Embracing the "other": interreligious dialogue in Catholic Higher Education Institutions in Cavite/ Henry L. Bernardo.

Catholic colleges and universities are becoming more and more inclusive, i.e., open not only to non-Catholics but also to non-Christian students. Thus, the need for an authentic interreligious dialogue is becoming one of the major concerns in many Catholic educational institutions. This study is a descriptive analysis of the kind of relationship and openness to people of different faith present in Catholic higher education institutions in Cavite. The researcher employed a triangulation research design which consisted of (a) a content analysis of the vision-mission of the different Catholic HEI's in Cavite (b) a survey using a questionnaire, and (c) interviews with selected administrators, faculty and students. Based on the findings, this study concludes that the members of the CHEI's in Cavite acknowledge the necessity and importance of interreligious dialogue. They consider interreligious dialogue as part of a bigger effort to promote peace in their community and in the whole world. Though there are some specific issues that still have to be settled, interreligious dialogue happens informally in all the CHEI's and there is a high level of openness and acceptance between the Christians and non-Christians.