Benoît Vermander

Benoît Vermander (born 1960), also known as Wei Mingde () and Bendu (), is a French Jesuit, sinologist, political scientist, and painter. He is currently professor of religious sciences at Fudan University, Shanghai, as well as academic director of the Xu-Ricci Dialogue Center within the University. He has been director of the Taipei Ricci Institute from 1996 to 2009 and the editor-in-chief of its electronic magazine erenlai. He is also consultor to the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue. He holds a M.Phil in political science from Yale University, a doctorate in the same discipline from Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris, a Master of Sacred Theology from Fu Jen Catholic University (Taiwan) and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Jesuit Faculties of Philosophy and Theology of Paris (Centre Sevres).

His research and publications focus on China's model of development and its role in the globalization process, on Chinese religions and spiritual traditions, as well as on the role and status of traditional wisdom, rituals, and civil religion in contemporary societies. Provided by Wikipedia