Interested theologians, researchers, and scholars alike may submit their paper proposals that tackle the conference’s main theme and its sub-themes, namely:听

1. Ecumenism and Inter-religious Dialogue
2. Catechesis and Religious Education;
3. Family Ministry, Counseling, and Gender Studies
4. Church, Mission, and Evangelization
5. Environment and Care for Elderly
6. Politics and Social Responsibility
7. Youth Ministry
8. Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Studies
9. Dominican Spirituality

You may send your paper proposals to mmblanza@ust.edu.ph. The deadline of submission is on December 15, 2021.

Through this international conference, the Institute of Religion joins the celebration of the 500 years of Christianity in the country. Moreover, this international conference aims to gather theologians, missiologists, catechists, religious educators, academicians, and researchers in hopes of forming new ideas and insights that would aid the Church in the future.

The post St. Thomas Aquinas Forum – International Conference appeared first on 91性息港.

The speakers focused on the renewal of the Church in the Philippines, embodied in the Church of the Poor, Basic Ecclesial Communities, and Dialogue with Muslims and Indigenous peoples.

听

In his keynote lecture, Archbishop of Cotabato Orlando Cardinal Quevedo, O.M.I., D.D. recalled the contribution of Archbishop Legaspi to the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II), a brainchild of Archbishop Legaspi while serving as the president of Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, as well as its continuing challenge and relevance in the present and in the future.

Moreover, Archbisop Quevedo said the the concept of the “Church of the Poor” became the core of the vision of the “Vision of a Renewed Church in the Philippines”, focusing on Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom to the poor, his gathering of disciples, his kenotic and redemptive Paschal mystery, and on the final apostolic mission of preferring the poor.听

“The Church of the poor, according to the conciliate document, is a Church that embraces and practices the spirit of evangelical poverty, whose members have a special love of preference for the poor, and where the poor are not discriminated against,” Archbishop Quevedo said.听“It is a Church where pastors are directly knowledgeable through pastoral exposure with the life situation of the poor and will defend their rights and condemn injustices,” he added.

Sharing the initiatives of former Marawi Bishop Bienvenido Tudtud in forging peace with the Muslim community in Mindanao, Bro. Karl M. Gaspar of the Alphonsus and Theological Mission Institute – Davao lectured on the dialogue of faith and life, the challenges and the promises for the Church’s dialogue with the Muslim and indigenous communities.

For Bro. Gaspar, one strategy that will build peace, mutual respect, and reconciliation was Inter-religious Dialogue. “By coming in together in the name of God, known as either Dios or Allah, in a dialogue of faith and life, it was envisioned that the ordinary folk would all work collectively for peace,” he said.

“Dialogue, therefore, demands a deep spirituality which enables a man to hand on to his faith in God’s live, even when everything seems to fall apart,” Bro. Gaspar added.

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Basic Ecclesial Communities Executive Secretary Msgr. Manuel Garcia Gabriel shared his reflections on the role of Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) as an experience of the local church in dialogue with contemporary people.听

For Msgr. Gabriel, the local church must be understood, especially in the people mission, along with its embodiment: dialogue with the poor through integral human development; dialogue with cultures of Asia, which was inculturation; and dialogue with religious tradition of Asia, which was inter-faith dialogue.

“[The Basic Ecclesiastical Communities] are not mere expressions of renewal, the way PCP-II looks at it. BECs are the new experiences of being Church in dialogue with light, people, society, and ecology. BECs make the Church present in the grassroots of society. It is not an expression, but an experience of being a local Church in dialogue with contemporary people,” he said.

“Ito ay imbitasyon sa isang karanasan ng paglalakbay, kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng pananalig kay Kristo sa pagbubuo ng pamayanan,” Msgr. Gabriel added.

Lastly, Apostolic Vicariate of Taytay Broderick S. Pabillo, D.D shared his thoughts on the status of the Church as the Church of the Poor, 30 years after its proclamation in the Philippines.

According to Bishop Pabillo, the Synod on Synodality, which will be held in October 2023, will help the Church in becoming more conscious of its mission listen to the poor and the marginalized.

“Hopefully, the Synod on Synodality can be a complete step for us, Church leaders, to be evangelized by the poor by being in contact with them, by encountering them, by listening to them. We can learn more how to be Church, how to be truly听 Christians from the experience of the poor.” Bishop Pabillo said.

In celebration of the 500th Anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines, the theme of this event was “The Lights and Shadows of the 30 Years of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines”.

Day 1 of 6th Leonardo Legaspi Lecture Series on Theology, Religious Studies and Ethics:

Day 2 of 6th Leonardo Legaspi Lecture Series on Theology, Religious Studies and Ethics:

The post Sixth of Leonardo Legaspi Lecture series looks back at PCP II, interreligious dialogue appeared first on 91性息港.

The lecture featured Biological Sciences Professor fr. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco, O.P., SThD and Thomasian alumnus Dr. Antonio “Tony” Leachon, who shared the latest updates on the COVID-19 situation in the country, the vaccine rollout, as well as how the pandemic can possibly end in the country. In relation to the vaccination efforts, religious leaders from various faith and belief systems shared their reactions to the talks to encourage their constituents to get vaccinated, dispelling the reservations of people about the vaccines for reason of religious beliefs.

听

Good leaders exemplify听听

According to Bishop Edwin dela Pe帽a, Chairman of Episcopal Commission on Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops Conference, part of their interreligious campaign in Marawi City was to disseminate scientific information on the benefits of the vaccines to the communities and the parishes under his jurisdiction.

鈥淢ost of the people who got vaccinated during the first vaccination [belong to the] Catholic population. There are a lot of hesitancy from our Muslim brothers and sisters. And we understood that they needed to see for them to believe that the vaccine was safe,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t is not surprising for us to realize that during the second rollout, the Muslims also lined-up to get vaccinated,鈥� Bishop dela Pe帽a added.

For dela Pe帽a, this was an experience of interreligious dialogue where the Catholics gave assurance to the neighboring Muslim community that the vaccines were safe. Moreover, this act encouraged them to take every opportunity to get vaccinated considering that the supplies in Bangasmoro Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) were also scarce.

鈥淚t is very important for us religious leaders to interact with the people to really show to them that we really have to get vaccinated to protect ourselves and the community. Our religious standing and the trust that they have on us is very important to be able to listen from their pastor and their bishop himself,鈥� he said.

Likewise, Ptr. Dr. Aldrin M. Pe帽amora of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches affirmed that the moral ascendancy of the religious leaders can build trust to its constituents because their role was to set a good example. “Many of our constituents may not understand everything scientifically, but there is a trust pattern they look at the religious leaders as someone who are trustworthy,” Pe帽amora said.

Meanwhile, Arumanon-Manubo tribe chieftain Timuay Lito Palma, chairman of Ancestral Domain Tribal Impahalad, narrated their initiatives in disseminating proper information to their tribe members, especially to their elders in mountain ranges. Palma also disclosed that fake news arrive quicker than the vaccines, thus underscoring the importance of proper information drive.

鈥�Nakahanda na po ang aming grupo na magtulong para sa kabutihan ng lahat na makapagintindi sa mga tribo na alanganin pa sa tinatawag nating solusyon. We support the [vaccination program] for the common good, para sa pagbabalik ng ating ekonomiya,鈥� Palma said.

听

‘Pandemic of the unvaccinated people’

Reiterating the role of the Church’s significant role in building a healthy community, Ptr. Alvaro O. Senturias, Jr. of the Cosmopolitan Church 鈥� United Church of Christ in the Philippines said that while health is a basic human right, the active participation of people of God, through various institutions, will enable the Church its healing ministry.

“While it is the duty of state to provide the healthcare, the Church has a moral responsibility toward the attainment of a wholesome and healthy life for everyone, as God intended, recognizing that the art and the science of healing is an integral part of the message of salvation,” he said.

Noting that this health crisis was also a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”, citing the case of the United States of America, Senturias said that their community supports the vaccination program.

Moreover, he also said that the country needed an effective leader that will guide the country out of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as putting doctors and healthcare professionals in charge of the task force that handles the听 pandemic responses in the country.

听

Vaccine hesitancy among Muslim community

Prof. Macrina A. Morados, Dean of the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of the Philippines – Diliman, cited that the vaccine hesitancy among Muslim neighbors stemmed from the verse 2:155 听of the Holy Quran, which states as 鈥淎nd we will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient鈥�.

鈥淚 think this verse is one of the source of hesitancy of Muslims to avail the vaccine because they look at this as an inspiration. Allah says if we will be patient and entrust everything to Allah Subhana Wa Ta’ala, then it is Allah who will provide a way out from that kind of difficulties,鈥� she said.听Another pre-cautionary measure that became an impediment in taking the vaccine, Dean Morados said, was the absence of literal word “vaccination” in the Holy Quran and the issue on halal. “One of cause of hesitation from the Muslim is the issue on halal, whether the vaccines contained pork,” she said.

Dean Morados, then, noted that the other factors that fuel vaccine hesitancy, especially with the Muslim elders, were the long-term mistrust with the government and its initiatives, and the proliferation of fake news.听However, she cited the good vaccination practices exemplified by the Muslim countries United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, implying that getting the vaccine was within the Islamic principles.

“One of the Muftis in Saudi Arabia said that vaccination to him […] is to think that it is not only permissible, meaning you have an option whether to do it or not, but we have to take it as obligatory, meaning you are not only to protect yourself but you are also to protect the community.” she said.

The moderators of this event were Dr. Benjamin M. Vallejo of the Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology 鈥� University of the Philippines – Diliman and Dr. Pablito Baybado, Jr. of the UST Institute of Religion.听This event was in partnership with the Office of the Secretary-General, the Communications Bureau, and the Office for Public Affairs.

Watch the 2nd Albertus Magnus Faith and Science Lecture:

The post Religious leaders highlight importance of vaccination in 2nd Albertus Magnus Faith and Science lecture appeared first on 91性息港.

Prof. Lilian J. Sison, PhD, the Director of the Office of International Relations and Programs, served as plenary speaker and talked about women leadership and gender equality during the 1st Assembly on Women, Faith and Diplomacy held last 10-13 November 2020. The virtual conference, organized by Ring for Peace (Foundation Peace Dialogue of the World Religions and Civil Society) and the German Federal Foreign Office, in collaboration with Religions for Peace was participated by over 500 delegates from 90 different countries.

Sison, concurrent Chair of the Asia-Pacific Women of Faith Network, Co-President of Religions for Peace, Asia and Secretary-General of Religions for Peace Philippines, spoke of the status of gender equality in the Philippines. She highlighted the 2018 Global Gender Gap Index reported by the World Economic Forum which placed the Philippines in the 8th position out of 149 countries, making the Philippines the most gender equal country in Asia. According to the report, the country has closed 80% of its gender gap in the areas of economic empowerment, access to education, health and survival and political empowerment. 听Sison also noted that in 2020, the Philippines slipped from 8th to 16th place in the gender gap index which is attributed to the widening disparity in the political empowerment of women.

Apart from the report, Sison also spoke from her experience as a University official. She said that all throughout her career in the 91性息港, she has not experienced nor observed gender bias and stereotyping. She highlighted that as a Pontifical University, faith life is vibrant in UST and religion has never been an impediment to gender equality in the University. She gave an example of when she was Dean of the Graduate School, UST had more women than men Deans. She also cited that there are also more female than male members in the Faculty, and also slightly more young women than young men in the student population. It is also important to recognize that several women have held the highest academic position a lay person can have in the University, the post of the Vice Rector for Academic Affairs.

Sison also spoke about women in leadership positions and in diplomacy.听 She emphasized the important roles that women play in diplomacy and in advancing peace processes.

The Plenary Session on 鈥楪ender Equality: The Role of Women in Diplomacy鈥� also included Ms. Irmgard-Maria Fellner, Deputy Director-General for Culture and Communication, Federal Foreign Office, Germany; Ms. Sima Samar, former Minister of Women鈥檚 Affairs in Afghanistan and Winner of the Right Livelihoods Awards; Dr. Suphatmet Yunyasit, Representative of Thailand to the ASEAN Women of Peace Registry, Human Rights and Peace Studies Faculty at Mahidol University, Secretary-General Religions for Peace Interreligious Council of Thailand, and Member, RfP International Women鈥檚 Coordinating Committee; and Ms. Nihal Saad, Chief of Cabinet and Spokesperson to the High Representative for the United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC).

The post Sison speaks about Gender Equality in the 1st Assembly on Women, Faith and Diplomacy appeared first on 91性息港.