09/07/2025 16:30
- 17:30
HALL: Lecture Hall 41
Proponent:
Cinocca F.
Chair:
Van Rompaey J.
Speaker:
Cinocca F.,
Noceti S.
In 1993, Samuel Huntington's seminal work, The Clash of Civilizations, identified religion as a key factor in global tensions, particularly between civilizations with differing values and worldviews, anticipating the end of religious influence on the secular sphere. This perspective still resonates with the current European context, except that his prophecy proved to be wrong as populist political leaders appeal more and more to religious language, especially regarding rights pertaining to gender and sexual diversity. Despite growing secularization, Christianity persists as a significant cultural and spiritual force. Christianity's enduring relevance lies in its eschatological orientation. Far from being confined to a distant future hope, this orientation inspires a present commitment to building a more human world. However, the potential of religious narrations is often co-opted and distorted in political propaganda, wielded as a tool to reinforce conservative ideologies and traditional power structures.
The first paper, drawing on Laudatory Si' and Laudate Deum calls for rethinking the theological understanding of the human being in light of ecological interrelation and human multidimensionality—biological, psychological, spiritual, and cultural—beyond binary gender frameworks. Building on a renewed theology of Creation, this approach critiques reductive teachings that link gender solely to reproduction or idealize heterosexuality.
The second paper, drawing on public theology insights, addresses the challenge of rethinking the forma ecclesiae in today's context, marked by distrust in institutions, a crisis of belonging, and a breakdown of the principle of authority.
The third paper, by examining the Italian case, seeks to disentangle authentic Christian teachings from their instrumentalization, highlighting the importance of reclaiming the prophetic and liberative dimensions of the Christian faith in public discourse, especially pertaining to LGBTQ+ rights.