Source: http://clsadb.com/document/1ad1d4bf-ee37-4394-a15a-60f38b934718
Timestamp: 2020-01-24 12:05:31
Document Index: 123606415

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 1', 'Art. 62', 'Art. 66', 'Art. 93', 'Art. 81', 'Art. 41', 'Art. 81', 'Art. 59', '§ 1']

Congregation for Catholic Education, Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy, 28 January 2011.
2. With his Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio, Pope John Paul II wished to emphasize the need for philosophy, so as to advance in the knowledge of the truth and to render earthly existence ever more human. In fact, philosophy “is directly concerned with asking the question of life’s meaning and sketching an answer to it.”1 This question arises both from the wonder that man experiences in his encounter with others and with the cosmos, and from the painful and tragic experiences that assail his life. Philosophical knowledge, therefore, is seen as being “one of the noblest of human tasks.”2
3. Philosophical trends have multiplied in the course of history, showing the richness of the various rigorous, sapiential searches for truth. While ancient wisdom contemplated being from the perspective of the cosmos, patristic and medieval thought offered a deeper, purified vision, identifying the cosmos as the free creation of a God who is wise and good (cf. Wis 13,1­­­–9; Acts 17, 24­­­–28). Modern philosophies have particularly emphasized human freedom, the spontaneity of reason, and its capacity to measure and dominate the universe. Recently, a certain number of contemporary schools of thought, being more sensitive to the vulnerability of our knowledge and our humanity, have focused their reflection on the mediating roles of language3 and culture. Finally, moving beyond Western thought, how could one forget the numerous and sometimes remarkable efforts to understand man, the world and the Absolute made by different cultures, for example Asian and African cultures? This generous exploration of thought and language, however, must never forget that it is rooted in being. “The metaphysical element is the path to be taken in order to move beyond the crisis pervading large sectors of philosophy at the moment, and thus to correct certain mistaken modes of behaviour now widespread in our society.”4 From this perspective, philosophers are invited energetically to reclaim philosophy’s “original vocation”:5 the search for truth, and its sapiential and metaphysical characteristic.
4. Wisdom considers the first and fundamental principles of reality, and seeks the ultimate and fullest meaning of life, thus allowing it to be “the decisive critical factor which determines the foundations and limits of the different fields of scientific learning,” as well as “the ultimate framework of the unity of human knowledge and action, leading them to converge towards a final goal and meaning.”6 The sapiential characteristic of philosophy implies its “genuinely metaphysical range, capable, that is, of transcending empirical data in order to attain something absolute, ultimate and foundational in its search for truth,”7 even if only gradually known through the course of history. In fact, metaphysics, i.e. first philosophy, deals with being and its attributes, and, in this way, raises itself up to the knowledge of spiritual realities, seeking the First Cause of all.8 Nevertheless, to emphasize its sapiential and metaphysical characteristic must not be understood as concentrating exclusively on the philosophy of being, inasmuch as all the different areas of philosophy are necessary for a knowledge of reality. Indeed, for each area, the proper field of study and the specific method must be respected, in the name of consonance with reality and the variety of human ways of knowing.
5. Faced with “the segmentation of knowledge” which, “with its splintered approach to truth and consequent fragmentation of meaning, keeps people today from coming to an interior unity,” the following words of Pope John Paul II resound emphatically: “taking up what has been taught repeatedly by the Popes for several generations and reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council itself, I wish to reaffirm strongly the conviction that the human being can come to a unified and organic vision of knowledge. This is one of the tasks which Christian thought will have to take up through the next millennium of the Christian era.”9
6. From a Christian perspective, truth cannot be separated from love. On the one hand, the defence and promotion of truth are an essential form of charity: “To defend the truth, to articulate it with humility and conviction, and to bear witness to it in life are therefore exacting and indispensable forms of charity.”10 On the other hand, only truth permits true charity: “Truth is the light that gives meaning and value to charity.”11 Finally, truth and the good are closely connected: “Yet truth means more than knowledge: the purpose of knowing the truth is to know the good. This is also the meaning of Socratic enquiry: What is the good which makes us true? The truth makes us good and the good is true.”12 By offering an organic vision of knowledge that is not separated from love, the Church can make a specific contribution of her own – one capable of effecting change, including of cultural and social endeavours.13
7. That is why philosophy nurtured within the Universitas is called upon, first of all, to take up the challenge of exercising, developing and defending a rationality with ‘broader horizons,’ showing that “it again becomes possible to enlarge the area of our rationality […], to link theology, philosophy and science between them in full respect […] of their reciprocal autonomy, but also in the awareness of the intrinsic unity that holds them together.”14 On an institutional level, to rediscover “this great logos,” “this breadth of reason,” is precisely “the great task of the university.”15
8. The Church has always cared deeply about philosophy. In fact, reason – with which creation has endowed every human being – is one of the two wings on which man rises towards the contemplation of truth, and philosophical wisdom forms the summit that reason can reach.16 In a world rich in scientific and technical knowledge, but threatened by relativism, only the “sapiential horizon”17 carries an integrating vision, as well as a trust in the capacity that reason has to serve the truth. That is why the Church strongly encourages a philosophical formation of reason that is open to faith, while neither confusing nor disconnecting the two.18
9. Moreover, philosophy is indispensable for theological formation. “Theology in fact has always needed and still needs philosophy’s contribution.”19 By helping to deepen the revealed Word of God, with its character of transcendent and universal truth, philosophy avoids stopping at the level of religious experience. It has rightly been observed that “the crisis of postconciliar theology is, in large part, the crisis of philosophical foundations […]. When philosophical foundations are not clarified, theology loses its footing. Why is it therefore not clearer up to what point man really knows reality, and what are the bases from which he can start to think and speak?”20
10. Finally, philosophical preparation is, in a particular way, a “crucial stage of intellectual formation” for future priests: “only a sound philosophy can help candidates for the priesthood to develop a reflective awareness of the fundamental relationship that exists between the human spirit and truth, that truth which is revealed to us fully in Jesus Christ.”21 In fact, “the study of philosophy is fundamental and indispensable to the structure of theological studies and to the formation of candidates for the priesthood. It is not by chance that the curriculum of theological studies is preceded by a time of special study of philosophy.”22
With the acquisition of intellectual, scientific and sapiential “habitus,” reason learns to know more than empirical data. In a particular way, the intellectual debate in pluralistic societies, which are strongly threatened by relativism and ideologies, or in societies without authentic freedom, demands that the students in Ecclesiastical Faculties acquire a solid philosophical forma mentis. These “habitus” make it possible to think, know and reason with precision, and also to dialogue with everyone incisively and fearlessly.
The “habitus” are, though, connected with the assimilation of firmly acquired contents. In other words, they derive from the knowledge and deepening of the most important truths gained by philosophical labour, sometimes with the help of Divine Revelation. To arrive at a rigorous and coherent knowledge of man, the world and God,23 the “habitus” require that the teaching of philosophy be rooted in “the eternally valid philosophical heritage,” developed over time, and, at the same time, be open to accepting the contributions that philosophical research has provided and continues to provide.24 Among those fundamental truths, some are of central importance and are particularly relevant today: the capacity to reach objective and universal truth as well as valid metaphysical knowledge;25 the unity of body and soul in man;26 the dignity of the human person;27 relations between nature and freedom;28 the importance of natural law and of the “sources of morality,”29 particularly of the object of the moral act;30 and the necessary conformity of civil law to moral law.31
12. The philosophy of Saint Thomas Aquinas is important both for the acquisition of intellectual “habitus” and for the mature assimilation of the philosophical heritage. He knew how to place “faith in a positive relation with the dominant form of reason of his time.”32 For this reason, he is stilled called the “apostle of truth.”33 “Looking unreservedly to truth, Thomas’ realism was able to recognize the objectivity of truth and produce not merely a philosophy of ‘what seems to be’ but a philosophy of ‘what is.’”34 The Church’s preference for his method and his doctrine is not exclusive, but “exemplary.”35
13. In its commitment to rendering the Church’s guidelines ever more productive, in view of a greater efficacy in evangelization, the Congregation for Catholic Education now feels the need to update some points of the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia christiana and of the Ordinationes of this Dicastery.36 This reform of Ecclesiastical studies of philosophy aims to help Ecclesiastical Institutions of Higher Learning offer a suitable contribution to the ecclesial and cultural life of our time.
In 1979, when restructuring the three cycles of the Faculty of Philosophy,37 the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia christiana confirmed a duration of two years for the first cycle.38 The experience of over thirty years has gradually led to the realization that three years of formation are required to achieve more completely the objectives indicated for philosophy in the aforementioned Apostolic Constitution, and especially in order for the student to reach “a solid and coherent synthesis of doctrine.”39 In fact, a certain number of Faculties and institutes have already taken the initiative to offer a formation that concludes with the Ecclesiastical Baccalaureate in philosophy after three years. In this context, all Ecclesiastical Faculties of Philosophy are now required to participate in this practice, including as regards the duration of academic degrees, so that the three-year course of philosophical studies may be the conditio sine qua non for acquiring an academically recognized first degree in philosophy.
One has already established the duration of philosophical formation, as an integral part of theological studies in Faculties of Theology or in seminaries. Without losing its autonomy, this philosophical formation, required for theological knowledge,40 allows the student, who has acquired the correct philosophical and theological methodology and hermeneutic, accurately to undertake strictly theological studies, and to arrive at his or her own point of synthesis at the end of the philosophical and theological studies.
An excessive mixing of philosophical and theological subjects – or , indeed, of subjects of another sort – ends up giving the students a defective formation in the respective intellectual “habitus,” and introduces confusion between the methodologies of the various subjects and their specific epistemological configurations. In order to avert the increased risk of fideism, and to avoid either a manipulation or fragmentation of philosophy, it is highly preferable that the philosophy courses be concentrated in the first two years of philosophical-theological formation. Within this two-year period, these philosophical studies, which are undertaken in view of theology studies, will be integrated with the introductory theology courses.
The serious responsibility of ensuring a philosophical formation for students demands that the teachers have academic degrees obtained from Ecclesiastical institutions (Ecclesiastical Faculties of Philosophy and of Theology, as well as affiliated and aggregated Institutes) and with a suitable scholarly preparation, who are capable of an updated presentation of the rich heritage of the Christian tradition.41
Part II: NORMS of the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia christiana
§ 1. The research and teaching of philosophy in an Ecclesiastical Faculty of Philosophy must be rooted in the “philosophical patrimony which is perennially valid,”42 which has developed throughout the history, with special attention being given to the work of Saint Thomas Aquinas. At the same time, the philosophy taught in an Ecclesiastical Faculty must be open to the contributions that more recent research has provided and continues to offer. One must emphasize the sapiential and metaphysical dimensions of philosophy.
- A study of the relationship between reason and Christian faith – that is, between philosophy and theology – from a systematic and historical point of view, paying attention to safeguarding both the autonomy of each field as well as their interconnection.43
Art. 62 bis [Adaptation of the Norms of Affiliation and Philosophical Aggregation]
Art. 66. All Ecclesiastical academic institutions of theology and philosophy must conform to this Decree, beginning with the opening of the academic year 2012­­­–2013.
1 Encyclical Letter Fides et ratio (14 September 1998), AAS 91 (1999), pp. 5­­­–88, n. 3. In the Letter, John Paul II concentrates attention on the theme of truth and its foundation in relation to faith, continuing the reflection already made in the Encyclical Letter Veritatis splendor (6 August 1993) regarding truth on the moral level (cf. Fides et ratio, n. 6), which also embraces some fundamental rational truths.
2 Fides et ratio, n. 3.
3 Cf. Fides et ratio, n. 84.
4 Fides et ratio, n. 83.
5 Cf. Fides et ratio, n. 6.
6 Fides et ratio, n. 81
7 Fides et ratio, n. 83.
8 Cf. St Thomas Aquinas, Comment on the Metaphysics of Aristotle, Introduction; cf. Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus caritas est (25 December 2005), AAS 98 (2006), pp. 217­­­–252, n. 9.
9 Fides et ratio, n. 85.
10 Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in veritate (29 June 2009), OR (8 July 2009), pp. 4­­­–5, n. 1.
11 Caritas in veritate, n. 3.
12 Benedict XVI, Lecture prepared for La Sapienza University in Rome, 17 January 2008, OR (17 January 2008), pp. 4­­­–5.
13 Cf. Caritas in veritate, n. 5.
14 Benedict XVI, Address to the Participants of the Fourth National Ecclesiastical Convention, Verona, 19 October 2006, OR (20 October 2006), pp. 6­­­–7.
15 Benedict XVI, Meeting with the Representatives of Science in the Aula Magna of the University of Regensburg (12 September 2006), AAS 98 (2006), pp. 728­­­–739.
16 “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth” (Fides et ratio, Opening words).
17 Fides et ratio, n. 106.
18 Cf. Fides et ratio, n. 77; cf. Deus caritas est, nn. 10, 29.
19 Fides et ratio, n. 77.
20 Joseph Ratzinger, “L’unità di missione e persona nella figura di Giovanni Paolo II [The Unity of the Mission and Person in the Figure of John Paul II],” 1998, in Id., Giovanni Paolo II. Il mio amato predecessore [John Paul II, My Beloved Predecessor], Vatican City and Cinisello Basalmo, 2007, p. 16 (unofficial translation).
21 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis (25 March 1992), AAS 84 (1992), pp. 657­­­–804, n. 52.
22 Fides et ratio, n. 62; cf. Ratio fundamentalis institutionis sacerdotalis (19 March 1985), nn. 59­­­–61.
23 Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decr. Optatam totius, n. 15.
24 CIC, can. 251; cf. Sacred Congregazione for Catholic Education, The Study of Philosophy in Seminaries (20 January 1972), III, 2, Rome, 1972, pp. 12­­­–14.
25 Cf. Fides et ratio, nn. 27, 44, 66, 69, 80, etc.
26 Cf. Veritatis splendor, nn. 48­­­–49, AAS 85 (6 August 1993), pp. 1133­­­–1228.
27 Cf. Fides et ratio, nn. 60, 83, etc.; cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Past. Const. Gaudium et spes, nn. 12­­­–22.
28 Cf. Veritatis splendor, nn. 46­­­–47.
29 Cf. Veritatis splendor, nn. 43­­­–44, 74; cf. International Theological Commission, The Search for Universal Ethics. A New Look at Natural Law, 27 March 2009.
30 Cf. Veritatis splendor, n. 72.
31 John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae (25 March 1995), AAS 87 (1995), pp. 401­­­–522, nn. 68­­­–74; cf. Deus caritas est, n. 28.
32 Benedict XVI, Christmas Address to the Roman Curia, 22 December 2005, OR (23 December 2005), pp. 4­­­–6.
33 Paul VI, Apostolic Letter Lumen Ecclesiae (20 November 1974), 10, AAS 66 (1974), pp. 673­­­–702.
34 Fides et ratio, n. 44; cf. John Paul II, Speech at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (17 November 1979), OR (19­­­–20 November 1979) pp. 2­­­–3, n. 6.
35 John Paul II, Address to Participants at the International Thomistic Congress (13 September 1980), OR (14 September 1980), pp. 1­­­–2, n. 2.
36 John Paul II, Apostolic Constitution Sapientia christiana, Art. 93, AAS 71 (1979), pp. 469­­­–499.
37 Cf. Art. 81; cf. Pius XI, Apostolic Constitution Deus scientiarum Dominus (24 May 1931), AAS 23 (1931), pp. 241­­­–262, Art. 41­­­–46.
38 Cf. Sapientia christiana, Art. 81a.
39 Congregation for Catholic Education, Norms of Application in the Apostolic Constitution Sapientia christiana, 29 April 1979, AAS 71 (1979), pp. 500–521, Art. 59, § 1.
40 Cf. Fides et ratio, n. 77.
41 Cf. Fides et ratio, n. 105.
42 Cf. CIC, can. 251 and Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Decr. Optatam totius, n. 15.
43 Cf. Fides et ratio, n. 75, which rejects “the theory of so-called ‘separate’ philosophy” that “claims for philosophy not only a valid autonomy, but a self-sufficiency of thought,” re-affirming also a sort of independence: “philosophy's valid aspiration to be an autonomous enterprise, obeying its own rules and employing the powers of reason alone.”
Congregation for Catholic Education, Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy, 28 January 2011. English accessed 1 January 2020 at: http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccatheduc/documents/rc_con_ccatheduc_doc_20110128_dec-rif-filosofia_en.html