The renewed theology Francis wants

“Reconsider tradition! And keep asking questions,” Francis emphasised. He said ours is a “living tradition” that can help make sense of contemporary issues.

Jul 12, 2019

By Robert Mickens
“Reconsider tradition! And keep asking questions,” Francis emphasised. He said ours is a “living tradition” that can help make sense of contemporary issues.

“Provided, however, that it is reread with a sincere will to purify memory, that is, discerning that which was in accord with God’s original intention, revealed in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and that discarding which was unfaithful to this merciful and saving intention,” he insisted.

Pope Francis said Western Christianity had “learned from the many mistakes and critical moments of the past.” This will help it “return to its sources hoping to be able to bear witness to the Good News to the peoples of the East and West, North and South.”

By “keeping its mind and heart fixed on the ‘gracious and merciful God’ (cf. Jon 4:2),” theology should encourage “people of the Mediterranean to reject any temptation toward re-conquest or toward an identity that is closed in on itself,” both of which were the result of fear, according to the Pope.
“Theology cannot be done in a setting of fear,” he said.

“I dream of theological faculties where one lives differences in friendship, where one practises a theology of dialogue and welcome; where one experiences the model of the polyhedron of theological knowledge instead of that of a static and disembodied sphere. Where theological research can promote a challenging but compelling process of inculturation,” Pope Francis said, summing up his long address.

And here’s his bottom line:
“Theology after Veritatis Gaudium is a kerygmatic theology, a theology of discernment, of mercy and of welcoming, in dialogue with society, cultures and religions for the construction of the peaceful coexistence of individuals and peoples.”

This is not a surrender of Christian faith or a watering down of the Church’s belief in the truth of the Gospel message. Rather, it is a bold affirmation of both.

And it is the only responsible – and evangelical – way of doing theology in a world where some would use religion to divide rather than unite, to destroy rather than build, to instil fear rather than love and hope.-- LCI (international.la-croix.com)

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