Asian theologians express the need to read the Nicene Creed in an evolving context and make it more liveable

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

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30 October 2024

Rt Rev. Dr Joseph Mar Ivanios Episcopa delivers the homily at the closing worship of CATS-X

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: In a communique adopted at the conclusion of the Tenth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS-X), participants affirmed, “By using the hermeneutical principle of ‘reaching back to move forward’ in revisiting and revitalising the events at the Council of Nicaea 1700 years ago, there is the need to investigate Nicaea with a spectrum of issues: the history of the Church in Asia; linguistic analysis; marginalised realities today; environmental issues; artificial intelligence; the future of the Church; and life together as churches in Asia”.

While confessing the Nicene Creed in unison, participants expressed the need to read the text in evolving contexts, making it more liveable and engaging by bridging the past and the future for a joyful witness of identity, integrity, solidarity, and unity in diversity, modelling the mystery of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The momentous event held from 24 to 29 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia came to a symbolic close at the WP Hotel in Chow Kit.

The triennial summit brought together over one hundred theologians and centred on the theme “Echoes of Nicaea: Enduring Faith and Embracing Unity”.

Participants gathered in Malaysia to build on the foundational work of the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, drawing from its insights and reinterpreting them to address contemporary challenges. In the days following the inauguration of CATS-X and the commemoration of the 1700th Anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea at Zion Cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia, theologians from across Asia presented their insights to the congress.

They offered compelling perspectives on the CATS-X sub-themes – “Ecclesial Synchrony: Oneness in Faith, Withness, and Witness”, “Biocentric Solidarity: Covenantal Bond for Cosmic Wholeness”, “Cybergenic Synergy: Envisioning Humanity and Digital Wellness”, and “Enduring Faith and Embracing Unity – An Asian Ecumenical Response”. Spirited discussions and thought-provoking dialogues ensued, resonating with the spirit of the historic Council of Nicaea in AD 325 that profoundly shaped the course of Christianity.

The members of the congress also participated in uplifting worship services with euphonic hymns and biblical reflections aligned with each day’s theme, bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds and creating an atmosphere of profound unity and spiritual renewal.

Notably, on Sunday, 27 October 2024, participants experienced a unique ecumenical fellowship by attending worship services at different churches across Kuala Lumpur.

Participants noted that CATS-X “offered an opportunity for a cross-section of Asian theologians to explore ways to strengthen ecclesial synchrony, solidarity, and synergy through the visible union of churches towards a shared witness”.

The communique highlighted the reflections of the congress on the Nicene Creed, considering its significance in light of the Church's evolving concepts and emerging needs. It acknowledged the necessity of investigating Nicaea through a spectrum of issues, including the history of the Church in Asia, marginalised realities, environmental challenges, artificial intelligence, the future of the church, migrant realities, and life together as churches in Asia, among others.

The communique celebrated how CATS-X brought together a community of theologians from diverse Asian countries, bringing rich resources into closer connection with the Nicene Creed and ecumenical unity.

In the closing remarks, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), expressed his gratitude for making the event a success. He reflected on the origins of CATS in 1996 under the then-General Secretary of CCA Dr Feliciano V. Carino, recalling his time as a young staff member of CCA. He shared how discussions in 1996 evolved into the first CATS held in Suwon, South Korea, in 1997, eventually developing into the esteemed triennial event it is today.

The CCA General Secretary acknowledged and thanked the diverse denominations and confessional families represented at CATS-X, coming from diverse theological backgrounds and institutions. "We are glad that CCA is creating a new tradition and new ethos," he expressed. He also extended his gratitude to the local churches and CCA member churches in Malaysia for their support in making the event a success.

Dr Mathews George Chunakara concluded with a comparison of the end of CATS-X to the sacred meeting and parting of rivers in Indian tradition. “All our meetings are sacred occasions. Just like the rivers, we meet and part, and meet again at another sacred point. So, our ecumenical events are also sacred because we part and meet again - either here or elsewhere. In that way, this ecumenical journey will continue, and in that way, we will continue our ecumenical task,” affirmed Dr Chunakara.

CATS-X came to an end with a closing worship. Rt Rev. Dr Joseph Mar Ivanios Episcopa of the Malankara MIar Thoma Syrian Church in India delivered the homily on ‘Illuminated to Illumine the Creation’. “The Nicene formula teaches us the need to move with Christ into the unknown with the inner light which has the ability to guide us from destructive modes of life that we face today to a safe mode of life that God envisioned for the creation”, Mar Ivanios noted.