Providence, RI -- Dr. Sandra T. Keating, adjunct assistant professor of theology at Providence College, has been appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the Vatican's Commission for Religious Relations with the Muslims.

An expert in Christian-Islam relations, Keating will join scholars from India, Spain, Italy, and the United States in studying specific theological questions as they relate to both Christianity and Islam. She will serve a five-year term on the commission and will travel to Rome once a year, conducting most of her research in Providence.

"The Vatican is in a unique position to establish positive relations with Muslims because it is not a political entity and there are Catholics living side-by-side with Muslims throughout the world," notes Keating. " As a consequence, we often can raise questions and discuss problems in a more neutral manner and with greater 'inside' knowledge than can other types of organizations."

Keating has been studying both Catholic and Muslim theology for about 20 years and has learned the languages necessary for the research that will be required by the Commission. She earned her master's degree and her doctorate from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., as well as a pontifical degree (licentiate in sacred theology, or S.T.L.) in the theological aspects of Islam from the Pontifical Institute for the Study of Arabic and Islam in Rome. She has been a member of the Providence College faculty since 2003.

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