10/07/2025 08:30
- 10:45
HALL: Lecture Hall 50
Proponent:
Abraham R.
Chair:
Van Hoogstraten M.
Speaker:
Abraham R.,
Mcaleer R.,
Mendoza K.S.,
Van Hoogstraten M.
Grappling with the notion of "transformation" in the context of the philosophical-theological and ecclesiological questions it raises, this panel presents interrelated papers investigating the dynamics of transformation, addressing its necessity, mechanisms, and implications. The first paper explores metamorphosis as a transformative process in Emmanuel Falque's incarnational philosophy and theology. It reframes the self-other dynamic as a relational encounter that transforms being itself, grounded in the tension between finitude and transcendence. The second paper examines transformation through the lens of dialogue, understood as a philosophical-theological category. It grounds a theology of revelation in dialogue, arguing that it is not merely a communicative divine act but a formative process that reshapes theological anthropology. A dialogical-hermeneutical paradigm becomes mutually transformative for theology as well as the socio-cultural world it inhabits, exemplified in the work of faith-based schools. The third paper discusses the theological significance of the processes of negotiation, differentiation, and exclusion that accompany the shaping of collective religious identity. Difference becomes recognizable not as a secondary context in which a (conceptually pre-existent) identity finds itself, but as the ambiguous site of its formation in which an unruly divine call may yet be discerned. The final paper develops the polyhedron as an ecclesiological metaphor for "fullness in distinction," addressing co-responsibility in Church authority without eroding distinctions in charism, competence, and ministry. It critically examines co-responsibility's promises and pitfalls, offering a transformative framework for lay participation in ecclesial authority. Together, these papers illuminate transformation as a multidimensional process, offering fresh insights for theological anthropology and ecclesiology.