A LIMERICK-based priest has been installed as president of the European Society for Catholic Theology. The Rev Prof Eamonn Conway, who is a priest of the Tuam diocese and head of theology and religious studies at Mary Immaculate College at University of Limerick, is the first Irish theologian to hold the position.
He succeeds Prof Lieven Boeve of the Catholic University of Louvain and will serve a two-year term.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the foundation of the society, which comprises more than 800 members, 27 of whom were represented at its biennial conference in Limerick last weekend.
Fr Conway said his appointment was an honour. “I first joined the society in 1991 and really value the opportunities it presents to advance scholarship, to share ideas, dialogue and time with fellow theologians in Ireland and abroad,” he said.
“It’s an honour to be able to serve not only the membership but also to be able to provide support to young theologians as they pursue their studies in universities and colleges across Europe . . .
“Increasingly, the church is recognising its dependency on lay theologians. I want to ensure that resources which can rival those available for other disciplines are made available to them especially through newly established scholarship programmes.”
According to Prof Conway, there are no “quick-fix solutions” to the many challenges facing the church and societies.
“The European Society for Catholic Theology will continue under my leadership, honestly and credibly, to provide a forum for open and respectful theological dialogue regarding the difficult issues facing our church, issues which require scholarly reflection, patient study and reflection, and a disposition of openness and goodwill even regarding viewpoints and perspectives with which we might not all agree,” he said.