The Columbans of the Korean Region hosted a symposium, The Ocean and Theology on 1-3 December, 2015 in Seoul as part of their celebrations of the 1,400th anniversary of Saint Columban (d. 615). The hopes of the organisers as outlined in their letter of invitation were “that Columbans will, through participation in our symposium, cast a new and fresh light on this most important but neglected issue of: The ocean and our relationship with it.
Reflecting on the Ocean and Theology is not only a new understanding within the world of mission, but is also breaking new ground in the theological and broader academic world."
The symposium brought together eight Columbans working in varied and different contexts – Chile, New Zealand, China, Korea, Brazil, Pakistan – who researched and presented papers on an equally varied number of topics relating to the Ocean trying to make theological and missiological connections. The topics ranged across a broad spectrum of theological and academic areas such as Spirituality, Justice, Peace, Dialogue, Exploitation, Migration, Philosophy, Mythology and Ecology.
Fr Eamon Adams, based in Korea, believes that we need to acquire a sense of wonder at the Otherness of the Ocean; a much more holistic approach is needed which calls us to recalibrate our relationship with the Ocean. He arrives at this conclusion by creatively interpreting the writings of marine biologist, Rachel Carson with philosopher, Emmanuel Levinas. Fr Colin McLean, who has worked in Brazil with Afro Brazilians for over 30 years, traced the almost five centuries history of the Atlantic slave trade. Brazil received about 40% of African slaves that came across the Atlantic up until 1888 when Brazil abolished slavery. Former Columban Superior General, Fr Tommy Murphy focused on the role and significance of the Ocean in early Celtic Monasticism, where the Ocean was seen as a place of ascetical practice and also a place of becoming.
Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Coordinator in Chile, Cesar Correa, presented a challenging thesis, namely, The Looting of a Common Good: Ocean grabbing in Chile, a perspective from affected communities. It is only since WWII that the privatisation of the Ocean has begun, a concept unheard of up to that. This new reality is a serious challenge that calls upon missiology to respond. Fr Pat McMullan who works in Korea, highlighted the looming dangers of rising sea levels caused by climate change in a process of what he called “de-creation”. Our theological language is inadequate today in helping us make the dramatic changes in human behaviour which are needed to save this situation. Korea JPIC coordinator, Fr Pat Cunningham, focused on the Environmental Impact of Militarism, Military Installations and Naval Base Construction on the island communities of Jeju (Korea) and Okinawa (Japan).
New Zealander Fr Michael Gormly shared on the contact between Church missionaries and peoples surrounded by the ocean in the south Pacific, which has not always been positive. He sees the need for a greater embracing of ‘indigineity’ in order to create an Oceanic Spiritual Theology. Fr Liam O’Callaghan works in Pakistan as the Columban JPIC and Inter-Religious Dialogue (IRD) Coordinator and researched the reasons why the Indus river delta is dying, primarily due to a lack of freshwater, due to the irrigation canals upstream on the Indus. He highlighted how an interfaith approach to this crisis could be part of the solution.
It was a fascinating and informative experience for those present and highlighted the reality that the Ocean has been largely ignored in theological reflection. The symposium was held during the days when 195 world leaders were gathered in Paris for COP21, and there was a real sense of us all working on a common project, namely, to care for our common home - Planet Earth.
Columban Fr Liam O’Callaghan is the Columban Justice, Peace & Integrity of Creation (JPIC) Coordinator in Pakistan.
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