The Blanquerna Foundation, within the framework of the Blanquerna Observatory of Communication, Religion and Culture, will promote the creation of the first Chair on Religious Freedom and Conscience in Catalonia. With the leadership of Dr. Eduard Ibáñez, Director of Justice and Peace, and Dr. Míriam Díez Bosch, director of the Observatory and vice-dean of research, postgraduate and international relations at the Blanquerna-URL Faculty of Communication and International Relations, this project aims to bring citizens closer to the recognition and scope of the fundamental right to religious freedom as well as the principle of non-discrimination on religious grounds.

The main actions planned within the new Chair focus both on research and on the dissemination and awareness of this right. Thus, among other activities, a report will be published on the subject, an international congress will be held with experts in the field, a Prize for Final Degree and Master’s Thesis on religious freedom will be convened and training will be provided in data verification on the subject. All this will be carried out with a team made up of researchers from the various Blanquerna faculties.

The new Chair was born from a competitive call that the General Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Department of Justice of the Generalitat de Catalunya. Blanquerna-URL participated and achieved the highest score, obtaining a financial endowment of 100,000 euros to develop the action.