University of the Western Cape expert chosen to the World Council of Churches
Professor Ignatius Swart, head of UWC’s Department of Religion and Theology, said: “The World Council of Churches (WCC) is undoubtedly the most important international body for Christian ecumenism. Our department is very proud of Dr Sakupapa’s achievement.”
Sakupapa said: “I am a product of UWC in many ways. I completed my honours degree here in 2009 and returned to work on my PhD in Ecumenical Studies and Social Ethics, and was subsequently appointed as a lecturer in 2016. The focus of my academic work is drawn towards ecumenical theological reflection, which can be broadly understood as a branch of systematic theology and overlaps with church history.” According to Sakupapa, “ecumenical theology is a self-consciously contextual and constructive reflection and search for the common Christian theological heritage in an eschatological perspective amidst diverse Christian theological traditions”.
The term ecumenical movement refers to the quest among Christian churches for the visible unity of the church. Sakupapa said: “In academic circles, one could say that doing theology ecumenically calls for ecumenical hermeneutics. Such hermeneutics may well facilitate ecumenical consciousness, learning and formation.”
UWC and its Department of Religion & Theology have a proud history of ecumenical leadership in academia and in society. Sakupapa said: “As the University of the Western Cape, we pride ourselves as a place where ecumenical theological education flourishes and where transformation is a key focus of engagements. Our staff, the teaching and learning activities and research are indeed characterised by ecumenical collaboration. In this connection, UWC established the Desmond Tutu Centre for Religion and Social Justice, where amongst other concerns, the ecumenical legacy of former UWC Chancellor Emeritus Archbishop Tutu is honoured through transdisciplinary research and community engagement.”
Sakupapa further observed that through this appointment, he will build on the ongoing work of ecumenical theological education at UWC in collaboration with churches, most notably, the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, where he belongs.
Sakupapa has been appointed as the Vice-Moderator for the Commission on Education and Ecumenical Formation. He said: “The Commission serves as an advisory to the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches. Historically, the World Council of Churches has contributed towards theological education around the globe by funding and providing scholarships for theological students, but also through providing platforms for contextual theological reflection since the 1970s, thus contributing towards shaping the content and format of theological education across the world.”
He added: “Part of the task of the Commission is to promote ecumenical theological education, and it is in this sense that we can make a significant contribution from UWC’s side, because the kind of theology we do is ecumenical. The Commission is also tasked with the responsibility of fostering the understanding and practice of ecumenical learning. And given the global and contextual changes in theological education and the widespread calls for the decolonisation of theological education, the Commission also seeks to reflect on and respond to emerging educational needs and development.”