INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

Bible and Ecology

Day 1: 6 Nov 2025 (Thursday)

Session 1: 9.00 AM–10.15 AM

WELCOME GREETING: Mark A. Lewis, Rector, Pontificai Gregorian University (PUG), ltaiy

Chair: Agustinus Gianto

Genesis l-2:4a: Prolegomena to God’s Ecology and Our Participation in lt
Gina Hens-Piazza, Jesuit School of Theology of SCU, USAChair: Agustinus Gianto

Ferocity and Beauty of Lions in the Books of Kings
Peter Dubovsky, Pontifical Biblical lnstitute of PUG, ltaly

Respondent: Anthony Soo Hoo

Coffee Break

Session 2: 10.45 AM–12.00 PM

Chair: Nuria Calduch-Benages

“They have Burnt lt with Fire” {Ps 80:17}: The Vine Metaphor in the Hebrew Psalter and
the Ecological Crisis in Contemporary Ghana
Michael K. Mensah, University of Ghana, Ghana

The Bride as a “Locked Garden”: An Eco-Sustainability Retrieval of Nature Metaphor in
Song of Songs 4:12-15
Jonathan Kavusa, Universitè Libre des Pays des Grands Lacs, D. R. Congo

Respondent: Enrique Sanz

Session 3: 3.30 PM–4.45 PM

Chair: Paul Béré

Sophia as Kindred Spirit: Wisdom of Solomon 7-8 in Eco-Kinship Perspective
Hilary Marlow, Cambridge University, UK

Metaphors of Wisdom: An Ecological Reading of Sirach 6:18-37
Charlotte Obeid, Collegium Maximum of PUG, ltaly

Respondent: Benedetta Rossi

Day 2: 7 Nov 2025 (Friday)

Session 4: 9.00 AM–10.15 AM

Chair: Daniela Scialabba

Animals in lsaiah 1 and A South lndian Harvest Festival: An lnter(Con)Textual Reading
Dominic S. lrudayaraj, Pontifical Biblical lnstitute of PUG, ltaly

God, Wisdom and the Stars: An Ecological Reading of Baruch 3:29-35
Nuria Calduch-Benages, Collegium Maximum of PUG, ltaly

Respondent: Santosh Mendonca

Coffee Break

Session 5: 10.45 AM–12.00 PM

Chair: Anthony Soohoo

Servanthood in the Cosmic Ecosystem: An Experiment in Jonah
Paul Béré, Pontifical Biblical lnstitute of PUG, ltaly

“That He may Teach Us His Ways and That We may Walk in His Paths” (Micah 4:2): From
Ecological Hermeneutics to Sustainability Pedagogy
Ma. Maricel lbita, Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines

Respondent: Serena Detti

Break

Session 3: 3:30 – 4:45 PM

Chair: Juan Manuel Granados

Visibility and Viability: Exploring the Vineyard-Human Synergy in Mattthew 20:1-16
Ma. Marilou S. lbita, De La Salle University, Philippines

Braided Reading: A Fresh Water Perspective from Oceania
Anne Elvey, Monash University, Australia

Respondent: Luca Pedroli

Day 3: 8 Nov 2025 (Saturday)

Session 7: 9.00 AM–10.15 AM

Chair: Dean Béchard

Synoptic Parables and Ecology: A Methodological Proposal of Eco-Exegesis
Lorenzo Gasparro, Pontificia Facoltà Teologica dell’Italia Meridionale, Italy

Water and the Margins: An Eco-Sensitive Reading of The Samaritan Woman and the
Lame Man Episodes of John’s Gospel
Miche! S. Kamanzi, Pontifical Biblical lnstitute of PUG, ltaly

Respondent: Giacomo Aiazzi

Cofee Break

Session 8: 10.45 AM–12.00 PM

Chair: Sunil Ranjar

Creation and New Creation in Paul: Reflections on Cosmological Aspects in Paul’s
Theology and Their lmplications for Ecology
Jens Schroter, Humboldt – Universitat, Germany

“The Firstfruits” of Creation or Salvation? An Eco-Theological Reading of James 1:18
Ekaterini Tsalampouni, Aristotle university of Thessaloniki, Greece

Respondent: Paraskevi Arapoglou

CONCLUDING COMMENTS: Peter Dubovsky, President, Pontifical Biblical lnstitute of PUG, ltaly

Afternoon: Visit (details will be forthcoming)