Five graduate Students (november - dicember 2008) - ISTITUTO DI STUDI ECUMENICI SAN BERNARDINO

Between the end of November and the beginning of December five of our students brilliantly completed their academic curriculum at our Institute obtaining their degree in Theology with specialization in Ecumenical Studies.

On the 28th of November Da Ponte Marco and Nsiala Eustache defended their theses.

The former presented his research entitled: Marriage between Dogmatics and Ethics in contemporary Protestant Theology. The aim of the thesis was to discover if within contemporary Protestant Theology it would be possible to identify any potential approximation to Catholic Theology on which grounds leads to a softening of the bitter contrast which arose after the Reform and the Council of Trent, focusing specifically on Marriage as a Sacrament. The emerging picture encompasses light and shadows as to say that there is a long and difficult way to go before reaching a shared understanding of Theological dignity and marriage in an ethical dimension.

Nsiala Eustache's work, written in French, was titled: Guérisons miraculeuses: Dieu et la dimension thérapeutique dans le salut chrétien en Afrique Centrale selon une perspective oecuménique. Le cas de la République Démocratique du Congo (Miraculous recoveries: God and the Therapeutic dimension in Christian health in Central Africa according to the Ecumenical perspective. The case of the Democratic Republic of Congo). This research endeavours to demonstrate that the rediscovery of the African Christological paradigm of 'Jesus the Healer' may be able to offer new paths for dialogue with the Charismatic Pentecostal movement and the practises of traditional healing. The thesis does not hide current difficulties; however it would like to offer the possibility to capture the Pentecostal contribution together with traditional religions for an authentic African Christianity.

On the 5th of December two more students presented their work: Mbalanga Célestine and Mapunda Erick. Mbalanga Célestine defended his thesis first, also in French: LEglise-famille de Dieu et lécoute de la parole dans un contexte local africain. Essai de proposition pour un dialogue interconfessionnel inculturé à Mbuji-Mayi (Church-Family of God and the listening of the Word in a local African context. Proposal for an interconfessional dialogue inculturated at Mbuji-Mayi). The thesis intends to be a contribution to the Ecumenical field proposing a way for an interconfessional dialogue inculturated in the vast pastoral project to be promoted in the Congolese Dioceses of Mbuji-Mayi concerning the notion of 'Church-Brotherhood'.

Mapunda Erick, the second candidate, defended his research on: The Issue of dignity and vocation of the woman in the Catholic church and her ordination in the ministry. This thesis strives to analyse, clearly and in detail, the issue of dignity and ordination of women, comparing the position of the Catholic Church with the other Christian confessions and the statements of Ecumenical dialogues.

Finally, on the 6th of December, Baharanyi Eleuthère presented his work in French as well: La gratuité comme paradigme oecuménique et interreligieux pour une minorité chrétienne au risque de disparaitre: cas de la Turquie (Gratuity as Ecumenical and interreligious paradigm for a Christian minority facing extinction: the case of Turkey). This thesis presents the category of 'gratuity' as a principle capable of helping Christians to announce and live the Gospel in the difficult context of Turkey where they are a small multidenominational minority mainly concerned with safeguarding their individual confessional identities.