Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Beijing (Agenzia Fides) - Evangelization, Sacred Scripture, the Ratzinger school of thought, interreligious dialogue, historical study, formation and the role of mass media were the main themes discussed at the Third Forum on Catholic Studies for Young Chinese Scholars organized by the Beijing Institute for the Study of Christian Culture in Beijing. According to information gathered by Fides, about eighty academics participated in the Forum, which plays an increasingly important role in the study of Catholicism, which was held 7 to 10 December in Beijing. 72 participants made presentations on this vast array of topics, ranging from evangelization to academic research on Sacred Scripture, Ratzinger's theories, St Thomas, the figure of Matteo Ricci and the question of Chinese rites, the role of formation and the media in Catholic history, and interreligious dialogue. Fr Peter Zhan, director of the Institute, who is also vicar of the Diocese of Beijing and the deputy dean of Ren Min University in Beijing (The People's University) presided at the opening of the Forum while Professor Yang Hui Lin, in his opening remarks, encouraged the academic study of Christian religion promoted by the Catholic Institution.
Since 2008, the Beijing Institute for the Study of Christian Culture has organized this annual Forum from 7 to 10 December, collecting an ever-growing presence of leading academics and Christian scholars who are also internationally renowned. During the debates, participants offered a number of useful proposals for the future mission of evangelization in modern Chinese society. All papers presented at the Forum are published in the Journal of Catholic Studies, a book published regularly by the Institute. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 13/12/2010)
