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A Nigerian Catholic cleric has won the first edition of the Catholic Seminaries essay competition conducted by the Interfaith Centre for Sustainable Development (ICSD) and The Salesian Pontifical University, Jerusalem, Israel.
The cleric, Rev. Benneth Umeh, a former student of SS Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Bodija, Ibadan, won the competition with his essay titled “The Potential of Renewable Energy for Sustainable Development: A Reflection on the Basis of Church’s Energy Ethics”.
The essay was judged to stand out amongst others because it was a “strong combination of personal narrative and insights into Catholic teachings.”
His work was said to have shown an overwhelming integration and internationalisation of Church doctrines and life.
The runners-up of the contest are Agoabin Javis Zinkeng from St Thomas Aquinas Major Seminary, Cameroon and Dilip Gnanaprakash from Kristu Jjoti College, India.
The award came with a prize of $500 dollars.
The essay competition received entries from nationals of Israel, USA, Cameroon, India, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Papua New Guinea, Uganda and Malawi.