Theologising should be 'credible exercise', Roman Catholic nun theologian tells CATS VIII

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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20 April 2016

[caption id="attachment_1742" align="aligncenter" width="533"]IMG_6048 Sr. Dr. Shalini Mulackal addressing the audience at eighth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS)[/caption]

“The challenge before the Asian theologians is to bridge the gap between theological articulations and their own life style”, told Sister Shalini Mulackal, an Indian Roman Catholic nun theologian and professor of theology to the participants of the eighth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS). 

While delivering a thematic address  on the second day of CATS-VIII organised by the Christian Conference of Asia being held in  Kochi, India, Sister Mulackal, President of Indian Theological Association, said, “the traditional ways of doing theology had no relevance for people at the grass roots without a minimum amount of suffering with the poor and theologising need to be a credible exercise”. 

"Theology is never done once and for all. The way we understand God and God’s action in our history needs fresh understanding and fresh articulation. Theologising therefore is an ongoing task", added Sister Mulackal. 

Reiterating the need for 're-articulation of theology in the emerging context', she  lamented, "Poverty in Asia is still a glaring reality" while "there is  a gradual moving away from the concerns of the poor in general in our Asian theologising." 

Sister Mulackal  further added, "It is heartening that new theologies have been developed in Asia based on people's struggle and more and more women doing theology from feminist perspective”.   

Sharing a reflection on the story of the Caananite woman during the morning worship, Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah of the Jaffna diocese in Sri Lanka pointed out that Jesus emphasized the need "to cross the boundary between Jews and Gentiles". 

“Boundaries that keep people in or out”, Bishop Thiagarajah said, “are to be broken”.

During a panel presentation on 'Overcoming religious intolerance and building communities of peace in Asia’, Prof. Joseph Deva Komar from Malaysia said, "Billboards may declare unity, however to suffer indignity is painful. To tolerate religious intolerance is becoming the chosen way".  

Rev Yusak B Setyawan from Indonesia focused his presentation on the need "to recognise religious fundamentalism and terrorism as challenges in building up God's Oikos." 

“The minimum standard in defining religion is to reinforce peace and promote a situation of living together in social harmony, justice and preserving human dignity", said Setyawan. 

Dr. Santanu Patro,  professor of religions and registrar of the Senate of Serampore College (University), India in his presentation called for “the need for churches to shed the 'non-responsive' attitude to growing atrocities against religious minorities by religious extremists”. 

More than 100 participants are attending the CATS-VIII which will end  on 22 April.