Maryna Hnyp INTAMS review | Volume 17 | Issue 1 | Spring 2011 | Pages 25 > 36 Re-Examining Second Marriage in Catholic Moral and Pastoral Theology: In Search of an Alternative Avenue through the Eastern Practice of Oikonomia (summary) In Catholic moral and pastoral theology there is an on-going debate about the status of divorced and re-married Catholics within the Church. Although Catholics living in second marriages seem to receive some pastoral acceptance, the official status of these couples remains “irregular” and they are banned from full participation in the life of the church, specifically from sharing communion. The present contribution asks whether more could be done for those innocent or repentant parties of divorce who do not feel at home within the Catholic Church. The author discusses the opinions of several Catholic theologians, who, in seeking a solution for this pastoral concern, turn to the Eastern Christian tradition of oikonomia. The article explores the meaning of this ancient practice within the Orthodox tradition, particularly with regard to the pastoral care of re-married believers. While acknowledging several limitations and ambiguities when it comes to applying the oikonomia practice within the Latin Catholic tradition, the author seeks to develop theological conclusions and pastoral considerations in a symbiotic manner. All the remaining articles in this issue are written by junior scholars who are presently involved in doctoral studies at the Theology Faculty of the Catholic University of Leuven. They will allow readers of the INTAMS review to get a cursory insight into a variety of topics and research questions that are all more or less closely related to the central focus of this journal. Maryana Hnyp from Ukraine reopens the question of divorce and remarriage in the Roman Catholic Church and argues that a sustainable theological and pastoral solution to this thorny issue will not be possible without a conversion of mentality and attitude, a conversion toward what the Orthodox tradition calls and practices as the “economy of salvation”. Flemish researcher Judith Cockx has investigated how young parents experience pregnancy, child-birth and early parenting and what existential and spiritual meaning they attribute to it; she shows how these experiences challenge common religious frames of reference and what would be needed in terms of a renewed pastoral practice to better support parents during these critical moments of their relationship. Nenad Polgar from Croatia diagnoses a stalemate between traditionalist and revisionist positions in the theological discussion about homosexuality. In his article he searches for an alternative reading of the debate, one ultimately that uncovers the hidden agendas of both camps and deconstructs the deeper projects they are involved in. Finally, Gregory A. Obanado from Nigeria provides an example of peaceful interreligious coexistence between Muslims and Christians in the Afemai region of his home country; he argues that the African concept of family solidarity has the potential to cut across the border of different religious belonging, provided it will also transcend family loyalties toward the universal idea of all humans belonging to the one family of God. Maryana Hnyp, born in 1979 in Ukraine, is a doctoral student at the Research Unit of Theological Ethics at K.U. Leuven. Her main research interests lie within the area of theological anthropology and personalistic moral theology. Particular to her research are the concepts of sin and perfection. Currently she is a pastoral worker in the University Parish International Community of K.U. Leuven.