The First
The Monthly Newsletter of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church
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December 2020
Dear CTEWC Friends,

Greetings of solidarity this World AIDS Day. This month we are delighted to welcome Suzanne Mulligan to the planning committee, where she will oversee the European region and collaborate with Jim Keenan leading the work of the Virtual Tables. We are grateful to Michelle Becka for her leadership these recent years as she steps down. In this issue, the Virtual Tables report spotlights the work of the Asian-Oceanian region. We are also pleased to announce the publication of Advancing Nonviolence and Just Peace in the Church and the World, resulting from a global collaboration of voices in violent conflict zones, scholars, community organizers, and advocates, including a number of our members.

In this month’s Forum we feature two reflections on ecological ethics: Agnes Brazal elaborates a nuanced understanding of resilience as an ecological virtue as the Philippines reels from yet another tropical cyclone, and in the Junior Scholars Forum, Kristine Meneses issues a call for solidarity in responding to our shared “ecological emergency,” drawing on the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ response to Laudato Si’. In the Latin American and Caribbean Forum, Susana Nuin Núñez frames land seizures in the region in terms of structural justice in light of socioeconomic, political and cultural perspectives. In the African Forum, Guest Contributor Emmanuel Bueya Bu-Makaya reflects on how the bishops might more effectively impact “electoral crises” across four African countries. Marianne Heimbach-Steins outlines the German reception of Fratelli Tutti with respect to its claims regarding economics, nationalism and its implications ad intra in the European Forum. Writing from the United States, Thomas Massaro analyzes the impact of the Trump administration’s wide-ranging “ethical failings” on the recent election and the nation’s future.

May we remain watchful as we prepare to welcome Jesus this Advent season.

Kristin Heyer
Shaji George Kochuthara, CMI
Andrea Vicini, SJ
In this Issue
December Forum
Virtual Tables Report
Regional Reports
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Kristin Heyer, Editor

Sara Bernard-Hoverstad, Associate Editor
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Featured Forum Articles
African Forum: "The Bishops and the Ballot in Africa" - Emmanuel Bueya

European Forum: "Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter Fratelli tutti - Focal Points and Aspects from the Discussion in Germany" - Marianne Heimbach-Steins

North American Forum: "Our Battered Democracy has Passed a Strange Kind of Stress Test"
- Thomas Massaro
Asian and Oceanic Forum: "In Defense of Resilience as an Ecological Virtue"
- Agnes Brazal

Latin American and Caribbean Forum: "La Tierra Como Valor Social"
- Susana Nuin Núñez

Junior Scholars Forum: "Aggression against the Environment Translates to Hostility Towards the Least in the Society"
- Kristine Meneses
Virtual Tables Report
Asian-Oceanic Virtual Table

This month we are happy to feature the Asian-Oceanic Virtual Table. Catholic Ethicists from Asian-Oceanic region hold VT meetings regularly once in two months, founded and led by Shaji George Kochuthara. Seventeen members from eight countries come together. This group each time deals with a couple of ethical questions pertinent to the region. In the recent VT, Eric Genilo brought out the ethical problems when the Philippine Bishops use public discourse which assumes a theocratic view of Philippine politics. Shaji George Kochuthara dealt with the possibility of doing Catholic ethics in a religiously and culturally pluralistic context. Out of the present VT, two new Virtual Tables devoted for specific themes are emerging: VT for gender issues, led by Sharon Bong and VT for young scholars led by Stephanie Puen.

Next month we will feature the African Virtual Table.
Asian-Oceanic Regional Report
Publications
 
J. Charles Davis, Human Dignity in World Religions: Toward a Global Bioethics and Biolaw, New Delhi: Christian World Imprints, 2020.

European Regional Report
Ethics of Resilience Conference Report

Faculty of Theology at University of Ljubljana organized an International Scientific Conference entitled “Ethics of Resilience: Vulnerability and Survival in Times of Pandemics and Global Uncertainty.” The conference took place via Zoom from November 5-7, 2020 with 36 speakers from nine countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic is revealing the truth about the vulnerability of persons and creation. We must therefore step up our efforts to help everyone as much as possible and to protect people, nature, and the entire planet from the dangers of radical changes that are global in nature, creating uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and sometimes panic. Democratic states and other relevant agents must increase their efforts to cope with the health, economic and social crisis, without simultaneously violating the fundamental principles on which they are founded: respect for the dignity of every human being, human rights, freedom, equality, and fraternity and solidarity. 

The participants at the conference agreed that the problem of resilience required an interdisciplinary approach. The question of resilience was placed in the contemporary and historical context of (post) secularity and the different interpretations of the concept resilience in the medicine, philosophy, theology, cultural anthropology, psychotherapy, and ethics were presented.

Announcing the Laudato Si' Research Institute

Professor Celia Deane-Drummond, of Campion Hall, Oxford University announces the launch of the Laudato Si' Research Institute.
You are invited to:
- Join the Global Laudato Si’ Research Network
- Sign up to the regular newsletter
- Consider applying for one of the research fellowships
- Register to participate in Down to Earth Dialogues. (Each dialogue brings together an academic and a practitioner perspective to explore what our new, post-COVID future might look like. They offer contributions from important voices from the Vatican, from Catholic relief agencies, and from the Global South. And they provide an opportunity for you to be involved with questions and feedback.)

Publications

„Sexualität bei Paulus“ by Ansgar Wucherpfennig SJ

With his new book, Ansgar Wucherpfennig SJ demonstrates how Paul’s teaching on sexuality is heavily influenced by the Torah and his understanding of the Torah as an instruction on how to live a just life. From a contemporary perspective, however, his approach has to be criticized as patriarchal and, thus, it actually undermines Paul’s original intention: bringing the message of God’s justice to the world.
 
„Werte im Beruf. Ethik und Praxis im Gespräch“ (Studien der Moraltheologie 14) edited by Sigrid Müller, Stephanie Höllinger and Bettina Bald

Discussion on values is becoming increasingly important within various professional fields, but this topic has not until now received deserved attention within theological-ethical reflection. This book, therefore, offers a theological contribution to the theory of values by focusing on the meaning and practical impact of values on different fields of profession, such as politics, business, agriculture, education, medicine or health care.

Report on Faith and Children´s Rights

Arigatou International recently published a major report on Faith and Children's Rights, which considers the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the role of faith communities in promoting the wellbeing of children across the globe. The full report, executive summary and policy brief are available here.
Latin American-Caribbean Regional Report
Proyectos

El 24 de octubre del 2020 se presentó el Proyecto MorAr dentro del marco de la XXXIX Semana Argentina de Teología. El Proyecto MorAr consiste en la construcción de una “Morada para Teólogas y Teólogos Moralistas Argentinos” cuyo propósito es construir una Teología Moral dialógica enraizada en el pueblo de Dios. Entre los miembros se encuentran
Dr. Pro. Luis Albóniga, Dr. Luis Anaya, Lic. Silvina Astigueta, Lic. Paula Carman, Dra. Emilce Cuda, Dra. María Martha Cúneo, Hugo Ariel Elías, Dr. Fabricio Forcat, Pro. Carlos Juncos, Lic. Marcela Lapalma, Lic. Esteban Madrid Paez, Sabrina Marino, Gabriela Martinito, Dr. Andrés Moto, Lic. Eloísa A. Ortiz de Elguea, Dr. Juan Francisco Tomás SDB, Lic. Matías Vecino, Dr. Miguel Yáñez. Contacto Instagram: teologosmorar, E-mail: teologosmorar@gmail.com, Twitter: @TeologosMorAr, Facebook: Teólogos Moralistas.

Reconocimientos

El capítulo de Pablo A. Blanco titulado "O projeto moral do Papa Francisco" fue reconocido con el Premio Estímulo a la Investigación 2020 de la Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina (UCA). El capítulo es parte del libro coordinado por Maria Inés Castro Millen y Ronaldo Zacharias que fue presentado en el reciente 43º Congreso Brasileño de Teología Moral bajo el título "A moral do Papa Francisco: um projeto a partir dos descartados". Para adquirir el libro.

Artículos

Ronaldo Zacharias comparte su artículo “Tutti fratelli: ou nos salvamos todos ou não se salva ninguém” In: Instituto Humanitas Unisinos (11.11.2020).

Nuestro compañero Agustín Ortega comparte el artículo “Filosofía y pensamiento latinoamericano desde J. C. Scannone e I. Ellacuría.”

Libros

Santiago Espitia Fajardo recién publicó su libro Una espiritualidad que entreteje: miradas integradoras sobre salud-enfermedad-resiliencia y solidaridad.

North American Regional Report
Employment Opportunities

St. Louis University seeks candidates for the Hubert Mäder Visiting Professorship in Bioethics in the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics. 

Center for Theological Inquiry

The Center for Theological Inquiry at Princeton University announces a local and global workshop on Religion and the Natural Environment in the 2021-2022 academic year. More information is available here, and the application portal will open during January 2021.

Commentary and Resources on the 2020 U.S Elections

Emily Reimer-Barry, "Conscience at the Polls: Abortion and the Election," Catholic Moral Theology, October 26, 2020.

Victor Carmona, "Conscience at the Polls: Voting, Immigration, and the Common Good," Catholic Moral Theology, October 29, 2020.

Anna Floerke Scheid, “Political Violence, Ethics, and the U.S. Elections,” Political Theology Network, November 6, 2020.  

Publications

The Journal of Moral Theology has published a special issue on University Ethics edited by James Keenan and Matthew Gaudet. The volume includes essays by many CTEWC members, including Conor Kelly, Megan McCabe, Laurie Johnston, Jason King, and David DeCosse.
See also Matthew Gaudet’s commentary on the issue.

Tobias Winright, Serve and Protect: Selected Essays on Just Policing, Eugene, OR: Cascade Books (2020).   
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