February 1st, 2009 Newsletter

February First Newsletter

Sorry for the delay but we have been busy, and YES! the conference is completely on track.

First, you can see the "Trento Program of Plenary Speakers" posted on the top of the home page at www.catholicethics.com

Second, below that is "The call for papers" with explanations in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian

In addition to those two major items are the following three items in this newsletter.

I. The sad news of the Death of Jean Marc Ela

2. An Update of the African Women's Scholarship Program

3. Announcement of 5 Fellowships for month -long research in Trent with transportation and housing included.

I. The Death of Jean Marc Ela (1936-2008)

Renowned Camerounian professor and philosopher
Jean-Marc Ela has passed away in Vancouver, Canada on December 26, 2008.
He was buried in his native Cameroon for burial. Here is a Wikipedia entry on him

Jean-Marc Ela (was born in) Ebolowa in Cameroon 1936. He was a diocesan priest, professor and author of many books on theology, philosophy and the social sciences in Africa. His most famous work, African Cry has been called the "soundest illustration" of the spirit of liberation theology in sub-Saharan Africa. His works are widely cited as exemplary of sub-Saharan Christian African theology for their focus on contextualization and their emphasis on community-centered approaches to theology.

Major Works

African Cry and My Faith as an African, Ela's two most famous works, serve as indictments of the Catholic Church for holding to a model of faith that ignores the needs of African people, especially those in poor and rural communities. Through an analysis of selected sacraments, missionary structures, and biblical hermeneutics, Ela identifies ways in which the Catholic tradition subordinates Africans to a position of dependence vis-a-vis White Europeans. He counters these instances of oppression
with opportunities for liberation based on the argument that the Gospel advocates for the restoration of dignity to marginalized people. According to Ela, the only way to restore dignity to African peoples is to allow them to transform Christian traditions into forms that are familiar and useful to Africans. He argues that the Eucharist should be served with local rather than imported products. He believes that African churches should be self-funded. He also believes that biblical interpretation should be
guided by a "shade-tree theology", in which small groups of believers can gather together to interpret the Gospel in the light of their own particular circumstances.

Biography

The son of a middle-class family in southern Cameroon, Ela claims that he first began to think of theology as a discipline that should be concerned with the local needs of believers while he was studying philosophy and theology in France at the University of Strasbourg in the 1960s. However, it was during his sixteen-year experience as a missionary working among the Kirdi of northwestern Cameroon that he developed and
articulated most of the arguments in African Cry and My Faith as an African.

A vocal critic of both ecclesiastical and political institutions, Ela entered voluntary exile in Quebec after the assassination of fellow Cameroonian priest the Jesuit Englebert Mveng in 1995. Ela resided in Montreal, where he served as a Professor of Sociology at the University of Laval at Montreal. Since 1995 he lived in exile in Montreal and Vancouver. In 2006-2007 he held the Joseph Chair at Boston College. He returned to Vancouver where he died on the 26th of December 2008.

II. African Women Scholarships for PhD in Theological Ethics

Agbonkhianmeghe Orobator reports that seven African women have applied for the PhD scholarship program. At present Orobator is planning visits to three African Universties to set up the local programs. After that we hope by late spring to admit several applicants.

III. Five Winners of Fellowships to Trent Italy

On January 7, 2008 Dr. Antonio Autiero and his assistant Michela Chiste and Jim Keenan announced the winners of the visiting fellowship to Trent. Each fellowship winner receives round-trip airfare from their home to Trento; an apartment in the center of Trento for one month; office space at the Fondazione Bruno Kessler in Trento; and, a meal program at the University of Trento Faculty Dining Hall.

The winners are:

Summer, 2009 Tobias Winright, St. Louis University, St. Louis, US, "Green Discipleship: Catholic Theological Ethics and the Environment."

Summer, 2009 Mary Jo Iozzo, Barry University, Florida, US, "When Health no longer holds 'in principle: Theological Teachings on end of life care,"

Fall, 2009, Julie Clague, University of Glasgow, Scotland, "Inter-religious Dialogue and Cooperation on Ethical Issues in Faith-Based Organizations

Spring 2010, Gustavo Irrazábal, Catholic University of Argentine, "Natural Law and Reason: A Study on the Concept of Natural law in Jean Porter and Martin Rhonheimer"

Spring 2010, José Manuel Silvero, Secretary General of Paraguayan Center of Bioethics, "The Deliberative Method in Bioethics: Between Casuistry and Absolute Principles"