Wednesday, November 4, 2009

THEOLOGICAL DEBATE AND DEFENCE OF THE FAITH


VATICAN CITY, 4 NOV 2009 (VIS) - Benedict XVI dedicated his catechesis during this morning's general audience to the twelfth-century debate between St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Abelard, proponents, respectively, of the monastic and scholastic approaches to theology.

  The Pope began by recalling that theology "is the search for a rational understanding (in as much as that is possible) of the mysteries of Christian revelation, which are believed by faith, ... the faith that seeks intelligibility". Yet, "while St. Bernard ... places the emphasis on ... faith, Abelard ... insists ... on understanding by reason.

  "For Bernard", the Holy Father added, "faith itself is endowed with an intimate certainty, founded on the testimony of Scripture and on the teaching of the Fathers of the Church. ... In cases of doubt or ambiguity, faith is protected and illuminated by the exercise of ecclesial Magisterium". Thus, for the abbot of Clairvaux, "theology has a single goal, that of promoting the living and intimate experience of God".

  "Abelard, who among other things introduced the term 'theology' as we understand it today, ... originally studied philosophy then applied the results achieved in this discipline to theology". He had a "religious spirit but a restless personality, and his life was rich in dramatic events: he challenged his teachers and had a child by a cultured and intelligent woman, Eloise. ... He also suffered ecclesiastical condemnations, although he died in full communion with the Church to whose authority he submitted with a spirit of faith".

  "An excessive use of philosophy rendered Abelard's Trinitarian doctrine dangerously fragile", said the Pope. "Likewise, in the field of morals his teaching was not without ambiguity as he insisted on considering the intention of the subject as the only source for describing the goodness or malice of moral acts, ignoring the objective moral significance and value of actions.

  "This aspect", Benedict XVI went on, "is highly relevant for our own age, in which culture often seems marked by a growing tendency to ethical relativism. Nonetheless, we must not forget the great merits of Abelard, ... who made a decisive contribution to the development of scholastic theology. ... Nor must we undervalue some of his insights such as, for example, his affirmation that non-Christian religious traditions already contain some form of preparation to welcome Christ, the Divine Word.

  "What can we learn from the confrontation ... between Bernard and Abelard and, more generally, between the monastic and scholastic approaches to theology?" the Holy Father asked. "Firstly", he went on, "I believe it shows the usefulness and need for healthy theological discussion within the Church, especially when the questions being debated have not been defined by the Magisterium, which, nonetheless, remains an ineluctable point of reference".

  "In the theological field there must be a balance between what we may call architectonic principles, which are given to us by the Revelation and which, hence, always maintain their priority and importance, and interpretative principles suggested by philosophy (that is, by reason), which have an important function, but only an instrumental one. When this balance fails, theological reflection risks becoming marred by error and it is then up to the Magisterium to exercise that necessary service to truth which is its task".

  "The theological dispute between Bernard and Abelard concluded with a full reconciliation. ... What prevailed in both men was that which we must have to heart whenever a theological controversy arises: that its, defending the faith of the Church and ensuring the triumph of truth in charity".
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MAY EXAMPLE OF JOHN PAUL II INSPIRE US TO SANCTITY


VATICAN CITY, 4 NOV 2009 (VIS) - At the end of today's general audience the Pope recalled the fact that today is the liturgical feast of St. Charles Borromeo, "outstanding bishop of the diocese of Milan who, animated by ardent love for Christ, was a tireless master and guide to his brothers and sisters".

  Turning then to address Polish pilgrims, Benedict XVI told them that today "we recall my predecessor, Servant of God John Paul II. May the example of his life and his teaching confirm us in the faith and inspire us along the road to sanctity".
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OTHER PONTIFICAL ACTS


VATICAN CITY, 4 NOV 2009 (VIS) - The Holy Father:

 - Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Porto Nacional, Brazil, presented by Bishop Geraldo Vieira Gusmao, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Romualdo Matias Kujawski.

 - Erected the new diocese of San Jacinto de Yaguachi (area 6,265, population 715,856, Catholics 618,301, priests 49, permanent deacons 3) Ecuador, with territory taken from the archdiocese of Guayaquil, making it a suffragan of the same metropolitan church. He appointed Bishop Anibal Nieto Guerra O.C.D., auxiliary of Guayaquil, as first bishop of the new diocese.

 - Appointed Fr. Guido Ivan Minda Chala, pastor and episcopal vicar for the clergy of the diocese of Ibarra, Ecuador, as auxiliary of Guayaquil (area 18,711, population 3,454,000, Catholics 3,110,000, priests 358, permanent deacons 25, religious 686), Ecuador. The bishop-elect was born in Apula, Ecuador in 1960 and ordained a priest in 1998.
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