European National Interreligious Bodies

About us

The European National Interreligious Bodies (hereinafter ENIB) is active in organizing a specific contribution of the National Bodies of Religions for Peace in European countries and strengthening the role of religions in the European societies and their networking.

Activities

ENIB is actively engaging with country-level interreligious bodies of Religions for Peace across Europe, including established interreligious councils as well as those in the process of establishing.

Members of ENIB are actively contributing to the RfP Europe working group on Environmental concern and are also supporting the Metropolitan Regions project which seeks to bring together Religious actors and government representatives to learn about effective cooperation for peace and security in diverse Cities.

Committee Membership

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Genti Kruja – President of ENIB

Religions for Peace Albania

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Genti Kruja is a lecturer of Sociology of Religion, Intercultural and Interfaith Communication and Interreligious Dialogue at Bedër University College. He is the President of the Institute of Dialogue “Prizmi” and the Secretary General of the Albania Interreligious Council. Prof. Kruja has participated and contributed in many international conferences on Education, Freedom of Religion and Interfaith Dialogue. He is author of a lot of research papers and book chapters published by leading publishing houses as well as author of the books Albanians Facing the Challenges of Interfaith Understanding (2008) and History of Interfaith Dialogue (2023). Prof. Kruja is also Fellow of “The Study of the United States Institutes (SUSIs) for Religious Pluralism in America” at Seattle University, Washington and International Fellow of the KAICIID. In 2022, he was elected as expert of Religious Freedom at OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR). In 2024 Prof. Kruja was elected President of European National Interreligious Bodies (ENIB), Religions for Peace Europe.

Dr. Elisabeth Naurath – Vice President of ENIB

Religions for Peace Germany

Dr. Elisabeth Naurath is a theologian and religious educator. Since 2013, she is a professor of Protestant theology with a focus on religious education and didactics of religious education at the University of Augsburg. Her work focuses on peace education and interreligious education. She founded the Peace Education Center for Interreligious Education and is involved in various interdisciplinary committees and interreligious organizations. Dr. Naurath has a PhD in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care. She was elected as Chairperson of RfP Germany in March 2021. Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Naurath is a member of the Scanning Commission on Nurturing a Sustainable Environment for Religions for Peace International.

Dr. Marcel Israel – Vice President of ENIB

Religions for Peace Bulgaria

Dr. Marcel Israel was born in Plovdi, Bulgaria into a Sephardic Jewish family and has both Bulgarian and Spanish nationality, splitting his time between both countries. Dr. Israel received his PhD from the Technical University in Dresden in Industrial Controls and Telecommunications. He is an active member of the Jewish community in both Madrid and Sofia and is the former President of the Central Council of Jewish Religious Communities in Bulgaria. Currently, Dr. Israel is a researcher and lecturer on Jewish history/religion and Sephardic Linguistics (Ladino language). He is also a member of the following interfaith organizations: Bulgarian Forum for Interreligious Dialogue and Partnership; Vice-President of Abraham Forum for Interreligious Dialogue, Madrid; DBF, German- Bulgarian Forum for Cooperation, Berlin. Dr. Israel speaks English, German, Spanish, Bulgarian, Russian and some Hebrew.

Isä Heikki Huttunen – Vice President of ENIB

Religions for Peace Finland

Prof. Dr. Joan Hernández-Serret – Secretary General RfP Europe

Religions for Peace Spain

Professor and doctor Joan Hernández-Serret has been Secretary General of the European Council of Religious Leaders, Religions for Peace’s regional Interreligious Council in Europe, since May 2023. Dr. Hernández-Serret teaches sociology, culture and religious diversity courses for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral programs at universities such as the Faculty of Communication and Humanities of the International University of Catalonia (UIC), the Catalan School of Public Administration, the Higher Institute of Religious Studies of Barcelona (ISCREB) – Faculty of Theology, University of Barcelona (UB), University of Sant Joan de Déu, and in the KAICIID interreligious e-learning course.

He is also the Director of the Official Interreligious Trust in Spain – GTER, the Director of the Diocesan Secretariat of Interreligious Relations of the Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Barcelona and the representative of Religions for Peace in Spain. He was co-director of the IV Parliament of World Religions in Barcelona in 2004 and worked as co-director of the international, multi-religious, and inter-generational event in Spain “At a Crossroads: An Intergenerational and Multireligious Response to the Social and Environmental Crisis” in 2022.

Dr. Luigi De Salvia – President of RfP Europe

Religions for Peace Italy

Born in San Severo, Italy in 1948 and a resident of Rome since childhood, Dr. Luigi is an MD, Specialist in Ophthalmology. In 2002, he became a Graduate in Catholic Theological Culture and since 2003, he has been involved in Interreligious events, specifically focused on issues of suffering, health care etc. within the Ophthalmic Hospital of Rome, where he was serving as surgeon. From 2007 to 2016 he was the Secretary General of the Italian chapter of Religions for Peace (WCRP).

In 2008, he founded the Association “Ascoltare le Sofferenze” (“Listening to the Suffering”) for Interreligious cooperation in Medicine and Health Care. In 2010, he was the coordinator of the international conference “Religions, Cultures and Human Rights: a complex relationship in evolution” held in Rome at the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs. Since February 2010, has worked on promoting a project for the welcoming of different Religious and Cultural Traditions within Hospitals and Health Facilities. From 2011-2018 he has been the Professor of Cultural and Religious Mediation within the Masters programme at Pontifical Salesian University in Rome. He has headed multiples delegations of RfP Italy to visit Israel, Palestine, India, Nepal, China, and Myanmar. Since December 2016, Dr. Luigi has been the President of Religions for Peace Italia and since February 2023 President of Religions for Peace Europe.

Cinderella Lee (Secretary of ENIB) – Religions for Peace UK
Mirjam Ates-Snijdewind – Religions for Peace Netherlands
Sladjana Sarit Ninković-Lekanić – Religions for Peace Bosnia and Herzegovina
Amine el Asli – Religions for Peace Belgium
Brigitte Proksch – Religions for Peace Austria
Anthimos Sideris – Religions for Peace Greece
Niels Fredrik Skarre – Religions for Peace Norway
Dr. Ingrid Lomfors – Religions for Peace Sweden