Folia Canonica 11. (2008)
NEWS IN BRIEF - Nikos Maghioros: The Profile of the European Thematic Network on Religion and State Interaction
NEWS IN BRIEF 259 and every aspect of religion (e.g. religious institutions, morals, western and eastern religions, new and traditional religions, ecumenism). It focuses on various religious legal systems (e.g. Islamic law, Jewish law, Canon law) as well as on the legal treatment of religious issues in a secular environment (e.g. religious freedom, legal status of religious groups, new religious movements, Islam in western countries, women’s rights). International, public and private law, but also theological, social and political sciences will be taken into account. It should be mentioned here that countries like France, Germany, Spain, Italy, U.K., and Denmark have started programmes on this thematic area on a national or international level for some time. We have invited their participation in EuReSIS and most of them have accepted the invitation. 2. Aims and objectives “An open European area for higher learning carries a wealth of positive perspectives, of course respecting our diversities, but requires on the other hand continuous efforts to remove barriers and develop a framework for teaching and learning, which would enhance mobility and an ever closer cooperation.” Sorbonne declaration, 25-5-1998” EuReSIS NET aims to contribute to the creation of a European educational system which prepares young people to respect the religious diversity, reject prejudices and accept the necessity of a peaceful social cohabitation in the European religious mosaic. One of the main objectives of EuReSIS is to make young people tolerant and prepare them to handle difficult situations (as leaders, receivers or watchers of interreligious conflicts or conflicts between religions and State, teachers in multicultural institutions) without fanaticism and by using their rationale. This way, young Europeans will be ready to claim, for themselves and for the others, the right that the State guarantees religious freedom in all its expressions. EuReSIS aims to educate University students from all country-members and provide an even bigger number of people from all over the world with information and knowledge via e-leaming. Through a multi-disciplinary, interreligious, inter-confessional educational approach, it tries to improve the quality of Religion and State Studies in Europe by map- pingranalyzing the current situation and developing new methods of studying, understanding and teaching. The harmonization of courses, the adoption of tuning methodology (as ECTS mechanism), the facilitation of student and staff mobility, the cooperation between universities and society are specific objectives. EuReSIS NET has generic and specific objectives, both of which formulate the impact of this Network. The generic objectives are the educational and scientific approach of various expressions of relations between State and Religion in Europe such as:
