Theological Seminar.
Madrid, Wednesday 10 May.
Key moments
- 0:55 Introduction (Fr. Victor de Oliveira Barbosa)
- 2:52 Presentation by the Asian dehonian theological commission (Fr. Michael Augustine Moses )
- 46:25 Presentation by the dehonian european theological commission (Fr. Pablo)
- 1:56:53 Discussion
On the third day of work at the ESIC headquarters the participants of the Congregation’s Theological Seminar received the reports of the last two theological commissions (Asian and European). With their reports the analytical phase of the work was completed.
As was the case yesterday, the reports of the last two commissions gave an insight into the economic crisis through the prism of different cultu and contexts. Thus, the Asian Commission exposed the reality and value of informal economies as an alternative for a sustainable economic system oriented by the dignity of those involved. The European commission focused on the theme of private property, delving into what has been repeated several times in recent days about the growth – the “sacralization” – of the private in Western countries, accompanied by the imposition of an increasingly individualistic and competitive mentality.
In the discussions that followed, the urgency of the present time became quite evident. There was a call to bring the economy back within the broader context of relationality recognizing human dignity, and – with the gaze of faith – to bring to bear the call to the justice of the kingdom of God. Overcoming the current crisis requires an effort that is also (and perhaps above all) cultural and spiritual. What is required is a thorough dialogue with the wisdom present in different cultures and traditions. The Dehonian charism, too – it was frequently remarked – has a valuable resource to bring into play to meet the challenge of today. An attempt to define this will be made on the last day of the seminar.
