INTAMS

On September 10, 2021, Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn, the founding Director of INTAMS, received a Honorary Doctorate in Theology (Dr. theol. honoris causa) in recognition of her outstanding merits on behalf of the Christian theology of marriage and the family, and the Jewish‒Christian dialogue. The title was conferred on her, in the name of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the Rheinische-Friedrich-Wilhelm-University of Bonn, by the Dean, Professor Dr. Dr. Jochen Sautermeister, in the course of a solemn ceremony. Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn is the founder of the Centre for the Study of Christianity at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the founder of the Cardinal Bea Centre for Judaic Studies at the Gregorian University in Rome, and the founder and director of the International Academy for Marital Spirituality (INTAMS) in Louvain/Brussels. The Faculty of Catholic Theology pays tribute above all to “the exceptional merits of this theologian and social scientist with regard to Jewish‒Christian dialogue, to the further development of the theology of marriage and the family, and to the communication and implementation of fundamental insights of the Second Vatican Council. These central concerns also correspond to the main focuses of the Faculty of Catholic Theology at the University of Bonn,” says Dean Sautermeister. “I gratefully accept this honor, in view of the decades-long committed work of my husband and myself,” says Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn. “I understand it especially as an encouragement and motivation for the coming generations to accept responsibility in various ways and to get involved for the good of other people.” Read the Press Release (English, Deutsch, Nederlands) Read the Acceptance Speech by Aldegonde Brenninkmeijer-Werhahn (Deutsch, English to follow soon) Watch the video of the ceremony (soon to be uploaded). In the media: Universität Bonn (Deutsch, English). Nachrichten Informationsdienst Wissenschaft. Böckle-Nachfolger würdigt Brenninkmeijer.

MFS 27/1 (2021): This issue features a cluster of three articles that focus on the situation of divorced remarried people in the Catholic Church, which remains a burning theological theme. Eberhard Schockenhoff (1953-2020) wrote his article shortly before his death, in response to our question to reflect on the possibility of allowing divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive communion. Canonist Adrian Loretan reflects on these same issue as a tribute to Schockenhoff. Moral theologian Sigrid Müller attempts to untie the "Gordian Knot" in which the various theological disciplines on the one hand and canon law on the other hand have become entwined in a contradictory stance towards failed marriages. The three articles give food for thought for a possible future dialogue between theologians and canon lawyers. There are hardly any articles in our journal Marriage, Families & Spirituality that have not in one way or another engaged with Amoris laetitia since its promulgation. Marriage and the relation between spouses are the primary subjects of the reflections of two other experts in moral theology (Stephanie Höllinger and Konrad Glombik). The canonist Georg Bier examines the causes and implications of Pope Francis's recent decision to amend canon law by opening the liturgical ministries of lector and acolyte to women. The Anglican theologian Adrian Thatcher analyses the current project on sexual relations and marriage by the Church of England, developd in a publication under the title Living in Faith and Love (2020). Read the Editorial by Thomas Knieps-Port le Roi, Editor See the full Table of Contents

MFS 26/2 (2020): The focus of this theme issue is on the abuse of vulnerable victims, but with attention to the reality of family. We know from sociological statistics that, indeed, the family, no less than the Church – or the family within the Church – can become a locus of abuse. Thus, the guiding thread for the contributions in the issue is: what lessons learned from the reflection on sexual abuse in the Church might provide us with analytical tools for addressing the situation of abuse within families? Editorial by Roberto Dell'Oro, Guest Editor (full text) Articles (click on the title to read the abstract) Stéphane Joulain: The Sexual Abuse of Minors: Clinical and Psychological Perspectives on the Perpetrators Anne Danion-Grilliat: L’inceste paternel: Éléments psychopathologiques Karlijn Demasure: Intrafamilial Sexual Abuse and its Spiritual Impact on Survivors Marie-Jo Thiel: L’abus sexuel dans la constellation familiale: Une prise de conscience très progressive Roberto Dell’Oro: Insights for a Moral Theological Reflection on Conscience: Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia Testimonies Asima: Gedankenfetzen eines Lebens – meines Lebens Adrian Loretan: Ein katholischer Priester vergewaltigt seine Schwägerin Documents International Bioethics Group: Statement on the Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Church in Support of Pope Francis (full text) Book Reviews (go here for our complete list of book reviews) Sexual Abuse Gottfried Ugolini: L. Bove: Giulia und der Wolf: Die Geschichte eines sexuellen Missbrauchs in der Kirche Jakob Schrage: J. Fegert et al. (Hg.): Sexueller Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen Katharina Ebner: K. Hilpert et al. (Hg.): Sexueller Missbrauch von Kindern und Jugendlichen im Raum von Kirche Gottfried Ugolini: S. Nef: Ringen um Bedeutung: Die Deutung häuslicher Gewalt als sozialer Prozess Elizabeth Davies: R. Starr: Reimagining Theologies of Marriage in Contexts of Domestic Violence Roberto Dell’Oro: M-J. Thiel: L’Église catholique face aux abus sexuels sur mineurs Gottfried Ugolini: J. von Weiler: Im Netz: Kinder vor sexueller Gewalt schützen History Adrian Thatcher: D. Barrie: Sin, Sanctity and the Sister-in-Law: Marriage with a Deceased Wife’s Sister in the Nineteenth Century Hans Storme: E. Brugger: The Indissolubility of Marriage and the Council of Trent John A. Dick: A. Carney: Marriage and Fatherhood in the Nazi SS David Dawson Vasquez: J. Chappel: Catholic Modern: The Challenge of Totalitarianism and the Remaking of the Church Ray Temmerman: C. Cristellon: Marriage, the Church, and its Judges in Renaissance Venice James J. Ponzetti, Jr.: K. Dunak: As Long as We Both Shall Love: The White Wedding in Post-War America Adrian Thatcher: V. Fuechtner et al. (eds): A Global History of Sexual Science, 1880-1960 William J. LeMaire: A. Harris (ed.): The Schism of ’68: Catholicism, Contraception, and “Humanae Vitae” Adrian Thatcher: T. Hunter: Bound in Wedlock: Slave and Free Black Marriage in the Nineteenth Century Jessica Scheiper: W. König: Das Kondom: Zur Geschichte der Sexualität 284 James J. Ponzetti, Jr.: A. Lefkovitz: Strange Bedfellows: Marriage in the Age of Women’s Liberation Els Agten: C. Marissal: Moeders en vaders: Geen vanzelfsprekende gelijkheid, België, 19de-21ste eeuw/Mères et pères: Le défi de l’égalité, Belgique, 19e-21e siècle John A. Dick: J. Martschukat: American Fatherhood: A History Jessica Scheiper: N. Syrett: American Child Bride: A History of Minors and Marriages in the United States Gustavo Cavagnari: K. Walter: The Profession of Widowhood