Plans are at an advanced stage for the first African recipient of the Ratzinger Prize, Fr Paul Béré, S.J., to deliver the inaugural Sarpong Theological Lecture in Kumasi later this year.
The Sarpong Theological Lecture, instituted by the Arrupe Jesuit Institute (AJI), is a biennial lecture that honours the intellectual legacy of the emeritus Archbishop of Kumasi, Most Rev. Peter Kwasi Sarpong. The aim of the lecture is to explore issues and trends in African Christianity with boldness, originality, depth, understanding and acuity; an acrostic that spells one of the middle names of the honouree, Bodua Kumankoma.
A major contribution by Archbishop Sarpong to African Christian scholarship pertains to inculturation, an area of keen interest to Fr. Pedro Arrupe, S.J., the former Jesuit Superior General after whom Ghana’s premier Catholic think tank is named.
Rev. Fr Kpanie Addy, S.J., Executive Director of the Accra-based institute, explained that the key decision of identifying a reputable African theologian to give the lecture series its deserved character at its inaugural this year could not have been better made.
Fr Béré, a Burkinabe Jesuit priest who holds a doctorate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute and currently lectures there, made history as the first African to win the prestigious Ratzinger Prize in 2019.
Considered in some quarters as analogous to a Nobel Prize in Theology, the Ratzinger Prize honours the academic contribution of theologians and other Catholic intellectuals whose work demonstrates a significant contribution to theology in the spirit of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Bavarian theologian who became Pope Benedict XVI.
“Fr Béré, who I was privileged to have as a teacher, is a first-rate theologian with a global reputation and it will be a tremendous honour to have him come and deliver these lectures in honour of Archbishop Sarpong, hopefully in three different locations, namely in Kumasi, Cape Coast, and Accra” Fr Addy noted.
Whereas the commitments of Fr Béré are many on account of his membership of groups such as the Pontifical Biblical Commission and the Anglican Roman Catholic Commission, the 2019 Ratzinger Prize co-laureate with Canadian scholar Charles Taylor is enthusiastic about giving these lectures.
He affirms the need to keep the legacy of such elders as Archbishop Sarpong alive, Fr Addy remarked.
With the maiden event slated to take place in October this year, the Sarpong Theological Lecture represents a further effort by the AJI to provide a platform for the interface between Christian faith and social commitment through lectures, conferences, seminars etc.
It is envisaged that the biennial lecture will not only appeal to academics but also attract a diverse audience, aiming to foster dialogue on key issues confronting our society such as good governance, human rights, cultural values etc.
Bearing this public good in mind and noting the legendary kindness of Archbishop Sarpong, the AJI Director expressed the hope that many friends and well-wishers of the emeritus Archbishop and the church, in general, will generously donate to a Sarpong Theological Lecture fund to ensure the lectures’ sustainability and thus contribute to the retired prelate’s intellectual legacy.
