VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 149
DATE 04-09-2015
Summary:
- Pope's video message to the Second International Congress of Theology in
Buenos Aires: overcome the divorce between theology and pastoral ministry
- In memoriam
___________________________________________________________
Pope's video message to the Second International Congress of Theology in
Buenos
Aires: overcome the divorce between theology and pastoral ministry
Vatican City, 4 September 2015 (VIS) - Yesterday Pope Francis sent a video
message to the participants in the Second International Congress of Theology,
on
the theme "Vatican II: memory, present and prospects", held in Buenos Aires
from
1 to 3 September to commemorate the centenary of the Faculty of Theology at the
Catholic University of Argentina (UCA), and the fiftieth anniversary of the
conclusion of Vatican Council II. Extensive extracts from the message are
published below:
"The anniversary of the Faculty of Theology celebrates the coming to maturity
of a particular Church. It celebrates life, history, the faith of the People of
God journeying on earth and in search of 'understanding' and 'truth' from their
own positions. ... It seems to me of great importance to link this event with
the
50th anniversary of the Closing of Vatican Council II. There exists no isolated
particular Church that can be said to be the owner and sole interpreter of the
reality and the work of the Spirit. No community has a monopoly over
interpretation or inculturation just as, on the other hand, there is no
universal Church that turns away from, ignores or neglects the local
situation".
"And this leads us to assume that it is not the same to be a Christian ... in
India, in Canada, or in Rome. Therefore, one of the main tasks of the
theologian
is to discern and to reflect on what it means to be a Christian today, in the
'here and now'. How does that original source manage to irrigate these lands
today, and to make itself visible and liveable? ... To meet this challenge, we
must overcome two possible temptations: first, condemning everything: ...
assuming
'everything was better in the past', seeking refuge in conservatism or
fundamentalism, or conversely, consecrating everything, disavowing everything
that does not have a 'new flavour', relativising all the wisdom accumulated in
our rich ecclesial heritage. The path to overcoming these temptations lies in
reflection, discernment, and taking both the ecclesiastical tradition and
current reality very seriously, placing them in dialogue with one another".
"Not infrequently an opposition between theology and pastoral ministry
emerges,
as if they were two opposite, separate realities that had nothing to do with
each other. We not infrequently identify doctrine with conservatism and
antiquity; and on the contrary, we tend to think of pastoral ministry in terms
of adaptation, reduction, accommodation. As if they had nothing to do with each
other. A false opposition is generated between theology and pastoral ministry,
between Christian reflection and Christian life. ... The attempt to overcome
this
divorce between theology and pastoral ministry, between faith and life, was
indeed one of the main contributions of Vatican Council II".
"I cannot overlook the words of John XXIII in the Council's opening discourse,
when he said 'The substance of the ancient doctrine of the depositum fidei is
one thing; and the way in which it is presented is another'. We must turn again
... to the arduous task of distinguishing the living message from the form of
its transmission, from the cultural elements in which it is codified at a given
time".
"Do not allow the exercise of discernment to lead to a betrayal of the content
of the message. The lack of this theological exercise detrimental to the
mission
we are invited to perform. Doctrine is not a closed, private system deprived of
dynamics able to raise questions and doubts. On the contrary, Christian
doctrine
has a face, a body, flesh; He is called Jesus Christ and it is His Life that is
offered from generation to generation to all men and in all places".
The questions our people pose, their anguish, their quarrels, their dreams,
their struggles, their concerns all have hermeneutical value we cannot ignore
if
we are to take seriously the principal of incarnation. ... Our formulations of
faith were born of dialogue, encounter, comparison and contact with different
cultures, communities and nations in situations calling for greater reflection
on matters not previously clarified. For Christians, something becomes
suspicious when we no longer admit the need for it to be criticised by others.
People and their specific conflicts, their peripheries, are not optional, but
rather necessary for a better understanding of faith. Therefore it is important
to ask whom we are thinking of when we engage in theology. Let us not forget
that the Holy Spirit in a praying people is the subject of theology. A theology
that is not born of this would offer something beautiful but not real".
"In this regard, I would like to explain three features of the identity of the
theologian:
1. The theologian is primarily a son of his people. He cannot and does not
wish
to ignore them. He knows his people, their language, their roots, their
histories, their tradition. He is a man who learns to appreciate what he has
received as a sign of God's presence because he knows that faith does not
belong
to him. This leads him to recognise that the Christian people among whom he was
born have a theological sense that he cannot ignore.
2. The theologian is a believer. The theologian is someone who has experience
of Jesus Christ and has discovered he cannot live without Him. ... The
theologian knows that he cannot live without the object / subject of his love,
and devotes his life to sharing this with his brothers.
3. The theologian is a prophet. One of the greatest challenges in today's
world
is not merely the ease with which it is possible to dispense with God; socially
it has taken a step further. The current crisis pivots on the inability of
people to believe in anything beyond themselves. ... This creates a rift in
personal and social identities. This new situation gives rise to a process of
alienation, owing to a lack of past and therefore of future. The theologian is
thus a prophet, as he keeps alive an awareness of the past and the invitation
that comes from the future. He is a able to denounce any alienating form as he
intuits, reflecting on the river of Tradition he has received from the Church,
the hope to which we are called".
"Therefore, there is only one way of practising theology: on one's knees. It
is
not merely the pious act of prayer before then thinking of theology. It is a
dynamic reality of thought and prayer. Practising theology on one's knees means
encouraging thought when praying and prayer when thinking".
___________________________________________________________
In memoriam
Vatican City, 4 September 2015 (VIS) - The following prelates have died in
recent weeks:
- Bishop Simon-Pierre Saint-Hillien, C.S.C., of Hinche, Haiti, on 22 July at
the age of 64.
- Cardinal William Wakefield Baum, major penitentiary emeritus of the
Apostolic
Penitentiary, on 23 July at the age of 88.
- Bishop Fransiskus Xaverius Rocharjanta Prajasuta, M.S.F., emeritus of
Banjarmasin, Indonesia on 28 July at the age of 83.
- Archbishop Salvatore Cassisa, emeritus of Monreale, Italy, on 3 August at
the
age of 93.
- Bishop Rogelio Ricardo Livieres Plano, emeritus of Ciudad del Este,
Paraguay,
on 14 August at the age of 69.
- Cardinal Laszlo Pacifik Paskai, O.F.M. archbishop emeritus of
Esztergom-Budapest, Hungary, on 17 August at the age of 88.
- Bishop Vladimør Filo, emeritus of Roznava, Slovakia, on 18 August at the age
of 75.
- Bishop Paul Lokiru Kalanda, emeritus of Fort Portal, Uganda, on 19 August at
the age of 88.
- Bishop Gaetano Aldo (Thomas) Donato, auxiliary of Newark, New Jersey,
U.S.A.,
on 25 August at the age of 74.
- Archbishop Maroun Khoury Sader, emeritus of Tyre of the Maronites, Lebanon,
on 26 August at the age of 88.
- Abbot Carmelo Domenico Recchia, O. Cist. emeritus of Claraval, Minas Gerais,
Brazil, on 26 August at the age of 93.
- Bishop Francisco Capiral San Diego, emeritus of Pasig, Philippines, on 26
August at the age of 79.
- Former nuncio Jozef Wesolowski, on 28 August at the age of 67.
- Bishop Carlos Maria Ariz Bolea, C.M.F., emeritus of Colon-Kuna Yala, Panama,
on 29 August at the age of 86.
- Bishop Pierfranco Pastore, secretary emeritus of the Pontifical Council for
Social Communication on 30 August at the age of 88.
- Archbishop George Hamilton Pearce, S.M., emeritus of Suva, Fiji Islands, on
30 August at the age of 94.
___________________________________________________________
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* Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
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