Mapping a Moral Consensus: Calibrating an Ethical Compass for the Future. Festschrift in Honour of Mgr Professor Emmanuel Agius on the Occasion of his Seventieth Birthday

Description

This Festschrift is dedicated to Mgr Professor Emmanuel Agius as a tribute to his long-standing academic contributions in various fields of research. Professor Agius has worked tirelessly for the wellbeing of society through serious research, open dialogue, and collaboration with distinguished institutions at both national and international levels. His work has been particularly influential in the areas of marriage and the family, ethics and public policy at a European level, and the moral responsibilities owed to future generations. The scholarly articles collected here, skilfully penned by international colleagues and friends, delve into highly topical issues and are intended to honour him by exploring areas of inquiry close to his heart. They invite us to take moral discernment seriously and encourage us to recalibrate our moral compass towards a deeper sense of truth, solidarity, and shared humanity.

“Grounded within the Christian faith and tradition, marked by great intellectual acumen and a deep sense of equity, Professor Agius has laboured tirelessly for a consensus-building approach that seeks win-win outcomes without compromising core Christian principles. He should be lauded for having moral integrity as a compass, and for adopting a personalist approach… meaning that people are not subjugated to the law but are contemplated in light of their fullest dignity.”

Charles J. Scicluna, Archbishop of Malta

 

Volume I

 

Section I: Threads of Faith and Tradition

 

Beholding a New Dawn: The Night of the Neapolitan Crib as a Mystagogical Paradigm for Growth

Glen Attard

 

Bones, Scraps, and Rags: Interlocutors between Heaven and Earth

Edgar Vella

 

Qrendi: Reconstructing the History of a Rural Parish from the Requests of its Parishioners

Nicholas J. Doublet and Jonathan Farrugia

 

Highlighting the Sacramental Principle of Signification in the Ordination of Men to the Ministerial Priesthood

Hector Scerri

 

Saint Ġorġ Preca and his Charisma

Ugo Mifsud Bonnici

 

God and Maltese Positive Law

Kevin Aquilina

 

Section II: Scriptural Insights and Philosophical Musings

 

Progeny and Future Generations in the Book of Psalms

Stefan M. Attard

 

‘Theology of the Body’ in Psalm 133

Paul Sciberras

 

“Do Not Sin Anymore So That Nothing Worse Happens to You” (Jn 5:14): A Contribution to the Notion of Sin in the Fourth Gospel 197

Martin Micallef

 

The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31: A Virtue Perspective

George Grima

 

Intention Matters, Then and Now

Christopher Caruana, O.P.

 

Divine Overtones in Human Consciousness

Lionel Chircop

 

The Art of Becoming Older

Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn

 

Transhumanism and Posthumanism in the Context of Philosophical-Theological Reflections

Matthias Beck

 

Eyes Fixed on Heaven

Mark Sultana

 

  

Section III: In Search of a Moral Consensus

 

On the Genealogy of Responsibility: Elements for Building Consensus in Ethics

Antonio Autiero

 

What Does Ethics Have to Do with Consensus? Experiences from the Council of Europe and

the European Group on Ethics

Günter Virt

 

Idemity, Cohesion and Consensus: A Contribution to the Debate on Constructive Self-Perception in a Democratic Society

Dietmar Mieth

 

What Does Rome Have to Do with Brussels? An Analysis of the Role of the Church in the Stem Cell Patenting Debate in Europe

Carlo Calleja

 

Dissent: A Catalyst for Greater Understanding or Division?

Tim Zeelen and Kerstin Schlögl-Flierl

 

When Consensus Fails: Moral Distress and Professional Integrity

Raymond Zammit

  

Volume II

 

Section IV: Charting New Ground in Theology

 

The Second Vatican Council:

Starting Point for a New Becoming of a Global Church

Margit Eckholt

 

Responsible Freedom

John Anthony Berry

 

Forming Catechists for a Sound Moral Catechesis

Carl-Mario Sultana

 

A Profile for Ministry:

Vulnerability, Recognition, and Listening

James F. Keenan, S.J.

 

From Tolerance to Integration to Love:

Towards an Understanding of Human Fraternity

Mark Joseph Zammit

 

‘A Theology for the Bodiless’: A Prolegomenon to Catholic ‘Sacramental’ Presence in the Age of AI

Nadia Delicata

 

Catholic Theological Ethics and the Use of Artificial Intelligence

Roman Globokar

 

Natural Law as Guide for Gender Affirming Care for Transgender Adolescents? A Critique

Hille Haker

 

 

Section V: Marriage and Sexuality

 

Marriage and Family in the View of Pope Francis

Martin M. Lintner, O.S.M.

 

Theology of Sexual Pleasure: Developments in Catholic Moral Tradition

Shaji George Kochuthara, C.M.I.

 

The Importance and Fragility of Consent in Emotional and Sexual Life

Marie-Jo Thiel

 

The Father’s Female Body and the Daughter’s Male Voice: Gender Subversion in Mary Magdalen de’ Pazzi’s Verbal Ecstatic Drama

Charló Camilleri, O.Carm.

 

The Work of Conscience in Complex Emotional and Marital Situations

Philippe Bordeyne

 

Implementing Chapter VIII of Amoris laetitia Throughout the World: A Thematic Overview

of Episcopal Pastoral Guidelines

Kevin Schembri and Thomas Knieps-Port le Roi

 

Section VI: Bioethical Considerations Then and Now

Abortion in Malta at the Time of the Knights

Giovanni Bonello

 

Reproductive Ethical Issues in the Star Trek Science Fiction Series

Charles Savona-Ventura and Victor Grech

 

Childhood Adoptions: An Ethical Roller-Coaster Spanning 30 Years

Simon Attard Montalto

 

At the Boundary: On the Contribution of Theological Anthropology to Bioethics

Roberto Dell’Oro

 

Personalism as an Open-Minded Perspective in Medical Ethics, with Special Attention to the Ethical Integration of Organ Donation

Paul Schotsmans

 

Lost Words and Scattered Thoughts: Notes on Autonomy, Corporeality, Consent and Care

Pietro Grassi

 

Public Engagement and Questions on End-of-Life Issues

Pierre Mallia

 

Global Bioethics: From Where and to Where?

Renzo Pegoraro

 

Dying with Dignity: Ethical Issues at the End of Life

Jochen Sautermeister

 

Section VII: The Future as Moral Imperative

 

The Ethics of the Environment

Joe Friggieri

 

The Environment: An Ethical Concern

Elisabeth Conrad and Louis-F. Cassar

 

Future Generations and Bioethical Concerns

Laura Palazzani

 

Building Bridges for Shared Futures: Life Ethics

Christiane Woopen

 

Responsibility for Future Generations

Johan De Tavernier and Jiby George