Introduction

I would like to thank Mark Sargent and Rick Garnett for inviting me to join the Mirror of Justice.  I have followed the blog for the past few years and appreciate the respectful engagement with often difficult issues.  As some of you know, I am particularly interested in how Catholic tradition informs questions related to poverty alleviation and interreligious dialogue.  I actually see one as a bridge to the other.  I believe that dialogue regarding policy and jurisprudential approaches to poverty (along with other social justice concerns) provides a tremendous opportunity for meaningful interaction with other communities. In my scholarship, I am most interested in dialogue with Islam.  My interest in Christian-Muslim dialogue was a pivotal factor in my choice to join the Jesuits many years ago.  Although my discernment in formation led me to conclude that I was not called to priesthood, I still feel called to a vocation in dialogue as a legal academic and am deeply grateful for my time in the Society of Jesus.  I look forward to many fruitful conversations on the Mirror of Justice.

Russell Powell

Seattle University School of Law