Ateneo, KU Leuven launch Center for Catholic Theology and Social Justice

The Birth of CCTSJ

Last November 2023, the Department of Theology of Ateneo de Manila University and the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) formalized their collaboration on the KU Leuven-Ateneo Center for Catholic Theology and Social Justice (CCTSJ). The research center aims to provide scholarly contributions regarding contemporary sociopolitical, economic, and ecological concerns through the lenses of the rich tradition of Catholic theology and Filipino culture.  The founding directors of the center are the Ateneo theology chairperson, Professor Ruben Mendoza, and the coordinator of Systematic Theology and the Study of Religions Research Unit at KUL, Professor Stephan van Erp. CCTSJ is the fruit of the doctoral project of Ateneo’s Assistant Professor Wilson Angelo Espiritu at KU Leuven and the Ateneo-KUL Cooperation Agreement 2021-2025.

Pre-Launch

The KUL Visit by Professor van Erp to Ateneo commenced with pre-launch activities on 16 Nov 2023.  He was accompanied by three international scholars:  Fr Darren Dias OP, Executive Director of the Toronto School of Theology (TST) and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology; Dr Michael Attridge, Associate Professor of Theology at the University of St Michael’s College, University of Toronto; and Dr Mary Doak, Professor of Theology at the University of San Diego in California. The guests visited the Loyola School of Theology, met with faculty of the Ateneo Department of Theology for lunch, and paid a courtesy call to Ateneo President, Fr Roberto C Yap SJ.  

Launch Day

The official conference day, 17 Nov 2023, was a day of expert seminars in the morning and the formal launch of the CCTSJ in the afternoon. The morning expert seminars were held at the NGF Conference Room, Ground Floor of de La Costa Hall.  Dr Agnes Brazal of the Department of Theology and Religious Education at De La Salle University gave a presentation on the contemporary context of doing theology in the Philippines. Fr Daniel Franklin Pilario, President of Adamson University, proposed a theology of the local church by developing an epistemology of the poor that actively thinks and participates in their own theology.  Dr Rachel Sanchez of Ateneo presented strong narratives against the consolidated global power. For the second round, Fr Darren Dias commented on Pope Francis’s November 2023 Motu Propio on the future of theology, underscoring the need for a greater openness to experience when theologizing and how the Catholic university serves as a depolarizing space for different views. Dr Ruben Mendoza of Ateneo shared about the challenges of doing theology in the Philippines.  Professor van Erp concluded the seminar by synthesizing the expert presentations and leading the discussion about the future of the center.

At 3 pm, the official launch of the KU Leuven-Ateneo Center for Catholic Theology and Social Justice took place at Escaler Hall.  The event was emceed by Dr. Stephanie Puen.  Dr. Edwin Odulio led the opening prayer. The School of Humanities Dean, Dr Jonathan Chua, gave the opening remarks. Then, Dr. Ruben Mendoza declared the launch of the Center while Dr Wilson Angelo Espiritu introduced the public lecture speaker, Professor Mary Doak.

Public Lecture

Professor Doak's public lecture focused on "The Gift of Hope: The Power of the Most Humble Virtue." Drawing from Pope Francis, she explored how hope, often the least thought of, is the most humble virtue.  She conveyed how hope is vital but often overlooked and absent even in the Church, due to fear, deception, and hatred.  The antidote to these problems is hope grounded not in ourselves or the Church but in God. 

The launch ended with closing remarks by Professor van Erp.  The event was both onsite and livestreamed.