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In everyday life, one encounters many experiences of affliction that, for whatever reason, nature (ours or others') cannot resolve. Yet, when nature's finite resources are exhausted and hope seems in vain, humans often experience extra-ordinary moments of renewal and resolution—breakthroughs, remissions, insights, and conversions. We experience these moments in our natural existence; yet, we feel they cannot originate, cannot be attributed to nature alone. Rather, these experiences, called "graces" in Christianity, are attributed to a divine power acting in us. How do we come to describe these experiences in this way? Is it possible to formulate a general theory of these experiences as "graces"? Is there an "experience" of grace in general, a "state of grace", which serves as ground and unifying experience for the "graces" we receive? Working from the Catholic theological point of view, this paper examines such experiences of affliction and renewal, as well as the basic Catholic framework schematizing them as found in the Bible and Catholic religious writings. In doing so, this paper highlights the theme of impossibility (absolutely or in context) underlying each experience, and broadly categorizes them as happening within three regions of human life: the external, ethical sphere, the interior self-relationship, and the vertical relationship to the Divine. In dialogue with theologians and phenomenological thinkers, general formulations of the experiences are placed within their respective spheres, and certain problems in the identification or interpretation of these experiences are identified. The paper then explores how the experience of a "New Creation" can serve not only as a label for the totality of these experiences, but also as a totalizing and overarching ground-experience of "grace" and an interpretive hermeneutic for graces in general. As a result, a graced moment of total personal "rebirth" or "recreation", prevenient with respect to any personal co-operation or experiences of grace as grace, is identified as a potential ground for all other graces considered. Finally, this paper considers some potential implications of this account of grace for both Catholic thought and Phenomenology more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the functions of “tradition” in the Catholic critical discourse basing on the works of one of the most provocative catholic authors of the second half of the 20th century. The meaning of “tradition” in Catholic theology seems to be rather vague; however, in the works of the 20th century theologians it is possible to trace two most general aspects of the concept: tradition as transcendent truth, given by God, and tradition as order, custom or teaching, created by people, historical in its character. The transcendent core of tradition has a strong positive connotation, while its historical aspect can be subject to critique. The two aspects are used both by the adherents of a conservative policy, and by the supporters of church reform, which testifies to a certain flexibility of the term. Eugen Drewermann, one of the most notable modern critics of the Catholic Church, uses the notion in a negative sense, which magnifies the critical potential of his argument. This critical effect does not result singularly from the definition of “tradition” Drewermann gives in his texts. In order to explicate the specific way the author uses the term and to reconstruct its critical potential, the article analyzes the notion of “tradition” functionally: basing on the author's three-volume thesis, Structures of Evil, where he combined biblical exegesis with current psychoanalytic knowledge, and Depth Psychology and Exegesis, the book where Drewermann continues to develop his innovative exegetical method. This approach makes it possible to trace how the notion acquires negative connotations: by excluding the transcendent aspect from the field of its denotations, by discussing religion in terms of psychoanalysis, as well as by linking tradition to such negatively connoted terms as “fear”, “neuroticism”, “external” and contrasting it to the “objective”, “internal”, “natural” and “true”. Eugen Drewermann’s critical interpretation of tradition based on the psychological understanding of religion in fact deprives Christianity of its transcendent origin and delegitimizes the modern institutional form of Catholicism: which allows the author to radicalize the question of the extent to which the Church is liable to change.

In Catholic theology there exists a rhetoric emphasizing the necessity to re-actualize the image of the Church with the help of socio-humanitarian sciences, which can be viewed as manifesting a change in social logics. This change implies that institutional structures are becoming irrelevant, which causes a crisis within the group, representing the institutional logic in the Church — i.e. priesthood. “Crisis of the priesthood” constitutes a turning point, where new logics and models, influenced by a broader change, appear. The article deals with the problem of the transformation of a religious leader image in Catholic thought, illustrated by E. Drewermann’s conception. As an alternative to the traditional view, the author proposes a model based on psychoanalytic theory, M. Eliade’s phenomenology of religion and, to a degree, on J.-P. Sartre’s existentialism. Psychoanalytic theory is represented by the tripartite model of human psyche; Eliade’s phenomenology contributes the concept of religious experience, and J.-P. Sartre’s “Childhood of a Leader” illustrates the conflict between the “official” and the “personal”. The three components of the author’s model are interconnected: the archetypal images of the unconscious are linked with religious experience, religious experience legitimizes the shaman seen as a normative model of priesthood, and its absence delegitimizes the catholic priest, whose authority in the “catholic form of religiosity”, as E. Drewermann sees it, is derived from his official status. The model of priesthood thus reinterpreted easily fits into the global tendencies, which are demonstrated, in particular, by F. Gauthier: the change from the “institutional” to the “individual”.

Regarding the relation between theology and science, it seems to me that Catholic theology provides a remarkable case given its distinctive notion of Catholic magisterial infallibility (under certain conditions) and its doctrine of transubstantiation. Here I argue that, in a very real sense, the current legal and doctrinal state-of-affairs linked to transubstantiation has quite substantial implications. These very implications articulately illustrate how challenging the situation is for Catholic scientists, especially for those who are working and, thereby, are contributing to research at Catholic Universities as defined and established by the magisterium and the competent authorities of the Catholic Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is dedicated to the interpretation of Dostoevsky’s novel Crime and Punishment elaborated by two Catholic theologians: Romano Guardini (Religiöse Gestalten in Dostojewskijs Werk: Studien über den Glauben) and Divo Barsotti (Dostoevskij. La passione per Cristo). The analysis is preceded by a description of the structure of both works, and it is explained why they are worth of special mention among other pieces of research by Catholic authors on Dostoevsky. It is noticed that their interpretations give little space to Raskolnikov, his theory, and the reason for which he committed his crime. This part of the novel is considered mainly in the light of another character of Dostoevsky’s world, Ivan Karamazov. Remarkably, both authors find the key to the novel in the figure of Sonya Marmeladova. According to Barsotti she represents the presence of God as Wisdom of Love, while for Guardini her character alludes to the concept of “God’s children” and the Beatitudes Sermon. Sonya is the highest image of holiness in Dostoevsky’s work because she accepts all that is demanded from her to the point of giving herself, her body, and her honor; she lives in constant relation with that God who is incarnated in Christ. This is why the text of the Gospel plays a central role in the novel, as both authors notice. Another common element in the books is the attention paid to the story of the “yellow ticket” as an element endowed by Dostoevsky with a profound meaning, with the aim of emphasizing Sonya’s total dedication to the Other and the others.

This article argues that theological dissent is not only censored by church institutions but also silenced by mechanisms of self-censoring. Calling for recognition of the intertwining of censorship and shame as analytical categories, the article explores the simultaneity of the silencing of feminist theologians about sexual morality and gender theories, and the silence around the clergy sexual abuse committed by priests as well as the abuse committed by Catholic nuns. It examines the systemic control of critique by the institution of the Catholic Church, which is itself immune to any institutional or theological critique, and calls for a renewal process that involves remembrance, recognition, and responsibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Theologica Varsaviensia is the property of Uniwersytet Kardynala Stefana Wyszynskiego w Warszawie 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.)

The article reconstructs the evolution of Teilhard de Chardin's thought about the structure of religious experience. From the first diary notes written in the trenches in 1915 to his last writings in 1955, the Jesuit thinker emphasizes the need for "another theology" to satisfy the religious needs and aspirations of a human race that is undergoing a phase of profound changes. As well as indicating ways of thinking that reframe the Christian experience within the space of the evolutionary vision of a universe articulated by the natural sciences, such a theological discourse must respond to the needs of human beings faced by the growing expansion of technoscience. Teilhard's opus stands out as a message from a Christian thinker who defines himself "isolated" and "irregular" in relation to an insular Catholic culture that fails to adequately comprehend the transformations induced by the scientific revolution, as well as political and technological change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescents and young adults are generally missing from Catholic theological reflection on what it means to be a human person. However, Pope Francis's 2019 Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit , reveals an operative theological anthropology of young people as inherently good and of adolescence and young adulthood as a life stage that is good in its own right. This, then, can serve as a foundation for a more robust theological consideration of adolescents and young adults in Catholic theological anthropology, in general, and in our understandings of the doctrines of the imago Dei , sin, and grace, in particular. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purgatory is a place, state, or stage in the Christian afterlife where, after death, the soul is purged of minor, unexpiated sin so that it can be fit for heaven. ‘Purgatory’ derives from the Latin purgare (to purge) and hence as the noun purgatorium it is a place of purgation and purification. Purgatory is also (and earliest) referenced in adjectival form as in, for example, ignis purgatoriis, purging fires. In modern scholarship, a distinction can be made between capitalized ‘Purgatory’ that references official Roman Catholic doctrine, and lower-case ‘purgatory’ that references a place or space of purgation in a non-specific doctrinal or denominational context. In Catholic theology, Purgatory is a temporary abode; a soul in Purgatory is considered ‘saved’ and destined for heaven at, or sometimes before, the Last Day, the Day of Judgment. Historically, sources differed on the degree to which the soul’s pain in Purgatory was divine retribution, psychological torment, penance, and education. Traditionally, the soul’s torment in Purgatory is described as physical pain in early sources, but it is the soul that is understood to be cleansed. The duration and intensity of pain reflects the quality and degree of human sin that must be expunged before the soul can enjoy the beatific vision. Purgatory’s place and function in Christian belief and teaching is complex and has evolved over the centuries. Modern Catholic teaching on Purgatory rests on both scripture and tradition as articulated at the Second Vatican Council (Denzinger-Hünermann 2012: 4212). Thus, in addition to scriptural proof, modern believers give authority to theological and historical interpretation in asserting the existence of Purgatory and its salvific efficacy. However, the idea of postmortem purgation is ancient and is attested widely in many religious systems. Purgatory’s origins and history in Christian thought continues to be debated in modern scholarship. Sources for understanding the theology and practices associated with a belief in Purgatory include: scriptural interpretation, theological argument and speculation, visionary literature and apparitions, cultural traditions, anti-heretical affirmations, and papal and conciliar pronouncements. Belief in Purgatory involves the believer in intercessory practices aimed at establishing a continuing and beneficial relationship with the dead, and encourages a close connection between the believer and the liturgical services and pastoral guidance that the church provides. Yet even within Catholic theology there is a longstanding note of caution about claiming knowledge of the afterlife. As expressed in the ‘Letter on Certain Questions Concerning Eschatology’ published by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in 1979, confirmed by Pope John Paul II, ‘[n]either Scripture nor theology provides sufficient light for a proper picture of life after death’ (Denzinger-Hünermann 2012: 4659). For this reason, Purgatory’s existence and mode of operation is open to many interpretations. A long history of developing thought about many aspects of Christian life undergirds such a belief. Scripture and tradition (or history) guides any discussion of Purgatory as a theological belief. Historically, most of the basic elements of Purgatory were forged in the Middle Ages and so much of this article focuses on medieval theology; later approaches are largely refinements or modernizations of medieval views. This article approaches the evolution of the theology of Purgatory from three directions: an explication of Purgatory’s origins and functioning as explained in early theological writings (sections 1–5); how Purgatory achieved doctrinal status and how it influenced religious belief (section 6); and the reception of Purgatory in the modern era (sections 7–8).

This paper explores the theological anthropology of Paulo Freire as found in the opening chapters of his Pedagogy of the Oppressed. It takes as its starting point that Freire was a Roman Catholic and a person of faith and that this is relevant to interpreting his work. It explores the roots and influences on him up until the 1960s. It points out that the existing literature neglects to consider the broader renewal of Catholic theology, particularly theological anthropology occurring in the twentieth century that found its way into Brazil through French catholic theologians. It concludes with an observation about how we might speak of the uniqueness of Freire’s theological anthropology.

As the uniquely Christian form of worship, the Eucharist is studied by ‘systematic’ theologians in terms of its coherence with revelation as a whole, and by ‘dogmatic’ theologians in light of historic definitions that still impact the churches of today. Examination of ‘eucharistic sacrifice’ thus presents scholars and students with a cross section of systematic and dogmatic theology as practised within the church at large and among the still separated churches that comprise present-day Christianity. While few would deny connection between ‘Eucharist’ and ‘sacrifice’, historic language of ‘sacrifice’ concerning the central act of Christian worship has often been tantalisingly imprecise. This article explores the relation between the multifaceted phenomenon of sacrifice in Old Testament religion and its development in Jesus’ own understanding of his ministry and death, and in the New Testament church’s practice of the Eucharist. Having identified three distinct motifs of ‘eucharistic sacrifice’ (thanksgiving, sacrificial banquet, propitiatory sacrifice), the article examines their roots in the text of the New Testament and the ways in which they have taken form in the worship and theology of the church. The historical review that forms a major part of the article builds up to the sixteenth-century clash between Martin Luther (joined by all other contemporary Protestants) and the Roman Catholic Church. Moving back into ‘systematic’/’dogmatic’ gear, the question is raised whether the Orthodox account of the relation of Eucharist to sacrifice might supply a path towards overcoming sixteenth-century antinomies, leading to an examination of the treatment of this topic in historic and recent Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran theology. As the article deliberately adopts an eirenic approach to a long-controversial area of theology, its author admits that the material covered here still ignites strong passions within divided Christianity.

In her wonderful book, Approaches to the Theory of Freedom in Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Virginia Aspe produces a groundbreaking presentation of Sor Juana's theory of freedom with productive scholarship on the Coimbran Jesuit tradition and Renaissance Humanism in Latin America. In this paper, I center on Aspe's interpretation of two of Sor Juana's major works, First Dream, in which a disembodied dreaming soul rises into the nighttime sky in an attempt to take in and understand the universe, and Critique of a Sermon, in which Sor Juana lays out counter-arguments to the Jesuit preacher Antonio Vieira's designation of the greatest demonstration of Christ's love and its implications for human freedom and God's grace. My goal is to supplement and sometimes critique the interpretations endorsed by Aspe so as to ultimately enrich Aspe's key insights into Sor Juana's philosophical views. Ultimately, I first argue that Aspe's Aristotelian interpretation of First Dream is necessary but not sufficient for understanding Sor Juana's poem, which requires the inclusion 15th and 16th century Neoplatonism. Secondly, I argue that in her interpretation of Critique of a Sermon Aspe misattributes a view to Sor Juana that belongs to Antonio Vieira, which requires a small tweak to her theory of Sor Juana's views on freedom and human moral psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of the Catholic side of the German pamphlet war (c. 1520–1525) tend to focus on the most prolific opponents of Luther, such as Johann Eck and Johannes Cochlaeus. It can however be argued that this approach skews our picture of the Catholic effort, because most conservative pamphlet warriors wrote only one item apiece. This investigation of a singleton from 1524, by the otherwise unknown author Sebastian Felbaum, attempts to evaluate its literary and theological characteristics and to contextualise it within the Catholic controversial output of the years 1522–24. What emerges is an insight into the aims and methods of one of the controversy's 'also-rans', and arguably a more representative picture of the overall campaign. In the process, new light is shed on the identity of a hitherto obscure pamphleteer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Russian writer Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is one of the most important exponents of classical world literature. In his writings he addressed the deepest existential questions and human issues that have troubled, with equal urgency and passion, the man of yesterday and the man of today. These same human questions have been addressed in different manners by Christian theology. The present thesis seeks to examine the theological development that Dostoyevsky's thought has provoked, through a study of the reflection carried out by selected Catholic authors and theologians of the first half of the twentieth century on Dosteyevsky's works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Studia Oecumenica is the property of Editorial Office of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Opole 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.)

The book Philosophy of Religious Thought in Islam and Christianity in the field of theology is a comparison and compares the structure of Ash'ari Kalam and Catholic theology based on the reading of Thomas Aquinas. The authors of the book have first studied the structure of theological treatises and the origins of Catholic theology by referring to the place of Ash'ari Kalam in Islamic sciences and its historical evolution to be able to compare Ash'ari Kalam and Catholic theology at the level of origins and problem-solving methods. The strengths of this book include: providing extensive information on Ash'ari Kalam and Catholic theology, avoiding mere attention to apparent similarities between Ash'ari Kalam and Catholic theology, and attempting to achieve a common language as the main achievement of the comparison. Some of the weak points of this book are some undocumented explanations, point to some apparent similarities between Islamic Kalam and Protestant theology despite attempts to avoid it, biased judgments, failure to refer to all sources, and failure to follow some rules of the comparative method. Some of the weak points of this translating book are difficulty in reading some passages of the text, ambiguity in translating some sentences, overcoming Arabic idioms, and their lack of explanation.

The Christian theology of charismatic gifts has a rich and complex history, relating to many different biblical, historical, and ecclesial traditions. This article will examine these traditions and seek to discover their unique insights and contributions to the broader theology of charismatic gifts. Special attention will be given to overarching themes and theological tensions that emerge from the discourse on charismatic gifts. The goal is not to use the disparate voices of the various confessional traditions to articulate an ecumenical theology of charismatic gifts but rather to set the stage for ecumenical dialogue on the topic of charismatic gifts. While this brief survey does not intend to be exhaustive, it endeavours to address significant movements and representative thinkers that have shaped the theology of charismatic gifts throughout the church’s history.

Review of The Oxford Handbook of Catholic Theology

The article examines the theological concepts of Semyon Frank that derive from the system of Nicholas of Cusa’s Neoplatonism. The ideas of Frank are problematic in origin, as they are attributed to different religious traditions. The paper disputes the compliance of the Frank’s Cusa-like Neoplatonism with the provisions of Catholic theology. The methodological foundation underlying the research is based on method of content reconstruction and historical and comparative method. With the view to scrutinizing the ideas of theologians, the content of Frank’s concept was reconstructed. It presents God as a spiritual Absolute and focuses on the problem of the balance stroked between God and the world, human beings and society as a whole. The leading methodological idea applied by Frank is the principle of antinomic monodualism as the coincidence of opposites in the formula unity of two or duality is one. Theological steps of argumentation in favour of the religious philosopher’s keeping aside of the Catholic path are as follows. Firstly, the critical attitude the philosophy of Nicholas of Cusa takes when facing the Catholic philosophy of those times serves as the evidence base and the obstacle for Frank to become a close ally of the Catholic thought. Secondly, the article notes the criticism Semyon Frank has of the Augustinian proposition about the insignificance of human being before God, which is foundational for Catholicism. Third, the article substantiates the compatibility of Frank’s ideas with the Orthodox ideal of sobriety and the system of external change of human being as the foundation of the system of Orthodox education and selfimprovement, thus obscuring the thoughts of his ties with Roman Latinism. Another research line treats the common features philosopher has with the third Christian confession. When comparing Frank with the Protestant theology, parallels occur (i.e. the Frank–Niebuhr Christian realism), but they are insufficient to claim the Protestant turn of Semyon Frank. As a result, it is concluded that Frank’s religious and philosophical conception is a theology of philosophical theism developed by a bearer of the Orthodox faith, not Catholicism. In relation to Orthodox theology, it is a soft, non-radical version of Orthodox modernism, in which solutions of problems that were contemporary to Frank are combined with maximum possible preservation of the provisions of the Orthodox theology.

In this study, I aim to elaborate a constructive pneumatology—seen as through a glass darkly, in contemporary progressive Catholic and queer theologies—that has the power to challenge, and transform, ways of thinking theologically that are profoundly informed by gender essentialism. This effort to disrupt gender essentialism may be framed as part of the ongoing liberationist task—to identify and disrupt human idols that, theologically, reign in the place of the transformative grace of God and that, ethically, hinder the flourishing of God's creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do Catholic schools create inclusive, equitable environments that embrace the identities of their students, including their race, ethnicity, and culture What does Catholic theological spirituality say about diversity, equity, and inclusion to address racism What is the connection between Catholic theological spirituality and equitable school practices to bring about equity in Catholic schools In response to increased diversity of students, educators, communities, and societal challenges, there is a need for a framework for Catholic schools with a culturally diverse student body, or with a student body and staff with different cultures. We synthesize Catholic theological spirituality and research about equity in public and Catholic schools to create a framework for Catholic school educators in their support of students whose cultural identity is different from the faculty and staff. The framework uses Catholic theological spirituality and equitable school practices to promote equity in Catholic schools using equitable school practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Educational Charismic traditions, like Marist Education in the Champagnat tradition, among many other charisms, are different ways of 'enfleshing' and 'flavouring' the Gospel of Christ. They are about the incarnation of the Christian message, a particular expression of what it means to be Christian within the context of one's own time, place and culture. What are the characteristics, and particular emphases, of such 'enfleshments'? The Charism Scale is a new empirical survey instrument designed to assist schools to explore the degree to which their foundational charisms exist and the way they take shape. The multi-variate attitude scale is based on five empirically confirmed dimensions to which various educational charismic traditions respond in different ways. It is 'in the mix' that the particularities of each charismic tradition emerge. This empirical data enables school communities to identify and strengthen the particular charismic flavour they bring to the Catholicity of the school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The starting point of this study is even the still appearing accusations of satanism directed at Free Masons. In the two first parts of the study, the authors focus on the appearance of the words "Satan" and "satanism" in the internal periodicals of Czechoslovak Free Masons during the period of the First Republic. These appearances are nearly always merely a defense against such accusations, often coming from the secular press. In the third part, the authors discuss various organisations which at first might look like Free Masons, but in fact have no connection with regular Free Masons. In these cases, certain forms of satanism and occultism can sometimes exist. The conclusion of the article is based on previous research and there are a number of other arguments: regular Free Masons and satanism are two concepts that we should never connect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study offers theoretical explanations and distinctions associated with the phenomenon of conscience in social work. It uses the perspective of Roman-Catholic theology, or more precisely of the Roman-Catholic Church. It briefly reflects on an anthropology of conscience and then contemplates the essence of conscience and its relationship to the truth. In the reflection on the contradiction between Christian and secularized morality (given by the renowned Swiss Catholic theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar 1905-1988), it shows the importance of conscience in the value inconsistencies of the attitudes of today’s world. Finally, based on the impulses of the apostolic exhortation of Pope Francis Amoris laetitia (2016), it reflects on practical impulses concerning the place and importance of conscience in social work.

This article deals with the infl uence of F. Schleiermacher’s ideas on Möhler’s ecclesiology (of the time when he was writing the Unity in the Church). In this comparison, most interesting is Christian Faith, the main work on dogmatics by F. Schleiermacher (first edition 1821‒1822). Unfortunately, this work is not translated into Russian and has not been studied in Russia. The bulk of literature and mentions of F. Schleiermacher draw on his earlier work, On religion: Speeches to its cultured despisers (1799). However, Schleiermacher’s views underwent considerable change during the twenty-year period between these works. Despite the fact that the mentions of Schleiermacher are very few in the Unity, it was already Möhler’s contemporaries who criticised him for violating the purity of the Catholic doctrine under the infl uence of Schleiermacher’s philosophy. Certain parallels in their reasong are pointed to by the present-day scholars of Möhler as well. Both theologians belonged to the period of Romanticism, and its ideological content and principles of thinking refl ect in their texts. Beside the shared cultural and historical horizon, they are also brought close to each other by the situation having developed in the Catholic and Protestant theologies of that time, i.e. a certain stance against the receding theology of Enlightenment, appeal to the internal religious experience and necessity to combine it with Christian ecclesiology. The issue of Church comes to be a challenge of that time. Against the background of this context, shared and valued by both of them, the diff erences between them conditioned by their diff erent confessions become more prominent. Virtually all meaningful statements made by Möhler about the Holy Spirit repeat what Schleiermacher said about the Christian common spirit (Gemeingeist). This determines his understanding of Tradition, of the unity of Church and of the Christian faith as a “new life”. This being said, A. Möhler rejects and fi ercely criticises Schleiermacher’s identifi cation of the Holy Spirit with the Christian “common spirit” as pantheism, and also the idea of the invisible Church which allowed Schleiermacher to reject the institutional unity of the historical Church and the defi niteness of Tradition.

The Council of the Uniate Church held in the Polish city of Zamo?? in 1720 can be considered as an important milestone in the process of confessional identity formation of this church. Published by the decision of the Council in 1722 in the town Supra?l, the doctrinal compendium Sobranie pripadkov kratkoe (‘A short collection of cases’) was addressed to both the clergy and ordinary believers. This article undertakes for the first time a source analysis of Sobranie pripadkov, the authorship of which is traditionally attributed to Metropolitan Lev (Kiszka, 1633–1728). The relation of Sobranie pripadkov to two earlier works of the Metropolitan was analysed: the fi rst was published 1693 in Lublin in Polish, the second was a Cyrillic edition of ca. 1697, preserved in bad condition and without title page in the collection of the State Historical Museum (Moscow). As a result of the study, it was found out that the version of 1693 is an abstract presentation of the theological and canonical treatises of the Milanese Martino Bonacina (1585–1631). Material borrowed from Bonacina is expanded in the version ca. 1697 through instructive examples of Western origin and polemical theology of the Jesuit Bellarmino; and in the fi nal version of 1722 the material is supplemented by a number of fragments from the canon law treatises, quotations from theological and liturgical works. In its signifi cance, Sobranie pripadkov is comparable to the posttridental Roman Catechism (1566). Throughout the 18th century, the doctrinal compendium of the Council of Zamo?? was reprinted many times with various additions and changes; by the end of the century Sobranie pripadkov gains signifi cant circulation in parish practice.

The article discusses the book by fr. Divo Barsotti “Dostoevsky. The Passion for Christ”. It carries a research project on the interpretation of F.M. Dostoevsky’s works by Catholic religious thinkers and theologians started in 2019. On the one hand, these analyses allow us to discover new ways of interaction between literature and theology, while highlighting Dostoevsky’s, although indirect, contribution to the change of the Catholic world after the second Vatican Council. The article presents the book, its structure, and main contents, and attempts to identify the peculiarities of Barsotti’s reception of Dostoevsky’s texts. Attention is focused on the concept of moral law as an evidence of the existence of God, and on the interpretation of Dostoevsky’s “profession of faith” and, consequently, on who Christ is for Barsotti and Dostoevsky.

In this contribution, it is argued that Joseph Ratzinger had a profound influence on the Christology and specifically resurrection belief of the Catholic Church. This is evident in the way Ratzinger approached the challenge and relevance of Jesus’ question, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ For Ratzinger, the reality of the incarnatory event means that the Christian faith is about a person, and thus, it is historical as well. In this sense, history for Ratzinger becomes more than just a succession of human events. It also includes God’s act in history. Jesus Christ manifested God concretely. In the same light, for Ratzinger, the Church concretely manifested Jesus Christ. Hence, for Ratzinger, thinking with the Church is essential for a proper exegesis or hermeneutics. Because of that, tradition and Scripture are essential to Ratzinger’s Christological thought. In the teachings of the Church fathers and the lives of the saints, he finds a concrete manifestation of Jesus’ teaching as contained in the New Testament. Thus, his spiritual Christology results from his meditation on the fathers, saints and some contemporary theologians that makes Ratzinger’s Christological thought to be both ancient and new. This contribution highlights a Christological approach that values the historical and brings it into conversation with the theological. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This research represents intradisciplinary work within the field of Christian Theology, connecting aspects of Catholic Theology to hermeneutical methodology and what is known as a Christology ‘from above’. It connects a historical and theological perspective within systematic theology to highlight the ways in which the Pope and theologian Joseph Ratzinger influenced resurrection belief within the Catholic Church.

In continuation of the research: "Women in Brazilian Theology", this paper focuses on the issue of women's space in the Church and Theology. However, it is not just any environment of or for women, we consider it a shekinah, that is, God's feminine dwelling in history. In this way, a brief historical overview is traced from the tents of the Old Testament to the screens of the digital age. Through bibliographical research, the study analyzes the feminine trajectory for spaces of speech and protagonism in thinking, teaching, and living the Christian faith. It brings examples of some Christian women who broke the silence and could not help but be noticed in the biblical and contemporary contexts. Looking from the earliest times of the Jewish-Christian tradition to the present day, the question that guides the investigation is: is there an authentic feminine shekinah in the Catholic Church and theology? It was verified that there has always been a strong and engaged feminine presence in the Christian community, although not always recognized and highlighted. There are currently legitimate spaces of feminine protagonism, especially in pastoral work, and others of mere gaps or quotas for women left in the academies, meaning that the feminine shekinah still needs to widen the fabric of its tent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contrasts natural theology's vicissitudes in recent centuries with its more promising prospects in contemporary philosophy and theology. It interrogates certain genres of theology regarding their relation to natural theology, focusing on feminist theology, eco-theology, apologetics and the theology of natural law. It concludes with a reflection on the aspects of natural theology that are particularly prominent at present, and asks if the degree of revival currently enjoyed by natural theology may even be the precursor of a greater role in the academy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper is dedicated to the reception of Dostoevsky’s work by the Catholic theologian Romano Guardini. After a brief review of the development of his interest on Dostoevsky, the paper identifies in the idea of polar opposition and in the centrality of Christ’s personality two linking points between the German theologian and the Russian writer. The paper goes on in analysing the last chapter of Guardini’s work Religiöse Gestalten in Dostojewskijs Werk and the experience described there about his perception of prince Myshkin’s figure – an experience that testify how Dostoevsky’s text can be seen not only as a medium to communicate thoughts and ideas about Christ and Christianity, but also – and deeper – as the place where a real experience of Christ can take place.

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After the Second Vatican Council, priesthood came to be one of the key themes in Catholic theology of the latter half of the 20th century. This article attempts to scrutinise the specifi c rhetoric that was generated around the topic of priesthood and became wide-spread in various spheres of theological studies. With Hans Kueng’s ideas as an example, the author of this article reconstructs, fi rstly, the main theses of the “new theology of priesthood” and, secondly, the argumentation underlying them. The conclusion is that with the crisis of priesthood in the background, not only there appears the criticism of the “traditional” priest, there develops a positive theological programme which aims, on the one hand, at the return to the tradition and Christian roots and, on the other hand, aims at the compatibility with the facts of life of the present-day world. At the same time, the rhetoric in question contains as its important part trenchant criticism of not solely the traditional theology of ecclesiastical ministry, but also of established practices of pastoral service and of parish life. This criticism is aimed at the accelerated renewal of the Catholic church life and the overcoming of the crisis of the traditional religious institutes. Conservative authors regard these attempts as “theologians’ subversions” and as the work aimed at aggravating the crisis. Following the analysis carried out in the article, this phenomenon in Catholic theology is termed “theological anticlericalism”.

This article seeks to understand how the Catholic family model was disrupted by the climate of the Second Vatican Council, Liberation Theology, and sociocultural modernization. The analysis focuses on the Christian Family Movement in Argentina and allows an examination of the political and cultural radicalization of a conservative organization of the upper classes (created to strengthen the Catholic family) and the theological debates on the subject of the family that were sparked by the preferential option for the poor in Latin America. The analysis reveals that radicalization challenged the very foundations of the Catholic Church’s family doctrine, and, at the same time, the swift reaction of the Episcopate that restored order and defended the essentialist view of the family, an ideological cornerstone in the 1976 coup d’état.

In the wake of the 2002 Boston Globe coverage of the child sexual abuse (CSA) scandal at the hands of Catholic clergy, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded by requiring adults working in Catholic institutions to take CSA prevention training, and recommended such training for youth. Such measures profess institutional commitment to change. However, the current approach to young people's sexuality, which is narrowly focused on protection and restriction, undermines the magisterium's professed commitments to holistic education and human flourishing. In order to fulfill these commitments, Katia Moles suggests that U.S. Catholic institutions cultivate a culture of sexual flourishing in which CSA prevention is part of lifelong comprehensive sexuality education and children are recognized as moral agents. Drawing on Catholic feminist sexual ethics, Moles proposes normative criteria for a developmental sexual ethic conducive to such a culture. Empirical evidence indicates U.S. Catholics are ready for a renewed sexual ethics. Finally, she discusses how children could inform Catholic sexual theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The late great James Hal Cone (1938–2018) challenged white Christians to confront the sin of white supremacy. This article contends that white Catholic theologians collectively have yet to accept Cone's righteous challenge. A scrutiny of the programming of the annual meetings of the Catholic Theological Society of America and publications in Theological Studies provides the evidence. Having made the case that white US Catholic theologians have not adequately processed Cone's challenge, the article argues that an important reason for this failure is fear and proposes specific, concrete action steps for professional societies and scholars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]