The First
The Monthly Newsletter of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church
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At the United Nations on February 10, the editors will launch CTEWC's latest book in its series,
Street Homelessness and Catholic Theological Ethics
. The event is from 1:15 -2:45 at 777 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY, Church Center, 2nd Floor. If you are interested in attending please rsvp to:
lwenninger@mail.niagara.edu
.
In Nairobi on February 14, Hekima Institute of Peace Studies and International Relations will also host a book launch for the volume. The program and further details are available
here
.
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African Forum
:
"Reflections on the Pan-African Congress on Theology, Society, and Pastoral Life" - Toussaint Kafarhire
- Mary M. Doyle Roche
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Asian Forum
:
"Where is Home?: Displacements and Disqualifications"
- Agnes Brazal
- Jorge José Ferrer
- Grégoire Catta
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Call for Papers
The March 2020 issue of
Asian Horizons
invites articles on “Synodal Church.”
In his address on the occasion of the 50
th
anniversary of the institution of the Synod of Bishops, Pope Francis pointed out that, “It is precisely this path of
synodality
which God expects of the Church of the third millennium.” In his vision, the Church is synodal at every level—everyone listening to each other, learning from each other and taking responsibility for the mission of the Church. The International Theological Commission, in document
Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church
(2018) has developed further this concept of synodality.
Though synodality is not a new concept in itself, Pope Francis’ vision of synodality has given it new levels of meaning and new vitality for the life and mission of the Church. Church leaders and theologians have developed further Pope’s vision of synodality, but this vision and its practical implications are to be developed further.
Submissions are due by 20 March, 2020. View the full call for papers and a list of upcoming edition themes
here.
AMTI Seminar Report: Crisis in the Church: Ethical Responses
Association of Moral Theologians of India (AMTI) in association with Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore conducted a seminar on 20 January 2020 on the “Crisis in the Church: Ethical Responses.” The students and staff members of the faculty of theology of Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram and the members of the AMTI in Bangalore participated in the seminar.
The seminar was organised specially to reflect on the crisis in the Church due to sex abuse by the clergy. Bijosh M.B., CMI, Francis Chittuparambil, OCD, Annmary, CMC and Shinu Uthuppan presented papers. Bijosh M.B. presented the historical evolution of the crisis and the lessons Indian Church should learn from this crisis. Francis Chittuparambil analysed sex abuse and its consequences on the victims from a psychological perspective. Annmary spoke on the empowerment of women in the Church and emphasised the need of more opportunities for creative participation by women. Shinu Uthuppan addressed the issue of financial scandals in the Church and the need of a transparent administrative system in the Church.
Following the seminar, a brief meeting of the members of AMTI also took place.
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Upcoming Conference
Invitation to an international conference in Palermo, Italy, May 17th-19th, 2020. The topic is BORDERS: A Mediterranean Way. Further information about the conference in available
here.
Conference Report
The 47th annual conference of the “Innsbrucker Kreis:” “Ethical challenges through artificial intelligence” (January 2-4, 2020): A report. The “Innsbrucker Kreis” (Innsbruck Circle) of moral theologians and social ethicists from Austria and its neighbor countries (Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy and Switzerland) met at 47th annual conference in Innsbruck from January 2 to 4, 2020. The topic of this year conference was “Ethical challenges through artificial intelligence.”
The introductory paper was delivered by Luzerne moral theologian Peter Kirchschläger, who pointed out the fundamental changes in the labor market in the near future. Kirchschläger emphasized the ambivalent character of artificial intelligence, which is at the same time something ethically good, because it significantly simplifies life and helps to solve many problems, but on the other hand, man becomes more and more dependent on the help of artificial intelligence. Aaron Butler from the University of Luzerne discussed about the possibilities of developing moral machines.
Participants were greatly assisted by Justus Piater, professor of computer science and artificial intelligence researcher at the University of Innsbruck. According to him, regarding AI we cannot talk about “intelligence” in the proper sense of the word, machines are merely processing and connecting data, but they are not capable of thinking and understanding. In addition, in machine learning, we cannot talk about “learning” in the true sense of the word, since it is only about optimizing the given possibilities. New technologies can make our lives much easier, it is important that we have control over them and that their operations are as transparent as possible. Georg Gasser, philosopher from the University of Innsbruck discussed the challenges of the introduction of robots in a social life. He introduced the participants to the experience of robots in nursing homes in Austria. The robots are well accepted in the area of routine work like cleaning, while in social contact (hygiene) people prefer the care of the human person.
About 40 participants took part in the lively general debate, searching for the balanced judgement about the role of AI in the future life. The next conference of the “Innsbrucker Kreis” in January 2021 will be dedicated to the topic of “common good.” - Roman Globokar
Job Post for the University of Regensburg - see below
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Latin American and Caribbean Regional Report
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El Dr. Agustín Ortega Cabrera
ha presentado el último número de la revista "Phainomenon”, editada por el Departamento Académico de Filosofía y Teología (UNIFE, Lima), al que pertenece en una de las Universidades donde es profesor. En esta publicación, aparece un artículo suyo que recoge la ponencia expuesta por
él
en dicho departamento, “pensamiento social, bioética y ecología”, materias que conforman diversas líneas de docencia e investigación del Dr. Ortega.
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North American Regional Report
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CTEWC and Ecclesia of Women in Asia
On January 16, 2020, the 9th biannual conference of the
Ecclesia of Women in Asia (EWA), which gathers Asian Catholic women theologians, was joined in a Zoom video conference by six U.S. universities: Benedictine University Mesa (AZ), Boston College (MA), Catholic University of America (DC), Chicago Theological Union (IL), Jesuit School of Theology at Santa Clara University (CA), and Marquette University (WI).
The
EWA conference took place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and its title was:
Displacement and Disqualification: Its Surfaces and Silhouettes: Catholic Asian Feminist Theological Perspectives. During the video conference, two Asian colleagues presented their papers: (1)
Sr. Rasika Pieris (Holy Family Sisters, Sri Lanka), “
A Feminist Theological Reading of the Story of Hagar: On Forced Displacement of
Others
from Their Own Land–Sri Lanka;” (2)
Diana Therese M. Veloso (De La Salle University, Philippines), “
Gender-Based Violence in (Post) Conflict Zones: The Experiences of Internally Displaced People from Zamboanga City–Philippines.” Following the two papers, the two speakers answered questions addressed by the participants in Kuala Lumpur and by the attendees in the six U.S. universities (via chat).
This is the fifth video conference that CTEWC and EWA co-organized (2011, 2013, 2016, 2018). We express our gratitude to EWA for the willingness to participate in this project. Hopefully, this mode of communication will enhance future relationships among colleagues across continents. CTEWC looks forward to more occasions for conversation and interactions across the world, from one continent to the other.
Statement on the Assassination of Qassem Soleimani
An ecumenical group of North American ethicists, led by CTEWC member Toby Winright, has published a statement opposing the escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran. You can find the statement
here.
The ethicists argue that the present state of U.S.-Iran relations constitutes “a
“negative peace,” one unlikely to last.” They go onto say: “…in keeping with the traditional just-war criterion of right intent, we urge the US and Iran to turn their attention to diplomatic efforts toward aiming at and establishing a just peace. We recommend a shift toward exploring nonviolent methods of resistance to injustice, constructive conflict transformation, breaking the cycles of violence, and moving towards sustainable peace.”
The statement has been signed by over 80 Christian ethicists. To add your name contact Toby at
tobias.winright@slu.edu.
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It’s Time
presents a series of short stories highlighting an important but neglected aspect of life. Serious illness and aging are dependable harbingers of life’s end. For each of us, there comes a point when we must admit, it’s time. We hear the doctor say this to a dying patient and family members, to parents too long in the family home, to sobered younger people when a spouse or child becomes seriously ill. This kairos, this moment of profound significance, comes to us all. Good stories appeal to everyone. Students, particularly medical students or those in pastoral ministry or other health care disciplines, will find this book a unique, rich resource. Senior learners will find the essays helpful to work through their own history of decision-making, grief, loss. The essays provoke discussion and often closure for painful issues.
If you have news of collaborative efforts in the CTEWC network, publications, calls for papers, etc. for the North American report, please send them to Anna Floerke Scheid at scheida@duq.edu.
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