Filipe d'Avillez

Born in Canada in 1980 to a Portuguese father and English mother.

He returned to Portugal at the age of three and has lived there ever since.

Filipe is a journalist specialising in religion and international affairs. As a reporter he has travelled from the trenches of Nagorno-Karabakh to the terraces of Middle-Eastern Christian football teams in Sweden. Besides Renascença, a major Portuguese media outlet, he has written for a number of English language sites and magazines and is a frequent contributor to British magazines The Tablet and The Catholic Herald.

Married and a father of six, he is also a passionate football fan with further interests in the crossover between football and religion, religion and conflict and conflict resolution and peacebuilding. His master's dissertation was on the role of forgiveness in conflict resolution and he has also been active in promoting and participating in inter-religious dialogue.

"One Thousand Miles to Jamor" is his fourth book, but the first to be published in English.

Previous books include "As Aventuras de Cosminho", a book for young readers on the history of Portuguese club Benfica and "Que Fazes Aí Fechada", a series of interviews with nuns from different religious orders. His book on the Portuguese Cup was published in Portugal by PrimeBooks under the title "Rumo ao Jamor" and he also has a number of articles or short stories published in collections such as "A Mística em Prosa" and "A Minha Palavra Favorita".

Filipe is active in a number of charities and social organisations. He does marriage and baptism preparation courses with his wife and is a member of the board of the Portuguese Large Families Association. He is also an avid waveman, with a preference for bodysurfing.

Twitter: @favillez

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/filipe.davillez/

Blog: Actualidadereligiosa.blogspot.com