Asian Horizons

Jubilee as a Transformative Theology of Hope

2026-03-14T08:32:49+00:00

Spe Salvi and the “Pilgrims of Hope” Jubilee: Continuity or Crisis in the Contemporary Theology of Hope?

2026-03-14T08:54:58+00:00

The early twenty-first century is marked by global uncertainty—ecological degradation, wars, migration crises, technological disorientation, and a growing sense of meaninglessness, especially among the youth. In this context, the juxtaposition of Pope Benedict XVI’s Spe Salvi (2007) and Pope Francis’s 2025 Jubilee Year theme, Pilgrims of Hope, invites theological inquiry into the continuity or possible crisis in the Church’s magisterium regarding Christian hope. While Benedict offers a contemplative, Christocentric, and doctrinal exposition of hope rooted in faith, love, and eschatological fulfilment, Francis presents a pastoral, missionary, and socially engaged articulation of hope expressed through synodality, ecological concern, and solidarity with the suffering. At first glance, their approaches seem distinct—one philosophical and theological, the other practical and pastoral. Yet both emphasise the status viatoris (the human person as a pilgrim), the centrality of conversion, and the foundational role of hope in the Christian life. When viewed within the broader locus theologicus of Catholic tradition—Scripture, the Fathers, and Vatican II—it becomes clear that both papal visions emerge from a shared theological stream rather than opposition. The apparent tension reflects differing historical contexts and pastoral urgencies rather than doctrinal rupture. This paper argues that the relationship between Spe Salvi and Pilgrims of Hope is best understood as a development in continuity—a hermeneutic of expansion in which Benedict’s theological depth provides the metaphysical foundation on which Francis builds a concrete pastoral application. Rather than a crisis, their complementarity offers a unified Catholic theology of hope that integrates contemplation with mission, safeguarding the Church’s prophetic voice in an age of anxiety.

Restoring Dignity: Jubilee Hope for Marginalised Groups

2026-03-14T09:02:23+00:00

This article, Restoring Dignity: Jubilee Hope for Marginalised Groups, offers a theological re-examination of the biblical Jubilee tradition as a paradigm for justice, liberation, and restoration in Asia’s contexts of marginalisation. Drawing on Leviticus 25, Isaiah 61, and Luke 4:16–21, the article argues that Jubilee embodies a divine mandate for socio-economic renewal, ecological balance, and communal dignity. Employing an interdisciplinary methodology that integrates theological-liberationist hermeneutics with socio-analytical insights, it situates Jubilee within Asia’s pressing realities: economic inequality, caste exclusion, gender injustice, religious persecution, and ecological devastation. It contends that the Jubilee tradition provides both a theology and a praxis of hope: a transformative, communal, and embodied resistance to despair grounded in God’s preferential option for the poor. Through its fourfold praxis: debt cancellation, land restitution, liberation of captives, and ecological renewal, it demonstrates how Jubilee functions as a holistic system for restoring dignity and fostering integral human development. Moreover, it envisions the Church in Asia as a Jubilee community, called to prophetic witness, pastoral accompaniment, interfaith solidarity, and ecological conversion. Ultimately, the article affirms that Jubilee hope is not a deferred eschatological dream but a present reality that summons the Church and society to participate in God’s ongoing work of liberation, reconciliation, and the renewal of creation.

Pilgrims of Hope: Journeying in Faith for a Radical and Living Communion with Others

2026-03-14T09:04:46+00:00

In the Jubilee Year of Hope 2025, Pope Francis invites us to reflect on our faith and deepen our understanding of it. It is an invitation not only to journey physically but, more importantly, to undertake a spiritual pilgrimage in a world often marked by conflict, despair, and uncertainty. This article emphasises that our pilgrimage is a journey of personal and communal transformation. It is an opportunity to encounter God and to be renewed in faith. This pilgrimage is not only a solitary endeavour but also a communal journey that fosters unity and reconciliation, especially among those who feel marginalised or excluded.

Light in Darkness: Hospice and Palliative Care as a Witness to Christian Hope

2026-03-14T09:06:41+00:00

This paper examines hospice and palliative care as a significant expression of Christian hope amid suffering and death. It traces the historical foundations of hospice within Christian values of hospitality and compassion, emphasising how comprehensive care respects human dignity until life's natural conclusion. The study investigates the theological underpinnings of Christian hope found in Scripture, the Church Fathers, and the Magisterium, illustrating how faith recontextualises suffering through the lens of Christ’s resurrection. Rather than being viewed solely as medical interventions, hospice and palliative care are presented as manifestations of the Gospel of life, blending ethical considerations with spiritual support. The paper specifically addresses the rejection of euthanasia, the value of sacramental presence, and the powerful impact of compassionate care. Additionally, it provides actionable suggestions for the Church and society to cultivate a culture of hope through education, advocacy, and pastoral involvement. Ultimately, hospice care is portrayed as a “light in darkness,” affirming that death leads to eternal life and that Christian hope can shine even in the most challenging moments of human life.

Prophet Ezekiel’s Vision: A Hope for the ‘Dry Bones’ in Indian/Asian Context

2026-03-14T09:09:04+00:00

Spes non Confundit, “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). This has been a powerful teaching of the Church, drawn from the Scriptures, and it comes to the fore at a time when the world is witnessing the dark and painful realities of chaos, war, displacement, poverty, and loss of life. This reality can lead us to despair or induce passivity and slumber, causing us to give up. But the virtue of hope keeps us moving forward. It has the power to expect restoration and revival when we surrender to God. This paper presents hope through the prophet Ezekiel’s vision in Babylon during the Jews’ captivity. By presenting the grim reality of India/Asia, it argues that hope can still inspire and motivate us to bounce back for a fuller life through God’s intervention and our effort.

Pope Leo XIV’s Social Question: AI, Human Dignity and Labour Justice

2026-03-14T09:11:36+00:00

The fourth industrial revolution (also known as Industry 4.0) forms the context in which Pope Leo XIV articulates the social question and identifies the challenges that artificial intelligence (AI) unleashes upon the principles that spearhead the evangelising mission of the Church as God’s family. In singling out “human dignity, justice and labour” as key evangelical principles, Leo XIV signals a return to Leo XIII, for whom the dignity of the worker, by extension the dignity of work, compelled him to address the social question of his time. However, Leo XIV is not merely retreating to retrieve past answers in response to the precarious conditions facing today’s labourers. Like a good scribe who brings out of the house treasury what is new and what is old (Mt. 13:52), he retreats to address the present social question and to make great strides towards the future of opportunity and the challenges posed by AI. In this article, we focus on the social consequences of Industry 4.0 and AI’s impact on human dignity, justice and labour, with a specific discussion of the positive and negative effects of AI on the African labour context.

The Reception of Gaudium Et Spes: An Eastern Reassessment

2026-03-14T09:13:57+00:00

This article offers a theological and ascetical reading of Gaudium et Spes, arguing that the Pastoral Constitution represents not simply an aggiornamento but a profound ressourcement of patristic anthropology. The study examines how the Council’s teaching on human dignity, sin, freedom, and communion arises from a retrieval of the biblical and patristic vision of the human person as imago Dei, called to participate in the divine life. The article places this renewed anthropology in dialogue with Orthodox theology and spirituality, highlighting convergences in Christocentric anthropology, therapeutic understandings of sin, synergy between grace and freedom, and Trinitarian personalism.

Drawing upon the ascetical wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Orthodox spiritual writers, it argues that the pastoral mission envisioned by Gaudium et Spes requires a corresponding recovery of ascetical praxis, through humility, discernment, repentance, and purification of heart, without which ecclesial engagement risks devolving into cultural accommodation.

The study concludes that a fuller understanding of patristic humanism as lived reality may benefit from greater engagement with the apostolically rooted Syriac liturgical and ascetical practices of the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala. By integrating patristic theology, Orthodox ascetical wisdom, and the pastoral aims of Vatican II, this article proposes a “patristic humanism” as a framework for shaping contemporary Christian witness in a secular age.

Nitya, The Reciprocity of Love and Obedience in the Formation of Israel: An Exegetical and Theological Study of Deut 8:1-6 in the Light of Deut 6:4-5 and 7:8, Bengaluru: Dharmaram Publications, 2025

2026-03-14T09:16:37+00:00

Mahimai Dass A., A Short History of Christianity in Karnataka, Bengaluru: Dharmaram Publications, 2025

2026-03-14T09:18:49+00:00