Posted on 02/24/2018 6:05:48 PM PST by marshmallow
Philadelphia, Pa., Feb 22, 2018 / 02:01 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- St. John Paul II’s encyclical Fides et ratio will mark its 20th anniversary this year, on Sept. 14. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia reflected on the encyclical in his essay “Believe that you may Understand” in the March 2018 issue of First Things.
Making the case that the 1998 encyclical on the relationship between faith and reason was a “prophetic” document which “confronts the crisis of truth within the Catholic Church herself,” the archbishop warned against “faddish” theology. Vigorous philosophy and good theology are, rather, mutually enriching. “Knowledge of the truth expands our freedom to love,” Archbishop Chaput said.
In an interview with CNA, he spoke more about the encyclical’s relevance for today.
How can the average Catholic benefit from Fides et ratio, 20 years after its publication?
The first thing to know is that it’s not the sort of text you can browse like the Sunday paper. Fides et Ratio takes time to read and absorb. Most people are rightly focused on things like raising a family and earning a living. So a lot of good people may never read it. But that doesn’t lessen its importance for the average believer.
The main takeaway from Fides et Ratio is that learning how to think clearly, with the Church, in a mature and well-informed fashion, is vital. It’s every bit as crucial as feeling our religious convictions deeply. Sentiment isn’t enough, and that directly affects how we understand the role of conscience.
Christian faith is more than good will and kind intentions. Conscience is more than our personally sincere opinions. A healthy conscience needs a strong formation in the commonly held truths of the Catholic community. Without it, conscience can very quickly turn into an alibi machine. The world............
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
Why wasn’t Chaput made Pope? sigh
Because he’s Catholic?
And because he is from the United States.
Frankly, I think we would do well to have the next Pope come from Africa. From what I have heard, they are more conservative than those from Europe or the Western Hemisphere.
I agree with you. My choice would be Africa!
Yes, Africa, as long as it’s Cardinal Sarah!
“Recovering the discipline of good Catholic moral reasoning is urgent“
To get where most of us speculate we should be in America for Catholicism, it must start in nearly all the seminaries, but it won’t.
Even if it did start there, it would take 3 generations to get where we need to be.
Abp. Chaput is not a Cardinal. He should be a Cardinal, in a sane world he would be a Cardinal, he would make a fine Cardinal, had Pope Benedict stayed at his post he would have been made Cardinal ... but he’s not one.
Catholics don't fit in, in Francis' Rome.
I totally agree on all five points. Benedict must be rolling in his grave, and he is not even dead yet. The mystery of what really was behind his stepping down is going to be like "who killed Kennedy." Will we ever know?
God knows; that's the important thing.
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