What is Interfaith? Interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive, and positive interaction between people of different religions, faiths, spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels. It is distinct from syncretism or alternative religion, in that dialogue often involves
promoting understanding between different religions or beliefs to increase acceptance of others, rather than to synthesize new beliefs. Interfaith dialogue forms a major role in the study of religion and peacebuilding.
Who is the Pope? The pope, or supreme pontiff is the Bishop of Rome and therefore ex officio the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church. The primacy of the Roman bishop is largely derived from his role as the apostolic successor to Saint Peter, to whom Jesus is said to have given the Keys of Heaven and the powers
of "binding and loosing", naming him as the "rock" upon which the church would be built. Since the 1860s, the pope has also been head of state of Vatican City, a city-state entirely enclaved within Rome, Italy. The current pope is Pope Francis, who was elected on 13 March 2013, succeeding Benedict XVI.