ANGELUS: THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FAITH AND REASON

VATICAN CITY, SEP 26, 1999 (VIS) - Prior to reciting the noon angelus today at Castelgandolfo, the Holy Father resumed his reflections on the Encyclical "Fides et Ratio," meditating on "the role that reason plays on the path of faith."

Reason "is already present," he told the faithful, "in maturing the assent to faith because this assent, while based on the 'authority of God Who reveals', develops in a deeply rational manner by perceiving the 'signs' that God has offered of Himself in the history of salvation."

"This is not a question," the Pope went on, " of 'evidence' in the sense of experimental science. The signs of God ... not only call upon reason, but also upon profound existential involvement."

John Paul II noted that "mature faith calls into play intelligence. ... Faith thus becomes, not only rational, but 'reasoning'.

"Between intelligence and faith," he concluded, "a vital relationship is created. We can say that 'each contains the other': on the one hand, it is necessary to believe, if one wishes to perceive something of the mystery that transcends us - 'credo ut intelligam' - on the other, it is necessary to understand - 'intelligo ut credam' - for faith to be rational and ever more mature."

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