The event, which took place on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, marked an important moment of collaboration between the two Jesuit institutions at Hekima University College, the Center for Interfaith Studies in Africa (CISA), and the Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa (JHIA). According to Rev. Dr. Norbert Litoing, SJ, Director of CISA, who has also been recently appointed the Interim Director of JHIA, the joint organization of the lecture reflects a shared mission of both CISA and JHIA to promote dialogue, scholarship, and deeper understanding across religious and cultural traditions.
Dr. Litoing, who warmly welcomed participants to the public lecture delivered by Rev. Prof. Francis X. Clooney, S.J., world-renowned scholar of comparative theology and Professor at Harvard Divinity School, underlined Hekima’s commitment to fostering interfaith learning rooted in Africa’s rich diversity. “Our context, rich in religious variety, cultural depth, and spiritual vitality, offers a unique space from which to rethink what genuine interfaith understanding can mean in the 21st century,” he said.
Dr. Litoing extended gratitude to JHIA for its financial support in facilitating Prof. Clooney’s visit, adding with humor that the co-hosting arrangement between the two centers was not “a conspiracy,” since the invitation preceded his appointment as JHIA’s interim director. He also thanked the leadership of Hekima University College, faculty, students, and guests for their presence and engagement in the lecture.
In his introduction, Dr. Litoing noted that Prof. Clooney is one of the leading voices in comparative theology whose pioneering scholarship has opened new pathways for interreligious encounter, particularly between Christianity and Hinduism.
“Father Clooney’s scholarship exemplifies how faith, reason, and learning across religious borders can enrich theology and human understanding,” Litoing remarked.
Dr. Jean Luc Enyegue, SJ, outgoing Director of the Jesuit Historical Institute in Africa (JHIA), delivered an engaging and heartfelt address that blended humor, memory, and reflection on Jesuit intellectual tradition.
Dr. Enyegue began playfully, assuring the audience that there was “no conspiracy” behind Dr. Litoing’s recent appointment as interim JHIA Director. Yet, he humorously added, “there was a conspiracy, and its name was John Lafarge,” referring to the Harvard-educated Jesuit civil rights pioneer whose legacy united the three Jesuits: Clooney, Norbert, and Enyegue at the historic Lafarge community in Cambridge.
Drawing from their shared experiences of fraternity and scholarship, Dr. Enyegue described Prof. Clooney as a mentor and “grandfather formator,” whose humility, deep spirituality, and intellectual brilliance exemplify the Jesuit ideal of being “both learned and virtuous.” He praised Clooney’s rare ability to inspire through both intellect and character, recalling their enriching “Jesuit socials and suppers” that turned ordinary meals into lessons in theology and life.
Reflecting on Clooney’s lecture, Dr. Enyegue highlighted his invitation to approach Jesuit missionary history with honesty and balance, which neither romanticizes nor dismisses it as purely colonial. Clooney’s call to “de-romanticize history,” he said, challenges scholars to examine missionary encounters at the local level and rediscover the complexity of their cultural and spiritual legacies.
Dr. Enyegue also underscored Clooney’s recognition of the growing field of Jesuit studies, now enriched by the work of laypeople, women, and even non-Christians, which shows how Jesuit history has become a mirror through which global scholars engage critically and constructively with the Society’s enduring mission.
In conclusion, Dr. Enyegue reflected on the question that guided Prof. Clooney’s fifty years of scholarship: “Why do Jesuits study religions other than their own?” He noted that Clooney’s life answers that question through example, which includes embodying a missionary spirit rooted in respect for other cultures and faiths. “He came to us as a pilgrim,” Dr. Enyegue said, “a missionary who preaches respect for other religions and cultures, and who, as you can see, has already been Africanized,” referring to Prof Clooney’s attire during the lecture.
By Pamela Adinda, HUC International Office and Communications Coordinator.
