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Book Review: Living With(out) Borders: Catholic Theological Ethics on the Migrations of Peoples. Edited by Agnes M. Brazal and María Teresa Dávila

This splendid collected volume of papers presented at the first pan-Asian conference of Catholic moral theologians in Bangalore, 2015, promises to remedy any such moral myopia. For Vimal Tirimanna, Clement Campos, and José Mario Francisco, ethics proceeds from an intercultural conversation where the vacuous tolerance of the West gives way to a vital, interfaith dialogue. Stanislaus Alla argues for a “constructive methodology engaging Hindus as Hindus”; while for Mathew Illathuparampil, inculturated theological ethics demands an “interfaith ethical dialogue.” In a similar vein, Sharon Bong addresses Malaysia’s “Allah controversy”; Haruko Okano traces the confluence of Shinto, Buddhism, and Confucianism in Japan; and Maurice Nyunt Wai offers an illuminating comparative assessment of Christian and Buddhist ethics in Myanmar. A truly dialogical, contextual ethics must, moreover, give voice to those whose wisdom has long been suppressed. John Karuvelil analyzes systemic “dehumanization” in India; Morris Antonysamy unveils the roots of gendered violence, rape, caste, and patriarchy, and Vimala Chenginimatam affirms the centrality of women’s theological voice. Eric Genilo addresses the politics of women’s reproductive health in the Philippines; Mary Yuen assesses aspirations for democratic participation in Hong Kong; and Joseph Goh criticizes the ethical bias suffered by gay-identifying, Malaysian men. Finally, running throughout these essays is the leitmotif of a “cosmotheandric” anthropology, uniting, in Christian Astorga’s words, the “triple cries” of the poor, women, and of the earth—cries echoed in Anthonette Mendoza’s analysis of land tenure and the “fragmentation of ecosystems.” John Crasta writes of India’s Adivasi as exemplary “agents of environmental redemption”; Prem Xalxo underscores the implications of Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ in India; and Rhodel Nacional proposes a virtue-centered ecological praxis in the Philippines. Unlike many encyclicals, Laudato Si’ is less a conversation-stopper than a plea for dialogue. We are deeply indebted to the editors, and especially the late Lúcás Chan, for orchestrating such a wise and eloquent response.