Durham University theologian to work at Vatican Synod Secretariat

Professor Anna Rowlands has been selected for a secondment that will see her spending two years working at the Vatican with the General Secretariat of the Synod, and the Dicastery for Integral Human Development of the Holy See.

Mar 31, 2023

DURHAM: Professor Anna Rowlands has been selected for a secondment that will see her spending two years working at the Vatican with the General Secretariat of the Synod, and the Dicastery for Integral Human Development of the Holy See. Professor Rowlands will be participating in the two major Synodal world meetings in Rome in October 2023 and October 2024.

Professor Rowlands is the St Hilda Professor of Catholic Social Thought and Practice, in Durham University Department of Theology and Religion, and a member of the University’s Centre for Catholic Studies.

A political theologian who works at the interface of political and social theory and Christian theology, her original training was in the social and political sciences, followed by postgraduate degrees in theology.

She has worked for two decades on the political philosophy of Gillian Rose, with additional interests in Hannah Arendt and Simone Weil. These interests coincided with research over the last 15 years in two other areas: the study of forced migration and the ethics of migration, and the tradition of Catholic Social Teaching. She has published in all these areas.

Professor Rowlands said, “I am delighted and naturally feel very privileged to be involved in the extraordinary process of preparing for the various synodal activities of the next two autumns. This is a critical time to be involved in this way in the life of the Church, and I hope I can serve the process to the best of my ability.” -- ICN