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Diskussionsbeitrag / Streitschrift aus dem Jahr 2017 im Fachbereich Theologie - Vergleichende Religionswissenschaft, , Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: In this write-up, our aim is two-fold: on the one hand, pointing out the existing divergent views of the human person in Francis´ time, based on his writings, to present his view of the human person, and on the other, to explore its relevance, giving a Franciscan response to the discussion about the "Vanishing Soul" in the context of the Church of our time.

Francis of Assisi viewed the human person always in relation to the Triune God. From his writings, we come to know that he considered the human person as an Image of the Son of God, a view in a stark contrast to many contemporary moderate and absolute dualistic views. These perspectives, borrowing from the pagan sources, held to the belief of the human person as a so-called "Vanishing Body".

As in Francis´ time, today there are different views of the human person which treat body and soul separately and/or as one and the same reality, thus paving the way for the monistic concept of the human person and the acceptance of the theory of the so-called "Vanishing Soul". Today, the approaches of neuroscience and physicalists challenge the traditional religious and Christian way of understanding and speaking of the soul and consider them in general as promoters and supporters of dualistic views of what a human person is.

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John, Arokiam
Raised up in the good Catholic family background in Chennai, India, by age 21, on 30th May 1998, Arokiam John entered the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) and pronounced the solemn vows on 25th May 2004, with the OFM Franciscans-India, Province of Saint Thomas the Apostle. A year after the restructuring of the Province and his Ordination to the Priesthood on 17th May 2007, he became the member of Saint Francis of Assisi Mission Foundation in North-East India, and presently lives at Collegio Internazionale San Antonio (CISA), Rome.

Undergoing formation to the Franciscan life in multicultural, multilingual and multi-religious contexts in different states in India, and having received the training as the Formator with the Master in Formation at Pontificia Università Antonianum (PUA) (2007-2008) Rome, he went on to serve as the Master of Postulancy from 2008 to 2013 in Umred and Madurai successively, and as the Guardian of Punitha Anthoniar Illam, Madurai, Tamil Nadu from 20

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10 to 2013. He cultivates special interest in Franciscan Spirituality and since 2013, he is a team member of the Editorial Board of TAU journal (Bangalore, INDIA).

After securing Summa Cum Laude from PUA where he studied Licentiate in Spiritual Theology with the specialization in Franciscan Spirituality (2013-2015), he is pursuing Doctoral Studies with his thesis titled: "The Virgin Mary in the writings of Francis of Assisi and Thomas of Celano: differences and continuity".
The Franciscan journey of Arokiam now has a special connection with PUA and the Pontifical International Marian Academy (PAMI). The latter has involved him as one of the translators from Italian to English in the 24th Mariological Marian International Congress held in September 2016 in Fatima. Participating in the 5th Asia Oceania Mariological Conference held in September 2017 in Taiwan, he has served as the translator to the president of PAMI. From January 2018 he is one of the seven founding members of the M

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arian Academy of Asia and Oceania (MAAO). From February 2018 he is the member of the Association "Pro PAMI", to help out in its projects. And since May 2018, he is a Soci correspondent member of PAMI.

In his vocational journey, be it, the love of his namesake "Arokia Matha" (Our Lady of good health) or Pope Francis´ "Grazie" to him on the Historical Franciscan day (23rd Nov 2017), his lived-theology is faith in Jesus and desire to have the Spirit of the Lord for "with God all things are possible" (Mt.19,20).

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