Ana Petrache

Dr. Ana Petrache is a philosopher, who earned her PhD in Philosophy from École Pratique des Hautes Etudes and University of Bucharest. Ana has been a postdoctoral fellow at the Foundation for Interreligious and Intercultural Research and Dialogue, University of Geneva and Accademia di Romania in Rome. Her work focuses on the relationship between religion and politics in the 20th century Western Europe. The research interests include political theology, interreligious and ecumenical dialogue, political philosophy, and philosophy of history. Ana’s research has a special focus on eschatology and on the political consequences of some religious concepts such as eschatology, the kingdom of God or the sovereignty of God, firstly in the Christian tradition and by comparison in Judaism and Islam.

Born and raised in the Orthodox culture and due to her research expertise in political theology, Ana’s intellectual formation is deeply oriented by Catholic and Protestant theology. Thus, she is in an excellent position to pursue ecumenical dialogue. During her PhD and postdoctoral studies, she was part of several research projects at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, the University of Bucharest and Institut Catholique de la Méditeranée, Marseille. In 2017, she published a book entitled ‘Gaston Fessard, un chrétien de rite dialectique’.

In addition, Ana has been working as an advisor to the Secretary of State for Religious Affairs in Romania, a governmental agency focusing on promoting religious freedom and strengthening the relationship between different religious denominations and the Romanian government. In her capacity as Adviser to the Secretary of State, she helped shape public policy concerning religious issues and ensure a fair treatment for groups of all religious denominations in Romania. During this period, she engaged in promoting freedom of religion and belief through promoting religious literacy. As a Russell Berrie Fellow at the Angelicum, Ana will continue to deepen her knowledge in the field of interreligious dialogue and pursue her career in promoting interreligious understanding.

Educational background includes: PhD in Philosophy and MA in Political Theory, École Pratique des Hautes Etudes, University of Bucharest, 2014 and 2010.