The Education of Children in Amoris Laetitia in Light of Thomist Philosophy

This article deals with the essentially human and personal meaning of education presented to us by Pope Francis' Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. This work is carried out because of the "Family Year" established to be celebrated from March 2021 to June 2022. It is intended to show that the Exhortation is a true response to the "educational emergency" denounced by Pope Benedict XVI since 2008. A study of chapter VII of the above-mentioned letter, entitled "Towards a better education of children", analyzes and compares with the philosophical principles universally recognized in history about education, especially in St. Thomas Aquinas, with regard to the moral formation of children, recognizing the significant and fundamental responsibility of parents in this important matter. At the end of the analysis it is concluded that the magisterial text is rooted in the tradition of Christian philosophical thought and that, as such, it collaborates, as a light and guide, in the educational work of parents and, therefore, in providing solutions to the problems facing education today; but with regard to the philosophy of the Thomistic being, we cannot say that there is a basis in this metaphysics, although it is perfectly complementary. Este artículo se ocupa del significado esencialmente humano y personal de la educación que nos presenta la Exhortación Apostólica Amoris Laetitia del Papa Francisco. Se realiza este trabajo en razón del “Año de la Familia” establecido para celebrarse desde marzo de 2021 a junio de 2022. Verdadera respuesta a la “emergencia educativa” denunciada a partir de enero de 2008 en el Mensaje del Santo Padre Benedicto XVI a la Diócesis de Roma. Mediante un estudio del capítulo VII de la mencionada carta (Papa Juan Pablo II, 1998), denominado “Fortalecer la educación de los hijos”, se analiza y compara con los principios filosóficos universalmente reconocidos en la historia acerca de la educación, especialmente en Santo Tomás de Aquino, en lo que se refiere a la formación moral de los hijos, reconociendo la significativa y fundamental responsabilidad de los padres en esta importante materia. Al finalizar el análisis se concluye que el texto magisterial está enraizado en la tradición del pensamiento filosófico cristiano y que, como tal, colabora, como luz y guía, en la labor educativa de los padres y, por tanto, en dar solución a los problemas que enfrenta la educación hoy en día; pero respecto de la filosofía del ser tomista, no podemos decir que exista un fundamento en esta metafísica, aunque es perfectamente complementaria (Pontificia Academia Sancti Thomae Aquinatis, 2010).

HANS KÜNG DAN JOSEPH RATZINGER – DUA PANDANGAN TENTANG YESUS KRISTUS

<p><em>Hans Küng and Joseph Ratzinger are two well-known figures whose biography runs parallel to the end of the Second Vatican Council, but since the 1970s they have been sharply separated and since then they have developed into representatives of the two currents of development in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council.</em><em> </em><em>In this article the author describes the characteristics of their respective views on Jesus Christ.</em><em> </em><em>Hans Küng's views are described according to the concise description in the book “20 Thesen zum Christsein” and his views are summarized under the title Jesus of Nazareth – an exemplary Man.</em><em> </em><em>Meanwhile, Joseph Ratzinger's view is taken from his book Jesus of Nazareth, which was published after Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI and is summarized under the title Jesus Christ – the Son of God.</em><em> </em><em>After describing the two positions, the writer gives a brief response to the two views. </em></p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> Hans Küng, Joseph Ratzinger, christology, historical Jesus, critical historical method.<strong><em></em></strong></p>

Moral Calls Resulting from the Gift of the Eucharist in the Teaching of Pope Benedict XVI

The role of the Eucharist in shaping the moral life is enormous and in fact, thanks to the Eucharist, the essence of Christian life can be read. Therefore, it is not surprising that Pope Benedict XVI has often addressed the Eucharist in his teachings. In this way, he wanted to deepen and revive the worship of Eucharistic Jesus. In his teachings, he showed the Eucharist as the greatest treasure given to man for shaping the moral life. He constantly reminded us of the obligations arising from the participation in the Eucharist. Because of its specificity, the Eucharist contains moral calls: to sacrifice, to feeding on the bread of life, to praise and giving thanks, and to living in faith and love. Fulfilling all these attitudes and moral calls in everyday life is a way to progress in the Eucharistic life.

The Criteria of “Authentically” Catholic Theology: Reading Theology Today a Decade Later

In light of the fecundity and diversity of Catholic theology since Vatican II, a 2012 report of the International Theological Commission (ITC) identified perspectives, principles, and criteria—distinctive family traits—of Catholic theology, what Pope Benedict XVI called its “genetic code”: primacy of the Word of God; the faith of the Church as its source, context, and norm; the science of faith; drawing constantly on the canonical witness of Scripture; fidelity to the Apostolic Tradition; attention to the sensus fidelium; responsible adherence to the ecclesiastical magisterium; practiced in collaboration with the whole company of theologians; in dialogue with the world; giving a scientifically and rationally argued presentation of the Christian faith; integration of plurality in the intellectus fidei; and sapiential. This article marks the 10th anniversary of the ITC report by offering a critical commentary on the criteria, examining the possibilities, limitations, and tensions inherent in each, and the ongoing relevance of these criteria for contemporary Catholic theology. It argues that although the aim of the ITC report is not to promote uniformity but to avoid fragmentation, and its framework is an ecclesiology of communion, when the interpretative possibilities of theology are discussed, the report tends to retreat from these possibilities and adopt a restrictive emphasis on conformity. The article then examines what Pope Francis (2013–) says about the characteristics of Catholic theology and the role of theologians in his major documents and his addresses to faculties of theology. It argues that Francis makes a distinctive contribution to consideration of what is “authentically” Catholic theology, and may offer a less restrictive understanding of such theology for the diverse academic, cultural, and ecclesial contexts in which Catholic theologians find themselves.

The power of place-makers and merchants: Papal and Marian items in the political economy of pilgrimage

Based on two field studies on the micro level of items which place-makers and merchants display at holy sites, an argument about the supply side of the political economy of pilgrimage is proposed. Place-makers and merchants rely on the established pilgrims’ traditions but differ concerning innovations. Place-makers are the principals of the sites and invest in innovations in order to secure the site’s long-term performance. Merchants rely on short-term purchase decisions of the pilgrims. They prefer tried and tested products and look for novelties which fits in the pattern of success. While the resilience of placemakers demonstrate the power of the supply side, the cautiousness of the merchants hints to its limits. Rome during Francis’Jubilee of Mercy and the Bavarian Marian shrine Altötting in the years after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI are the case studies to illustrate these claims in the perspective of Marian and papal pilgrimage.

Ratzinger on Evolution and Evil: A Christological and Mariological Answer to the Problem of Suffering and Death in Creation

This article argues that a compelling way to address the presence of suffering and death across evolutionary history lies in the thought of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XVI. By situating human evolution within the broader divine plan for man’s salvation through the cross of Jesus, Ratzinger is able to show that the presence of natural evils in this world is not incompatible with God’s goodness but on the contrary is an eminent means by which the love of God is made manifest. Exploring Christ’s kenosis and the sinless suffering of the Blessed Virgin, it is argued that suffering properly embraced is the raw material for love and thus essential for true human flourishing in this life. The real problem for man, it is contended, is not having to suffer and die, but how to suffer and die well. Finally, it is suggested that the full Christian answer to the problem of suffering connected with evolution nevertheless lies in the eschatogical hope for a new heaven and new earth, where man—and all creation with him—will undergo a definitive “evolutionary leap” of “transubstantiation” in Christ.

The Clash of Cultures of Radical Enlightenment and Humanism Open to Transcendence. The Perspective of Pope Benedict XVI

The article analyzes the content of the Pope’s speeches discussing, reconstructing and interpreting the concept of two dominant western cultures and their mutual relationships to the perspective of Pope Benedict XVI, who calls them the culture of radical enlightenment and the culture of humanism that is open to transcendence. The article identifies fundamental contentious issues including: anthropological issues, human dignity, political anthropology, freedom, reason, its rationality, and the role of religion in the public sphere. Thus, the article provides a positive answer to the question of whether the perspective of the clash of cultures outlined by Samuel Huntington can be cognitively used in interpreting the contrast of cultures presented from the perspective of Pope Benedict XVI. However, contrary to Huntington, who describes the clash of western cultures with other, non-western cultures, Pope Benedict XVI claims that there is a clash between two dominant western cultures.

New attempts to revive Ukrainian neo-Thomism through inspiration-by-translations. Reflections on the book Krąmpiec, M. (2020). Why evil? Kyiv: Kairos.

One of the unsolved problems for the historical and philosophical thought of Ukraine is the lack of reflection on the phenomenon of Ukrainian neo-Thomism. Today, there has not been reconstructed the history of this trend, which had been actively developing in the interwar Western Ukraine since the time of socio-ethical letters by Andrei Sheptytsky in the early XX century, gained new connotations in the diaspora from 1940s to 1990s and acquired new forms in Roman Catholic thought in Ukraine at the beginning of the XXI century. Moreover, a comprehensive historical and philosophical assessment of the achievements and shortcomings of Ukrainian neo-Thomism at different stages of its development has not been made. Meanwhile, Ukrainian neo-Thomism is experiencing a crisis, which it is trying to overcome by translating controversial works devoted mainly to the history of moral theology. The main feature of the proposed works is the oscillation between the need to recognize the presence of a person’s spiritual-intellectual and moral-volitional intuitions and the reluctance to recognize it openly, because it would be contrary to the very principles of Thomism. Modern Ukrainian neo-Thomism inherits this contradiction, and therefore the choice of classic books for translation reflects the dialectic of the struggle of different tendencies, which objectively cannot contribute to the legitimization of neo-Thomism in the Ukrainian philosophical discourse. Especially significant in this regard was the translation of the book by the classic of Polish neo-Thomism Mieczysław Krąmpiec “Why evil?”, because this monograph shows the contradiction of neo-Thomistic thought in the key issues about the possibility of person’s moral intuition, moral responsibility and dignity. The very refusal of Krąmpiec to recognize the existence of a person’s spiritual-intellectual and moral-volitional intuitions, despite all the prerequisites for such recognition, leads the monograph Why evil? to failure and to inability to answer the question stated in the title of the monograph. All this justifies that in the time of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis moral theology and social doctrine moved to neo-Augustinianism, which unequivocally recognizes that the person has spiritual-intellectual and moral-volitional intuitions.

The Teaching of the Church on Religious Freedom: A Break or Continuity of Tradition?

This paper elaborates upon the Catholic Church’s teaching on religious freedom in the period from The French Revolution to The Second Vatican Council. Based on quotations from the original documents, the author presents the evolution of the Church’s position that switched from the initial rejection to the final acceptance of the religious freedom over past two centuries. The fact of this dramatic change begs the question about the continuity of tradition and credibility of the contemporary position of the Church. Based on the document by the International Theological Commission, “Memory and Reconciliation: The Church and the Faults of the Past,” as well as the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI, the author demonstrates that – in contrast to some contemporary interpretations – the hermeneutics of continuity is possible regarding Church’s teaching on religious freedom.