ABSTRACT
This chapter examines policies for intercultural dialogue within the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe. It explains contemporary application of the intellectual resources of the Christian faith for the renewal of culture and society, articulated most recently by Andrew in The Future of Reason, Science and Faith. The mutual study of European cultures has been important for the Council of Europe since its adoption of the European Cultural Convention in Paris on 19 December 1954. As European politicians and civil society actors have been tentatively constructing a policy of interculturalism, there has been an ebbing away of confidence in multicultural and assimilationist approaches to the management of cultural diversity. The Council's long-standing attention to cultural diversity has motivated its promotion of cultural co-operation and, more recently, cultural dialogue. Intercultural dialogue took steps towards becoming a Council policy objective following a research programme in 2002 that helped to determine the parameters across a range of institutional and governmental activities.
