Berkley Center

Marcelo Figueroa is an Argentinian theologian, speaker, and writer who has engaged internationally on interreligious dialogue matters. He collaborated with Pope Francis on ecumenical and interreligious matters since Jorge Bergoglio served as the archbishop of Buenos Aires, including on the television program and book Biblia diálogo vigente with Bergoglio and Rabbi Abraham Skorka. He has served as pastor of San Andrés Presbyterian Church in Buenos Aires and was director of the United Bible Societies for over 20 years. He served as editor of the Argentine edition of L'Osservatore Romano and authored the book Le Diversità Riconciliate: Un protestante nel giornale del Papa (The Differences Reconciled: A Protestant in the Pope’s Newspaper, 2022). He received an award from the YMCA in 2015 for his work in support of interreligious dialogue. Figueroa studied economics at the University of Buenos Aires and theology at the Buenos Aires Bible Institute.

Rabbi Abraham Skorka, PhD, is a senior research fellow for Jewish studies and Jewish-Christian relations at Georgetown University, where he is also a senior research fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and has taught courses for Center for Jewish Civilization. He previously was University Professor in the Institute for Jewish-Catholic Relations at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, rector of the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, and rabbi of the Masorti Olami Community (Worldwide Conservative Movement) Benei Tikva in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He co-authored a book on interfaith dialogue with Pope Francis titled On Heaven and Earth that was published in Spanish in 2010 and in English in 2013.