Portharcourt, Nigeria: (CESACC REPORTERS: Osemhantie, O., Arinze, L. & Famgba P.)
The 33rd Theology Week Conference of the Catholic Institute of West Africa (CIWA), Port Harcourt, Nigeria, witnessed thought-provoking papers on Thursday, March 21, 2024.
The fourth day of the conference featured two compelling presentations. The first speaker, Rev. Fr. Dr. Oluwatoyin Cyril Obanure, Director of General Studies, Veritas University Abuja, delved into the topic of “The Church and the Future of Theological Scholarship for Sustainable Growth in Africa.”
Fr. Dr. Obanureโs paper expanded on “scholarship and sustainable growth” which formed the axis around which the discourse revolves. Presenting how theological scholarship can contribute to sustainable growth in Africa, the paper explored the fundamental questions around the nature of theological scholarship and its self-perception, highlighting a threefold service to faith-building by proclaiming the gospel of life, inspiring hope; and being proactive about praxis-oriented theology.
“Theological scholarship is at the root of education in university as faith is at the heart of theological scholarship,” Fr. Dr. Obanure said.
The second presenter, Rev. Fr. Dr. Stephen Ziga Dedua, Chaplain of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Chaplaincy, CIWA, delivered a paper titled “Living the Praxis of hope (yakhal and qavah ) in the light of Psalm 130:5-7 in the Church in Africa”.
The paper examined Psalm 130:5-7 as a penitential psalm that gives hope to the penitent in spite of his sin. Fr. Dr. Dedua pointed out that the Church in Africa needs to ride on the crest of hope above her multidimensional challenges.
In his words, “the church that will give hope to the people by being prophetic is truly the Church of the future and it is the Church that has a future.”
The presenters engaged the conference participants in animated discussions, exploring the potential benefits and drawbacks of each paper within the milieu of fostering critical thinking and civic engagement.
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