Francis Tiso

Father Francis Vincent Tiso (born 19 September 1950) is a Catholic priest, scholar, and writer interested in inter-religious dialogue and Tibetan Buddhism. He teaches Tibetan Buddhism at the Pontifical Gregorian University (Universita' Pontificia Gregoriana: Istituto di Studi Interdisciplinari su Religioni e Culture) in Rome. He translated several early biographies of the Tibetan yogi and poet, Milarepa and studied the rainbow body phenomenon in Tibet. He has led research expeditions in South Asia, Tibet and the Far East, and his teaching interests include Christian theology, history of religions, spirituality, ecumenism and interreligious dialogue.

Early life

Tiso was born in New York, and received an A.B. in medieval studies from Cornell University, a Master of Divinity degree (cum laude) at Harvard University and a doctorate from Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary where his specialization was Buddhist studies. He was assigned to the Archdiocese of San Francisco where he served as parochial vicar of St. Thomas More Church and chaplain at San Francisco State University and the University of California Medical School. He was also visiting professor in the archdiocesan School of Pastoral Leadership, where he taught courses in foundational theology. He also served as parochial vicar in Eureka, CA and in Mill Valley, CA.

"Muslim-Catholic Dialogues Sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops" (Part I: December 2009; N.350; Second Part: January 2010, N. 351): Encounter: Documents for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Pontificio Istituto di Studi Arabi e d'Islamistica, Roma.

Supplement on line to The New Catholic Encyclopedia: "Buddhism" (with Charles Jones), 2010.

“Penance and Confession of Sins” in Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion, NY Macmillan Reference, 1998.

“Child Deities” in Encyclopedia of Women and World Religion, Macmillan Reference, 1998.

“The Voice of Milarepa: Redaction-critical Research on the Songs and Oral Teachings”. VIIIth international seminar of the IATS, Bloomington, IN, July 26, 1998.

(editor). The Sign Beyond All Signs: Christian Monasticism in Dialogue with India. (Asirvanam Monastery, Bangalore, 1997).

“Intervista di Vincenzo Piga con don Francis Tiso: Una risposta alla Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede sulla Meditazione Cristiana”: Paramita, 1996.

“The Religion of Milarepa Before His Conversion,” in U. Bianchi, ed., The Notion of “Religion” in Comparative Research: Selected Proceedings of the XVI IAHR Congress (1990) Roma: “L’Erma” di Bretschneider, 1994.

“A Buddhist Classification of Reality: A Translation of the First Chapter of the Abhidharmakośa”, Abhidharma Research Institute No. 6 (1987).

Francis Tiso: A Young Person's Book of Catholic Signs and Symbols (NY: Doubleday, 1982).

“Love’s Conspirators: Builders of Earth-House-Hold,” J. Perlinski, ed. The Spirit of the Earth: A Teilhard Centennial Celebration (NY: The Seabury Press, 1982).

Francis Tiso and Br. David Steindl-Rast, O.S.B.: “Meditation”, Encyclopedia Americana, 1980.