Marking the end of its extension programs series, the Department of Philosophy of the Saint Louis University (SLU) School of Teacher Education and Liberal Arts (STELA), in collaboration with the Department of Religion, conducted a lecture titled “Pedagogy of the Other: Emmanuel Levinas and the Ethics of Interfaith Dialogue in Religiously Plural World” held at the Saint Xavier Seminary, Baguio City on 26 November 2025.
The lecture delivered by Joefrey Almazan, PhD from the Department of Religion emphasized Levinas’s ethical framework, highlighting the responsibility toward the Other as a core foundation for meaningful interfaith engagement. The lecture also discussed how Levinas’s ideas remain vital in navigating today’s increasingly diverse religious and philosophical landscape.
In his presentation, Dr. Almazan underscored that dialogue at the heart of interfaith engagement should never function as negotiation but as genuine listening, a “kenotic response” marked by humility and openness. “To define what a missionary is difficult, but I am certain that a missionary is one who responds to the need of the Other,” Almazan remarked, reaffirming missionary identity as a call to ethical responsibility rather than an act of conquest or persuasion.
Dr. Almazan also addressed the contemporary shift in mission theology from ad gentes (to the nations) to inter gentes (among the nations), describing religious pluralism not as an obstacle but as a theological imperative. He encouraged the seminarians to engage with people of other faiths “not as conquerors, but as companions in discovery,” calling for an approach to mission that is truthful in its ethical commitments, rather than one that merely sounds ethical.
He further grounded his discussion in the Philippine context, emphasizing that authentic dialogue must arise from pakikipagkapwa, pakikisama, and pandinig, a willingness to truly hear the voices of the marginalized, reminding the seminarians that the “fire in ministry” comes from embracing Levinas’s call to face the Other truthfully. He concluded the lecture with a thought-provoking question: What does the face of the Other ask of us today?
The Philosophy Enrichment Extension Program (PEEP) delivered a series of lectures by distinguished speakers aimed at broadening the intellectual and spiritual formation of the seminarians of Saint Xavier Seminary. The program is aligned with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 17 (Partnership for the Goals) and the CICM advocacy of dialogue.
The Department of Philosophy extends its heartfelt gratitude to Saint Xavier Seminary for its generous hospitality and unwavering support, which made the extension lecture series a truly meaningful and transformative journey for all participants. The department looks forward with great anticipation to continuing this partnership, fostering future opportunities for dialogue, learning, and shared growth in the pursuit of wisdom and service. (Article by Sean Benedict C. Villamor | Photos by NEOLOUPHIS)
