Catholic Theological
Society of America

January 31st, 2026: Online Book Launch and Discussion:
JRAT Supplementa Volume 5

„Modernity values human dignity and autonomy, but its commitment to self-realization is unsustainable and neglects the common good, which is lost in the ›anonymity‹ of technology and economics. Lost are both truly creative individuality and productive social relationships. Sequeri examines contradictions in our ›common humanity‹: the power of desire, the excesses of tragedy, modalities of cooperation, and the manifestations of diversity […].“ (excerpt from the book cover)

The Research Centre RaT and the Catholic Theological Society of America cordially invite all interested parties to the presentation of the latest volume in the JRAT Supplementa series, published in open access: “Human. A Reality Put to the Test” (Brill/Schöningh 2025) by Pierangelo Sequeri, translated by James M. Crowley.

• When: January 31st, 2026, 4–5:30 pm CET (10–11:30 am EST)
• Where: Online via zoom: https://univienna.zoom.us/j/69001859213?pwd=auJME6vLBjfIVvOdxNQgqYgzvcdgWI.1

Starting with a presentation of the book by the author (Istituto di Giovanni Paolo II, Rome), the event also includes a response by Prof. emeritus Anthony J. Godzieba (Villanova University, Pennsylvania), followed by a discussion with the audience.

Moderated by: Kurt Appel and Noemi Call.

Organized in cooperation with the Catholic Theological Society of America.

Link to the publication (Open Access): https://brill.com/display/title/62121

African Political Theology Webinars: Statecraft

Thursday, January 22, Noon (Eastern US / 5pm UK / 6pm Nigeria)

A dialogue between Dr. Isaac Kekemeke (Vice-Chair, All Progressives Congress) and Dr. Chammah J. Kaunda (Academic Dean, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies).

To Register: bit.ly/PTNjan22

Dr. Kekemeke is a leader of Nigeria’s governing party, board chair of the Nigerian Postal Service, and an attorney. Dr. Kaunda, a Zambian scholar, is the author and editor of several scholarly books on Christianity in Africa. This event will be moderated by Father Fidelis Olokunboro, Visiting Assistant Professor of Theology at Villanova University.

The first in a series of dialogue webinars on African political theology organized by the Political Theology Network in partnership with Villanova’s Center for Political Theology.

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Rev. Fidelis A. Olokunboro, Ph.D.

Visiting Assistant Professor, 

Theology and Religious Studies, 

Villanova University

CTSA remembers and prays for member John R. Wilcox (d. 1-1-26).

Eternal rest grant unto John, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

A Memorial Mass honoring Dr. Wilcox's life will be held:

Saturday, May 9th, 11:00 a.m.

St. Gregory the Great Church
85 Great Plain Road
Danbury, CT  06811

Obituary

Stan Chu Ilo, Where Is God? An African Theology of Suffering and Smiling

https://orbisbooks.com/products/where-is-god-in-africa-a-theology-of-suffering-and-smiling?_pos=2&_sid=dd188a33c&_ss=r

Mary Boys, Blessing of a New Dawn: Reorienting Christianity's Relationship to Judaism

https://orbisbooks.com/products/blessing-of-a-new-dawn-reorienting-christianitys-relationship-to-judaism?_pos=1&_sid=6807cfd4c&_ss=r

David Turnbloom et al., (IS HE A MEMBER?): Liturgy in the Shadow of Trauma: Reckoning with the Roman Catholic Sex Abuse Crisis

https://orbisbooks.com/products/liturgy-in-the-shadow-of-trauma-reckoning-with-the-roman-catholic-sex-abuse-crisis?_pos=2&_sid=7493eed71&_ss=r

A.E. Orobator, SJ, editor, African Synodal Theology: A  Tall Tree is as Strong as its Roots

https://orbisbooks.com/products/african-synodal-theology-a-tall-tree-is-as-strong-as-its-roots?_pos=1&_sid=ac45735e2&_ss=r

Explore Catholic Theology at one of the world’s leading departments

The Distance Learning programmes in Catholic Theology, led by Durham University’s Centre for Catholic Studies (CCS), are designed so that participants can work through material at their own pace, studying equally well in any time zone and in many different life situations, alongside work, ministry, family or caring obligations. 

In addition to the Postgraduate Certificate , the Postgraduate Diploma , and the MA , students can enrol for a single module: ‘Catholic Theology: A Preliminary Tour’ , and NEW FOR 2026/27 single modules in Catholic Social Thought and Practice and High Medieval Franciscan Theology .

Further details are available at Distance Learning - Durham University  including videos from current students .

The CCS offers scholarships to support students on these distance learning programmes. Full information can be found at Funding - Durham University.

If you have any questions about these Distance Learning programmes, please contact the CCS Manager - theresa.phillips@durham.ac.uk

Please do share details of this opportunity with those who may be interested, both near and far. 

The modern academic study of Christian-Jewish relations has existed for more than a century. Yet it is also a complex interdisciplinary field whose subject areas and methodologies have not yet been fully defined in a comprehensive way, resulting in fragmented conversations among scholars. The "Mapping the Field" conference proposes to delineate the current contours of the academic study of Christian-Jewish relations. This conference will excavate a range of subjects, disciplines, and methods that exist within the field’s contemporary expression while also remaining open to the ethical and moral concerns that frequently motivate scholars’ work in it.

Hosted by the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning at Boston College March 15-17, 2026, this event will occur in person and via live stream.

For information, speakers, and registration, please go to the conference website here or directly to: https://events.bc.edu/event/mapping-the-field-of-jewish-christian-relations-hybrid-conference

The CTSA 2025 Proceedings (vol. 79) are now available for public access.  They are accessible via the CTSA's Proceedings website page.  Also on this page is a link to order a print edition of the volume.

On behalf of the CTSA Board of Directors and the membership, we offer our sincere thank you to Kevin Brown for his amazing work as editor of the CTSA Proceedings.

Conceptions of Authority in Roman Catholicism: A Seminar and Call for Papers

An Initiative of the Institute for Advanced Catholic Studies at USC

Submission Deadline: January 30, 2026

The 2021-2024 Synod on Synodality revived an ecclesial focus on collaboration, co-responsibility, and leadership in a Roman Catholic Church shared by men, women, lay people, religious, and ordained ministers, together. Its Final Document appeals for research and dialogue on “progress made in promoting the laity’s access to positions of authority and to decision-making processes” (paragraph 102) while acknowledging, too, that bishops, priests, and deacons feel “overwhelmed by the expectation that they are required to fulfill every need” (paragraph 74) and that “women continue to encounter obstacles in obtaining a fuller recognition of their charisms, vocation and place in all the various areas of the Church’s life…to the detriment of serving the Church’s shared mission” (paragraph 60).^[1]

The inevitable necessity of authoritative decision-making in the Catholic tradition compels deeper consideration as to where such authority lies, how it gets exercised, its limits, and its proper expression in a ‘synodal’ Church. While the Synod introduced new forms of deliberation and consultation to areas of governance and decision-making at the highest levels of the Church, the theological, ecclesiological, and sociological underpinnings of such structural and procedural changes have received less attention. The Church has a strong theology of synodality with roots in Scripture, ecclesiology, history, and tradition; does it have a similar theology for the exercise of authority in a synodal Church?

Invigorated by such timeless questions in a timely moment, we invite scholars and scholar-practitioners from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds—theological, sociological, historical, legal, and more—to a dialog and seminar June 23-25, 2026 in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.

The seminar will be designed to share, reflect upon, and deliberate participants’ initial drafts of papers that engage new and varied perspectives on conceptions of authority in, of, and for the Catholic Church. We welcome topics such as how new understandings of authority may redistribute responsibility in the Church; comparative looks across cultures and religious or apostolic Christian traditions; the meanings and manifestations of vocation; obstacles and opportunities for decision-making in a synodal church; and how sociocultural contexts influence understandings of ecclesial authority. What theological, canonical, or practical implications (or pitfalls) does the call for synodality infer for the life of the Church?

Qualitative, quantitative, and theoretical approaches are welcome, as are synthetic reinterpretations and agenda-setting pieces. Graduate students and international scholars as well as faculty, researchers, and practitioner-scholars in various career stages and settings are welcome to apply.

The Conceptions of Authority in Roman Catholicism (CoARC) seminar aims to (1) speak thoughtfully into ongoing conversations regarding lay and ordained roles in the Church; (2) respond to structural conditions of a priesthood currently stymied in meeting all ministerial needs; and (3) bridge otherwise silo-ed vantage points in social science, history, theology, and practice. The seminar will also serve as a foundation for an edited volume and future public conversations on conceptions of authority in contemporary Roman Catholicism.

Click here to learn more about the event and submission process.

Congratulations to CTSA member Jean-Pierre Ruiz!  At its November 2025 Annual Meeting in Boston, MA, the Society of Biblical Literature elected CTSA member Jean-Pierre M. Ruiz, S.T.D. as its next Vice-President. He will take office on January 1, 2026, and will serve as Vice-President until he succeeds to the office of President on January 1, 2027.

As part of the mission of Concilium: International Journal of Theology to "provide a meeting place for a global conversation inviting diverse perspectives on important theological issues," we are pleased to share our latest issue on "New Frontiers in Christian Comparative Theology" edited by Catherine Cornille, Albertus Bagus Laksana, John Baptist Antony, and Léonard Katchekpele. 

We hope this issue contributes meaningfully to ongoing theological discussions and fosters deeper engagement across our international scholarly communities. We are also grateful for the editors and contributors of this issue, some of which are members of the society.

 

Contributions

Part One: Historical and Theological Foundations of Comparative Theology

The Several Origins of Comparative Theology - FRANCIS X. CLOONEY, SJ

Comparative Theology and Systematic Theology - KLAUS VON STOSCH

The Comparative Theology Debate about the Theology of Religions - KRISTIN BEISE KIBLINGER

Part Two: Current Topics in Comparative Theology

Hindu-Christian Comparative Theology Today - REID B. LOCKLIN

New Directions in Buddhist-Christian Dialogue - THOMAS CATTOI

Christian-Confucian Comparative Theology Today - STEPHANIE M. WONG

Islamic-Christian Comparative Theology Today - AXEL M. OAKS TAKACS

Expanding Frontiers in Jewish-Christian Comparative Theology - DANIEL JOSLYN-SIEMIATKOSKI

Africana-Christian Comparative Theology: Challenges, Opportunities and Perspectives - BARNABÉ HOUNGUEVOU

Part Three: New Approaches in Comparative Theology

Critical, Contextual Approaches to Comparative Theology - MICHELLE VOSS

Subaltern Approach to the New Comparative Theology - GNANA PATRICK

Theology After Ritual: Embodied Practices and the Future of Comparative Theology - MARIANNE MOYAERT

Non-Textual Approaches to Comparative Theology - TRACY SAYUKI TIEMEIER

Theological Forum

Vale Rev. Professor Anthony (Tony) J. Kelly, CSsr (1938-2024) - ROBYN HORNER

Read the Editorial here.

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Concilium is available in English, German, Italian, Spanish, and publishes five issues annually.

As a peer-reviewed journal, Concilium is indexed in ATLA DB (English, German), Index Theologicus (German), and Index Religiosus Brepolis (German).

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Follow our social media channels: https://linktr.ee/ConciliumINT