Paper short abstract:

Drawing upon the tradition of kenotic Christology, I will argue why those of us linked with the dominant system (usually Christianity in the North Atlantic world) should especially practice and hone silence, listening, and humility in interreligious partnership, dialogue, and engagement.

Paper long abstract:

Self-identified “Liberal” Christians (like me) are overly-represented in fields like interreligious studies and comparative theology and are heavily represented at interreligious/interfaith dialogue conferences, committees, and events. Often they (we) find themselves (ourselves) speaking to one another with, perhaps, a smattering of those from another faith (usually also liberal) and perhaps an atheist participant. Liberal Catholic Theologians from the North Atlantic World (like me) are seemingly ubiquitous. We have spoken, dialogued, published, partnered together. Many of us have descried previous past failures of the Church and various missionary activities (let alone those linked with colonialism or violence). We have challenged the apparently intransigent, anti-pluralist hierarchy, and especially during the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict, have the scars to show for it.

It may be time, though, for another, or at least parallel, approach. Drawing upon the tradition of kenotic Christology, both biblical and theological, this paper will argue why those of us linked with the dominant system (usually Christianity in the North Atlantic world) should especially practice and hone silence, listening, and humility in interreligious partnership, dialogue, and engagement as a counter to our tendencies to overly-verbalize, not listen, and over-emphasize our ardor and strength—even if mainly through rebuking or critiquing our own traditions (note: how often in dialogue has a non-Christian presented a more healthy, positive version of Christianity than the (jaded, spiritually struggling) Christian? Jesus as God-Incarnate emptied Godself and revealed a type of power vastly different—a power of love that welcomed and invited the lost, broken, and feared. Following Jesus in relinquishing such apparent power, how would Catholic interfaith engagement and dialogue be empowered and strengthened by Catholic participants more likely to be silent, listen, and learn? How would Church teaching or a Declaration like Nostra Aetate change if this were so?

Paper short abstract:

We are proposing a methodology for the creation of computational resources centred around religious texts and relevant domains of knowledge (e.g. religious diversity), which is designed to assist traditional investigative techniques in the field of religious studies.

Paper long abstract:

Religious studies, like other disciplines within the field of Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH), are benefiting from the increasing use of technology: digital textual resources, archives, and tools are constantly expanding, with a growing amount of searchable information, useful for purposes of analysis and interpretation of texts. However, religious texts, especially when written in ancient languages for which computational resources of support are scarce or even absent, can present different issues in terms of material digitization challenges, high complexity, and the need for analyses that require the involvement of different expertises, in a multidisciplinary perspective. However, at the moment, there are very few tools and approaches for religious studies that may support scholars in their research without requiring them to have knowledge of the underlying digital technologies. Building upon these initial assumptions, we are proposing a methodology for the creation of computational resources centred around religious texts and relevant domains of knowledge (e.g. religious diversity), which is designed to assist traditional investigative techniques in the field of religious studies. The description of the methodology takes into account how to model and to interlink textual, linguistic, and conceptual information in the form of an integrated resource focusing on the religious domain; in particular, the proposed case study (the domain of body parts in the biblical “Book of Ruth” in Hebrew) is first introduced from a scholarly point of view and then translated, with the support of specific tools, into its computational representation.

Paper short abstract:

Space law is facing new challenges as technology enables private as well as state missions to enter outer space. This paper explores some of the legal and theological implications for humankind and the environment as technology opens up new potential.

Paper long abstract:

This paper takes a theological perspective on space law. Space law has developed based on equal rights for all states; prohibition of national appropriation and, prohibition of installation of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction in space. In the face of a range of recent developments in space exploration and travel, the current regulatory systems face considerable challenges. With international accord over the non-ownership of the moon and other celestial bodies on the one hand: but with rapidly growing capacity to mine in space; send tourists up; and impact life on earth through activity in space on the other, the protection of individuals from potential abuse by such activity is becoming increasingly urgent. Legal tools, such as international human rights frameworks, offer some protection. First, however, the underlying rationale for action and protection needs to be explored. With over 80% of the global population adhering to a religion, theological insights into informing ethical choices underpinning law creation and adjudication in respect of space exploration are important. This paper highlights some of the intersections between space exploration and human rights law, exploring a Christian theological perspective on them.

Paper short abstract:

The US Archdiocese for the Military Services serves Catholics in the US Armed Forces and Diplomatic Service as well as other (Catholic) government employees outside the boundaries of the United States, thus making it a bishopric with almost worldwide – and probably beyond – jurisdiction.

Paper long abstract:

The US Archdiocese for the Military Services serves Catholics in the US Armed Forces and Diplomatic Service as well as other (Catholic) government employees outside the boundaries of the United States, thus making it a bishopric with almost worldwide – and probably beyond – jurisdiction. The United States maintains a military presence in 150 countries and diplomatic posts in almost every country in the world. Additionally, the US Military Archdiocese provides to spiritual care to personnel of the US Antarctic Program, thus giving the Archdiocese a presence on all continents. It can further be argued that the Archdiocese’s responsibility extends to outer space – at least to Catholic astronauts who are members of the armed forces. A very current example is Colonel Michael S. Hopkins of the US Space Force, Commander of the Dragon Crew-1 mission and serving on the International Space Station from November 2020 to May 2021. He is a practising Catholic who asked the Church for and got special dispensation to receive Holy Communion during his long duration mission(s) in space.