The First
The Monthly Newsletter of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church
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February 2021
Dear CTEWC Friends,
 
In this issue of the First we launch a new “Virtual Professors Program” to take advantage of the online connections we have deepened in the Virtual Tables and wider pandemic practices; please see details below. We also feature an update on the Latin American Virtual Table. We wish to thank Anna Floerke Scheid for her leadership serving to generate monthly regional updates for the North American region, and we welcome Stephanie Edwards to that role beginning next month. This month a group of junior scholars from 16 countries convened to discuss plans for new publishing and mentorship initiatives. Stay tuned for details, and contact Alexandre Martins if you would like to be involved in future planning conversations.
 
In this month’s Junior Scholars’ forum, Grégoire Catta appeals to the principle of fraternity in Fratelli tutti to respond to current tensions in France between free speech and respect for religious beliefs. In the North American forum, Emily Reimer-Barry summons theologians to shape public discourse and share expertise beyond our classrooms, providing examples and strategies from CTEWC colleagues. From Puerto Rico, Jorge José Ferrer proposes that a global pandemic requires a global approach to bioethics, constituted by principles of human dignity, solidarity, and social justice. In the African forum, Anthonia Ojo Bolanle calls on Nigerian leaders to protect religious freedom and human dignity in light of ongoing threats and violence against Christians. Writing from Belgium, Ellen Van Stichel challenges unequal access to COVID-19 vaccines and calls for courage and solidarity in ensuring global distribution. Finally, from Australia, Hoa Trung Dinh considers the implications of recent legislation banning therapeutic approaches seeking to change gender identity or sexual orientation.
 
As we surpass one hundred million COVID-19 cases worldwide, we pray for all those who suffer, accompany, provide care, mourn and now safeguard.

Kristin Heyer
Shaji George Kochuthara, CMI
Andrea Vicini, SJ
In this Issue
February Forum
Virtual Tables Report
Regional Reports
Job Postings
Submit Your Resources

Job listings? Calls for papers? Announcements? Submit your content here.
Contact Us

Kristin Heyer, Editor

Sara Bernard-Hoverstad, Associate Editor
Join our global ethics network fostering connections in the world church.

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Featured Forum Articles
African Forum: "A Systemic Persecution of Christians in Nigeria: A “Slow-Motion War”?
- Ojo Anthonia Bolanle

European Forum: "A Call for 'Vaccine Solidarity' instead of 'Vaccine Nationalism'"
- Ellen van Stitchel

North American Forum: "The Call of Public Scholarship for Theological Ethicists in 2021"
- Emily Reimer-Barry
Asian and Oceanic Forum: "Victoria's Conversion Practices Prohibition Bill 2020: Best Practice or Ideology?"
- Hoa Trung Dinh

Latin American and Caribbean Forum: "Bioética Global Para Tiempos de Pandemia" - Jorge José Ferrer

Junior Scholars Forum: "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Fratelli Tutti and the French Republic's Motto" - Grégoire Catta
Virtual Professors Program
Visiting Professors Program Invites Virtual Opportunities

The CTEWC Visiting Professors Program acknowledges the ongoing difficulty of international travel and seeks to facilitate virtual opportunities between scholars and institutions. We particularly encourage collaborations between the Global South, the Global North and the Global South, as well the West and the East. 

We invite colleagues to manifest their interest and availability to:
1)   offer an academic guest lecture on a chosen theme (for a course or a public event)
2)    join a course to offer a more limited contribution (e.g., an interview)

Institutions are invited to request specific forms of interaction and collaboration (e.g., advice, consultation, lectures, panels, etc.).

The CTEWC network directory provides the opportunity to directly connect with colleagues for virtual collaborations. Additionally, to support the CTEWC Virtual Professor program and to facilitate these interactions and collaborations, we are ready to help: please contact Andrea Vicini at andrea.vicini@bc.edu.
Virtual Tables Report
Latin American Virtual Table

The Latin American region has periodically met to discuss issues in the region, thinking about new initiatives, and planning and developing activities and events. The most significant of this was the Latin American Colloquium of Theological Ethics: COVID-19 and Ethical Challenges in the Region on September 05, 2020, with 100 participants. Following this event, a special Spanish volume of the Journal of Moral Theology is being edited by region. As a leadership group, the members are organizing themselves as a Virtual Table in order to continue their dialogue, growth, and fostering the integration of theological ethicists in the region. The main goal is to promote new collaborative work in the region and expand its relationship with old and new partnerships. Members are: Alexandre A. Martins, Convener, and Ronaldo Zacharias (Brazil), Jutta Battenberg (Mexico), Pablo Blanco and Aníbal Torres (Argentina), Verónica Anguita (Chile), María Isabel Gil Espinosa (Colombia), Edwin Vásquez (Peru) and MT Dávila (Puerto Rico).  
African Regional Report
Job Vacancy at Hekima University College, Nairobi, Kenya

A full-time position as Coordinator of Recruitment and Scholarship for Women Theologians is available. This position coordinates the recruitment of eligible women (lay or religious) for scholarship to study theology. This position also includes administrative and counseling responsibilities. A full description of the position is available here. The deadline to apply is 10 February 2021. Contact email: administration@hekima.ac.ke.
Asian Regional Report
International Study Days on Fratelli Tutti

Loyola School of Theology Ateneo de Manila University, launched its International Study Days on Fratelli tutti, Pope Francis’s encyclical on Fraternity and Social Friendship. Alumni and faculty have made pre-recorded video reflections on different chapters of the encyclical. One video is uploaded every Wednesday from 6 January 2021. The videos can be viewed on the Loyola School of Theology YouTube Channel.

Online Conference on Fratelli Tutti

The Association of Moral Theologians of India (AMTI) is organising the online conference “Fratelli Tutti: A Call to Solidarity” on Wednesday, 03 March 2021, from 6 to 8 pm [India]. This conference proposes to reflect on the ethical dimensions of Fratelli Tutti, the third encyclical of Pope Francis. Speakers: Kenneth R. Himes, Stanislaus Alla, X.D. Selvaraj. View the conference program here.

Publications
Joseph N. Goh, Sharon A. Bong, Thaatchaayini Kananatu, Editors, Gender and sexuality justice in Asia: Finding resolutions through conflict (Singapore: Springer, 2020).

Agnes M. Brazal, “Church as Sacrament of Yinyang Harmony: Toward an Incisive Participation of Women and Laity in the Church,” Theological Studies 80, no. 2 (2019): 1-21.

Agnes M. Brazal, “Does Capitalism Kill? Post-Vatican II Perspectives on Development,” Louvain Studies 42 (2019): 65-85.

Agnes M. Brazal, A Theology of Southeast Asia: Post-colonial Ethics in the Philippines (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2019).

Agnes M. Brazal, “Postcolonialism” in The Blackwell Companion to Political Theology, 2nd ed., ed. William Cavanaugh, 516-530 (Wiley-Blackwell, 2019).
European Regional Report
Publications


Conference

International conference of the Association for Moral Theology and Christian Social Ethics:
“The Universality of Human Rights," Strasbourg, France: September 5-9, 2021.

For vacancies at KU Leuven and Freiburg, see below.
Latin American-Caribbean Regional Report
Seminarios

I SEMINÁRIO BRASILEIRO DE TEOLOGIA MORAL: Teologia da Prevenção: por um caminho de humanização. Começa: Segunda, 10 de maio de 2021, 19h30. Termina: Sexta, 28 de maio de 2021, 22h.

Publicaciones

COELHO, Mário Marcelo. Formação acadêmica e intelectual: O risco de contentar-se com o minimalismo. In: TRASFERETTI, José Antonio; MILLEN, Maria Inês de Castro; ZACHARIAS, Ronaldo (Orgs.). Formação: desafios morais 2. São Paulo: Paulus, 2020, p. 415-435.

Difusión: Conociendo Teologanda de Argentina y Americalatina

Teologanda, Programa de Estudios, Investigaciones y Publicaciones, nace en el 2003 cuando un grupo de teólogas argentinas deciden caminar juntas y se encuentran a pensar la fe desde sus experiencias como mujeres. En diálogo con teólogas de otras denominaciones, estudiosas/os de otras disciplinas, instituciones y otras personas interesadas en la temática de la teología hecha por mujeres, nos articulamos en redes de cooperación e intercambio para promover la vocación científica de mujeres teólogas en espacios de educación media, terciaria y universitaria. También impulsamos convenios de colaboración con universidades y programas afines. La dinámica habitual del Programa Teologanda se desarrolla a través de Seminarios Intensivos y talleres para teólogas en distintas etapas de formación; mientras que los Proyectos de Investigación se articulan mediante Seminarios Compactos para teólogas, teólogos y otros estudiantes en ciclo de posgrado.
North American Regional Report
Call for Submissions and Proposals
 
The Journal of Moral Theology seeks additional articles to round out its special issue on Artificial Intelligence and Catholic Ethics. They are especially looking for non-Western perspectives, but would accept submissions from any location addressing any aspect of the broad topic. For more information or to inquire about prospective articles, please contact CTEWC member Matthew Gaudet, co-editor of the issue, at mgaudet2@scu.edu.
 
In addition, the Journal of Moral Theology is calling for submissions for two upcoming additions of the JMT. Click the links to see the submission guidelines on the three following topics:
 
Commentary on the U.S. Capitol Riot

Bryan Massingale, "The Racist Attack on Our Nation’s Capitol," America Magazine, January 6, 2021.
 
Ramon Luzarraga, "Our Nation’s ‘Tejerazo’ Moment," Catholic Moral Theology, January 7, 2021.
 
Emily Reimer-Barry, "Donald Trump’s America" Catholic Moral Theology, January 9, 2021.
 
David DeCosse, "The 'Big Lie' is Always Violent: The Inevitability of Insurrection at the U.S. Capitol" at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, January 9, 2021. 
 
Additional Publications

The Latest Issue of The Journal of Moral Theology: "Friendship, Community, and the Moral Life," edited by CTEWC members Jason King and M. Therese Lysaught. The volume includes essays by CTEWC members Carlo Calleja, Toby Winright,


William O'Neill, Reimagining Human Rights: Religion and the Common Good. Georgetown University Press, 2021.

Tobias Winright ed., T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Ethics. The volume contains contributions by 47 theological ethicists, many of whom are members of the CTEWC network.
 
Tobias Winright, "When It's Right to Take Up Arms," The Tablet, January 14, 2021.
 
Catholic Moral Theology announces “Dispatches from the Front,” a series of short essays “addressing moral and theological issues facing our divided country” in the United States. CTEWC member Chris Vogt contributed the first post in the series, "Solidarity: A Task for the Church and the Nation."
 
Public Facing Theological Ethics
 
Following the Annual Meeting of the Society of Christian Ethics, CTEWC members Emily Reimer-Barry, Cristina Traina, Chris Vogt, Kate Ward, Andrea Vicini, Sara Bernard-Hoverstad, and Kristin Heyer met to discuss the North American Regional Committee's public-facing theology and ethics initiatives. Keep an eye on the First for more information as we move forward.
 
Meanwhile, see CTEWC member Kate Ward’s interview with her local Milwaukee Fox affiliate on the Catholic faith of President Biden. She also appeared on the Chicago network WGN.
 
Upcoming Events
 
The Saint Mary’s College Center for Spirituality’s 2021 Spring Endowed Lecture Series is focused on “Spirituality, Ethics and Health Care.” It will include lectures by CTEWC member M. Therese Lysaught, as well as Dr. Paul Farmer and his chief advisor Jennie Weiss Block. More information and registration for February events is available here or email Arlene Montevecchio at amontevecchio@saintmarys.edu.

The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame is sponsoring a webinar, "The Peace Dimensions of Fratelli tutti" on March 4 at 10am. Panelists include CTEWC member Anna Floerke Scheid and international Catholic leaders and academics. More information and registration is available here.
Job Vacancies
KU Leuven, Belgium - updated link

Full-time vacancy for a junior or senior academic staff member in the following field: THEOLOGICAL ETHICS with a specialization in SEXUAL & FAMILY ETHICS AND/OR ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS (and expertise in fundamental moral theology). Deadline to apply is 15 March 2021.

For general information, view the job notice or contact Yves.Demaeseneer@kuleuven.be

Freiburg, Germany

A full-time professorship in the field of Moral Theology is available. For general information, view the job notice. The application deadline is 22 February 2021.
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