Catholic Theological
Society of America

Every two years, the Research Unit Systematic Theology of KU LEUVEN hosts the international conference "Leuven Encounters in Systematic Theology". The next LEST conference will take place at KU Leuven, 20-23 October, 2021. The topic is "DISSENTING CHURCH - Exploring the Theological Power of Conflict and Disagreement".

The Call for Papers is now live - Deadline 1 March, 2021:

https://theo.kuleuven.be/en/lest/lest-xiii/call-for-papers

Join the Jesuit Refugee Service's Virtual Event

Walking with Refugees for Forty Years
Thursday, November 12, at 6 p.m. (EST)

Tonight Jesuit Refugee Service is celebrating its 40th Anniversary with a Virtual National event that I hope you can all watch. The attached link to a 2-page flyer describes the event  The second page has sponsorship levels.  You should all feel comfortable signing up simply as friends (which we all are).  And if you're short of cash in this crazy time we're living in, just write me (ljodsj@yahoo.com) and I'll send you the link for the event.  I believe you will find it truly compelling.

Serving as the Director of Mission for JRS has been one of the most blessed experiences of my life.  If you spend an hour with "our refugees" tomorrow night, you'll share that blessing.

God bless.

Leo

For the last 40 years, Jesuit Refugee Service has walked with those who are forcibly displaced — working for a world where refugees and forcibly displaced people attain protection, opportunity, and participation. Join us as we recognize the work JRS has done over the last four decades, express our commitment to continuing to provide service to refugees, and honor those who’ve helped us along the way.

FEATURING

Madeline Albright

President-Elect Joe Biden

Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Comedian Jim Gaffigan and Writer, Director, and Producer, Jeannie Gaffigan

Rev. James Martin, S.J., Esteemed Author and Editor

Katie Ledecky, Swimmer and Olympian

Dr. Anthony Fauci, Immunologist and Director of the NIAID

Testimonies and performances from refugees

Rev. Arturo Sosa, S.J., Superior General of the Society of Jesus

Performance by Grammy Award Winner Isabel Leonard

Special message from Pope Francis read by JRS International Director,

Rev. Tom Smolich, S.J.

We will honor in a special way the leaders of the Global Education Initiative – an ambitious international campaign to enable us to open the doors of our education programs to 250,000 refugees each year by 2020 – Rita Bennett, Molly Cashin, Margaret Green-Rauenhorst, and Madeline Lacovara.

See https://mail.google.com/mail/u/1/#inbox/WhctKJWJDWqvZhrdxqRJlNVLlcRKHNPBjhPWZsHJlHnWHnpfScKQsClsXtHCKFWFTxHpNkq?projector=1&messagePartId=0.1

Click on this link to view the Event Recording

The CTSA hosted the event "Teaching and Doing Theology in Real Time: Summer, 2020, and Black Lives Matter" for its membership.  Recognizing time restraints that apply to the event and to encourage further dialogue, this Newsfeed post is a platform that may be used by the membership to continue the discussion.   While only members may post on the Newsfeed, the Newsfeed itself is available to the public for viewing.

Mary Jane Ponyik
Executive Director

Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations

CALL FOR PAPERS

The editorial board of Studies in Christian-Jewish Relations, a peer-reviewed journal, invites submissions for its current and future volumes. SCJR publishes scholarship on the history, theology, and contemporary realities of Jewish-Christian relations and reviews new materials in the field, providing a vehicle for exchange of information, cooperation, and mutual enrichment in the field of Christian-Jewish studies and relations. 

Interested authors are encouraged to contact the editors in advance. Papers should be submitted through the journal’s website.

All papers will be subject to peer-review before acceptance for publication.

SCJR is included in the following indexes: ATLA’s Full-text Journal Index and Religion Database; EBSCO's Academic Search Complete (ASC), Historical Abstracts, America: History and Life, and Humanities International Index; Index to Jewish Periodicals; ProQuest Religion Database; and RAMBI (Index of Articles on Jewish Studies).

Special CFP for Vol. 16 (2021)

SCJR invites the submission of articles that engage with the roles of guilt, sin, repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation in Christian-Jewish relations applying—but not limited to—theological, historical, psychological, sociological, and contemporary perspectives. Articles that seek to strengthen Jewish-Christian relations by examining or proposing Jewish and Christian responses are especially welcome.
Articles may be submitted through September 1, 2021.

www.bc.edu/scjr

Here is a link to my recent reflection on the contribution of Pope Francis's encyclical Fratelli Tutti to the relations between Christians and Muslims.

https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/responses/pope-francis-encyclical-and-solidarity-with-muslims

David Hollenbach, S.J.

Here is a link to an interview I gave to the Harvard Gazette on October 23, regarding Pope Francis' comments on civil unions. It was completed, however, before more recent information has come forward regarding the editing of the original documentary, etc.

Francis X. Clooney, SJ

Harvard University

CTSA Vice-President

My recently published article, “Pursuing the Intrinsic Relationship Between Liturgy and Ethics: Practical-Theological Promise in Poverty of Spirit,” is freely available in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal AUC Theologica (Charles University, Prague). 

That new issue of AUC Theologica features a special section of five articles on sacramental-liturgical theology (guest-edited by Petr Stica), along with eight more articles across a range of theological sub-disciplines.

CTSA member Gerard Magill, The Gallagher Chair, Duquesne University, announces the annual Integrity of Creation Conference, Sep.29-30, 2020.   The theme for this year is Building a Sustainable World. Due to Covid-19, the conference is virtual via zoom. Please visit the conference website for the schedule of events and for the zoom links, www.duq.edu/ioc.

Maria Cimperman, RSCJ, Religious Life for Our World: Creating Communities of Hope

https://www.orbisbooks.com/religious-life-for-our-world.html

Ilia Delio, OSF, Re-Enchanting the Earth: Why AI Needs Religion

https://www.orbisbooks.com/re-enchanting-the-earth.html

Ki Joo Choi/Sara Moses/Andrea Vicini, SJ, eds.: Reimagining the Moral Life: On Lisa Sowle  Cahill’s Contributions to Social Ethics

https://www.orbisbooks.com/re-imaging-the-moral-life-lisa-sowell-cahill-orbis.html

CTSA members, especially those interested in topics related to religion and ethics in contemporary society, may enjoy these two resources (Full disclosure: I never knew about either one until recent requests to contribute from the curators of each):

1) The Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs at Georgetown University hosts an online forum for the exchange of opinions on matters of public import. One of the Berkley Center's recent topics (treated by an interreligious array of nearly a dozen well-informed writers, a few of them CTSA members) involves “Economic Justice and Universal Basic Income: Ethical and Religious Perspectives.” You don't need to be a member of the "Yang Gang" to appreciate the opinions expressed here. (That is a reference to recent Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang).

https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/blogs/berkley-forum

2) The Canopy Forum on the Interactions of Law and Religion is a digital project of the Center for Law and Religion at Emory Law School. Its stated goal is “to provide sophisticated yet accessible content. . . on issues that lie at the intersection of law, religion, and society. . . in an informed, nuanced, and productive way.” Based on what I have seen on the website so far, these lofty goals are routinely achieved--again, in an interreligious mode.

https://canopyforum.org/

Happy reading!  Thomas Massaro, S.J. (Fordham University)