From the margins to the center: Exploring Nostra Aetate in the lives of Charles de Foucauld, Louis Massignon, and Pierre Claverie

Abstract

The vocations of Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916), Louis Massignon (1883-1962), and Pierre Claverie (1838-1996) form a trajectory of twentieth-century French Catholic thought. De Foucauld and Massignon's vocations to Muslims, marked by fraternity, compassion, and hospitality, offered the Church an alternative way to approach the Muslim World. Their vocations were affirmed ecclesially by the Second Vatican Council, and Claverie continued and developed these theological insights and instincts in the changing contexts of the post-conciliar period. At the center of these vocations, and the conciliar teaching, is the recognition of the shared adoration of the one God as the foundation for dialogue. Dialogue is also founded upon an understanding of a shared humanity seeking God in diverse ways, and on the importance of engaging all people, created by God, in a brotherly manner.