan friar Stefano Luca – as presented in his 2023 book, Teologia delle differenze – which draws upon foundational insights of the Franciscan tradition to construct a renewed theology of religions and foundation for interreligious dialogue.