Search

The article explores relationship between faith and reason that has vexed philosophers and theologians. Topics discussed include views of Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) thought is pointing the relationship; Von Balthasar's assertion that man and a woman in the generative-receptive marital embrace; and development of a genealogy that sought to separate faith and reason or theology and philosophy.

This article discusses Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's speech at the University of Ratisbona, Germany, on September 12, 2016. The authors comment on the concepts of reason, mercy, and faith, espoused by Benedict in his speech. They also consider the relationship and interaction between Catholic faith and reason.

This article discusses the conferring of reason and rationality by God to humanity, with a focus on a speech delivered by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI in Ratisbona, Germany, on September 12, 2016. The author comments on the concept of the Greek word logos and its relationship to the modern theological understanding of reason.

In a recent issue of the Journal of Communication and Religion, César García analyzed Pope Benedict XVI's thoughts on the role of religion in the public sphere. In his article, "Pope Benedict XVI on Religion and the Public Sphere," García developed two texts of the Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and two speeches given by Pope Benedict XVI to argue that the Pope is "putting into practice what he preached before as Cardinal Ratzinger." García critiques the pontiff for maintaining a contradictory position concerning the role of religion in the public sphere, and consequently, that religious voices must continue to be excluded from the public sphere. In this article, the author provides an alternative reading of the pontiff's position; a reading that offers a hermeneutic of continuity across the different contexts of his speeches and writings. The author argues that the Pope's message is indeed not contradictory, but rather, is appropriate and consistent from a communication ethic that dialogically protects and promotes the good of narrative grounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core of Joseph Ratzinger's theology is Christ, present in the Holy Scriptures and liturgy, and His relationship with the Church and Mary. Among the theological and ontological pillars of Ratzinger's thought, it is worth mentioning the person and the meaning of concepts such as love, truth, beauty and hope for that person. In view of the announcement of the Christian message, Ratzinger focuses on both faith and reason. Thus, his ideas on theology, catechesis and preaching are based on the relationship between those concepts. Finally, as regards to mission, it is important to highlight Ratzinger's statements about ministry and Eucharist (with relevant consequences for ecumenical theology), creation, religion and the relationship of the Church with the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In his controversial Regensburg Address, Pope Benedict referred to 'reason's grandeur'. In this essay I will argue that the best way to engage 'the whole breadth of reason' is to remain in close, sympathetic dialogue with the challenges and evidence of what seems to gainsay reason's grandeur without being mired by what Benedict rightfully rebukes as the 'self-imposed limitation of reason to the empirically verifiable'. Thus, in light of mass atrocities, many perpetrated in the name of reason or 'God', one must approach all theological and philosophical investigations with heightened humility and openness to the opposing views of the Other. Such an approach will also seek to flesh out a 'Biblical faith', which will not be bereft of elements of rupture, doubt, and loss. A few questions will form the core of this essay: What is the relationship between admitting a fractured faith and recognising the fragility of reason? Why would such admissions ultimately strengthen one's religious identity and provide fertile grounds for ecumenism and interfaith dialogue? Lastly, as a Catholic theologian, why would I contend that such a stance is more in tune with both the spirit of the gospels and Catholic social teaching? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an interview with Pope Benedict XVI conducted during a conference in the Piazza San Pietro in Vatican City for an event for the Year for Priests in 2010. Clergy from five continents ask various questions, which include the role of the Catholic Church in society, the conflict between faith and reason, and ecclesiastical celibacy.

Reason is a feature that distinguishes Christianity from other religions, as Joseph Ratzinger so often said. The position of religion, as the Jewish-Christian perspective teaches and he stated many times, is positive and complementary: faith admits the constructive criticism of reason, and at the same time human knowledge becomes wider and richer in the light of Christian revelation. In this sense, Ratzinger agreed with Jurgen Haberrnas that faith and reason can heal each other's "pathologies." Christianity admits the ideas of philosophy, as opposed to other religions that do not: this is the so-called "victory of intelligence" in the world of religion. So now, as Ratzinger says, we need a "new Enlightenment" that is wider and deeper than modernism. He has drawn up a theology of the logos and of the dialogos, of faith, reason, and love, in analogy with the divine Person of the Logos. Truth and faith are in the relationship with reason, the human logos. Moreover, the idea that "God is love" is inside all humankind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From his earliest writings, Joseph Ratzinger was interested in the relationship between the God of faith and the God of the philosophers. To deal with this he proposed in a series of articles the need to rework the link between belief and reason, between overall reason and religious experience. God can not be reduced to a merely theoretical problem. Only a true prayer, of petition and of adoration, can rescue the Christian and especially the theologian, from the danger of an empty, sterile scholarship. [TRANSLATION]

This article focuses on the ideas of Benedict XVI on the understanding of love, as may be gleaned from his last encyclical and other pronouncements As regards love, there exist very diverse ideas which either reject its spiritual character, or deprive it of any objective criteria, or just deny it cynically. In contrast to these ideas, the Pope proposes a recuperation of the spiritual and rational dimensions of love. For only love that is understood in this way is Christian love, true love; and only thus does love has the capacity and power to shape all human activities, including social ones, as the Pope proposes in the Encyclical Caritas in veritate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate that carne about as a consequence of the speech given by Benedict XVI in Regensburg has not only given a new impulse to the relationship of Christianity and Islam, but it has also caused a new internal debate within the countries of Christian origin. In this paper we offer a summary of the main opinions formulated until now, which are useful to re-think and re-shape the current dialogue between faith and reason, modernity and Christianity, Europe and its Christian roots, non-Christian cultures and the Catholic Church, a debate in which many well-known intellectuals of diverse creeds have spoken. In this article we underline the precedents there are for the present Pope's stance, the first responses to his speech, and the subsequent interventions that have turned this discussion into a «Globalized discourse». [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the unsuccessful post- modern criticism of rationality, the current Magisterium is providing new arguments on the necessity of a tighter alliance between faith and reason. The main barrier to defeat Relativism appears to be the lack of solidarity between faith and reason. Therefore, we aim to reflect from both a philosophical and theological perspective, about two central ideas in Benedict XVI's thought. Firstly, we propose the need of a decision in favor of either reason or irrationality at the origin of the universe. Secondly, we suggest the importance of broadening our concept of rationality. The combination of the discussed arguments enables us to present Christian rationality as confident in the Reason at the origin unfolding throughout the time a meaningful goal according to human reason. We summarize this project as the role of divine action in history for human divinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Futuribles is the property of Futuribles SARL and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article presents an excerpt of a speech delivered by Pope Benedict XVI to members of the International Theological Commission at the Vatican on December 3, 2010, in which he discusses faith and reason.

The article discusses a speech given by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco on February 25, 2011, on the topic of the educational crisis in Europe and its relationship to the Catholic Church. Topics discussed within the article and within the speech include university education for young people, why education should be a critical part of the Church's mission, and how the educational crisis could lead to a devaluation of reason and and increase in nihilism. Bagnasco agreed with statements made by Pope Benedict XVI throughout his own speech, including the importance of values of critical thinking, truth-seeking and reasoning instilled in young people by education.