BOOK TALK
HINDU AND CATHOLIC, PRIEST AND SCHOLAR: A LOVE STORY
Thursday, February 12
Harvard Catholic Center
Francis X. Clooney, S.J.
Harvard University
In his memoir, Hindu and Catholic, Priest and Scholar: A Love Story, Fr. Clooney chronicles his lifelong research and work at the intersection of Hindu and Catholic traditions, embodying a deep commitment to interreligious dialogue, scholarship, and lived Catholic faith. Through careful historical and theological analysis, Fr. Clooney explores how he navigated multiple religious worlds, contributing to mutual understanding between Hinduism and Christianity while remaining rooted in Catholic faith and academic rigor. Join us for the book talk, followed by Q&A and reception.
Co-sponsored by HDS Catholics and Friends and the Harvard Catholic Graduate Chaplaincy
This event has ended
This event has ended
The Madonna and Child. Opaque watercolor and gold on paper, ca. 1605-1610, Freer Gallery of Art Collection, Washington, D.C.
FRANCIS X. CLOONEY, S.J.
Fr. Clooney, Parkman Professor of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School, is a Jesuit priest who has taught at HDS since 2005. During 2022-23, he was the President of the Catholic Theological Society of America. In April 2025, he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Fr. Clooney has written widely on the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions of India, on the Jesuit missionary tradition, and on the developing field of comparative theology, of which he is a leading figure worldwide. This discipline is distinguished by the attentiveness to the dynamics of theological learning deepened through the study of traditions other than one’s own. Among his dozens of publications, recent books include Reading the Hindu and Christian Classics: Why and How it Matters (2019) and Western Jesuit Scholars in India (2020). His PhD, in South Asian Languages and Civilizations, is from the University of Chicago (1984). He regularly helps out with Masses at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, in Sharon, MA.
