St. Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, World Synod of Bishops: on the Catholic responsibility, in the New Evangelization, to Engage Science in an accurate Scholarly manner
More than
any popes before them St. Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI/Ratzinger both
embraced and promoted serious cooperation between Catholic Faith and the work
of scientists in the broadest sense. Neither pope thought the contemporary
version of science constituted the fulness of science. They challenged
scientists to a deeper genre of science, one that St. Thomas and St. Albert the
Great understood, one still operative in the scientific minds of those like
Einstein, Max Plank, Wolfgang Pauli, and Werner Heisenberg. These famous
scientists did not shy away from discussing the “God” question (Ratzinger 2004.
Kindle Edition, Loc 1499). John Paul II in his encyclical Fides et Ratio,
called people to muster the “courage for the adventure of truth.” He proposed
that everyone whatever their station in life can and should, in line with their
time and talent, peruse the truth in their lives (no. 102). Pope John Paul II
urged natural scientists not to abandon their essential calling as seekers of
truth:
I
cannot fail to address a word to scientists, whose research offers an
ever-greater knowledge of the universe as a whole…. expressing my admiration and in offering
encouragement to these intrepid pioneers…. I would urge them to continue their
efforts without ever abandoning the sapiential horizon within which
scientific and technological achievements are wedded to the philosophical and
ethical values which are the distinctive and indelible mark of the human
person. Scientists are well aware that “the search for truth, even when it
concerns a finite reality of the world or of humanity, is never-ending, but
always points beyond to something higher than the immediate object of study”
(no. 106).
Those familiar with St. Pope John Paul’s work know
that the above quote is an important, but nonetheless a glimpse only at his
teaching and direction for Catholics on the many ways in which faith and
science interact and mutually support each other. Later we will have the
opportunity to see in more detail how John Paul II speaks to the issue of
science and faith and how they co-operate and how they can challenge each other
to be more authentic.
Pope
Benedict XVI/Ratzinger commented on scientific issues early in his scholarly
career, often, and continued to do so frequently during his abbreviated
pontificate. His are the most well-thought-out and extensive. As we will see
later, Joseph Ratzinger returned as pope to questions he had first raised as a
young professor and theological expert at Vatican II. Pope Benedict wrote and
spoke about faith, reason, and science, always with a definite purpose, politely,
but without naivety. He knows the whole subject area well. Here we will
introduce Joseph Ratzinger’s thoughts from when he was pope. The content of the
points he makes as pope are frequently not new to him; he had already
contemplated the content and its implications. Now, however, he speaks, from
the Catholic perspective (and that of others of goodwill and mind) with
authority. Let us take a look at his general proposals about the relationship
between faith, reason, truth, and science:
Today, in this catechesis, I would
like to reflect on the reasonableness of faith in God. The Catholic Tradition,
from the outset, rejected so-called “fideism”, which is the desire to believe
against reason. Credo quia absurdum (“I believe because it is absurd”)
is not a formula that interprets the Catholic faith. … The
prejudice of certain modern thinkers, who hold that human reason would be, as
it were, blocked by the dogmas of faith, is false. Exactly the
opposite is true, as the great teachers of the Catholic Tradition have shown. … St
Augustine, together with so many other Christian authors, is a witness to a faith
that is practiced with reason, a faith that thinks and invites thought. … The
power of the relationship between science and faith is also founded on these premises
concerning the fertile connection between understanding and believing.
Scientific research leads to the knowledge of ever new truths about humanity
and about the cosmos…. Faith, lived truly, does not come into conflict with
science but, rather, cooperates with it, offering the basic criteria to promote
the good of all and asking science to only give up those endeavors which -- in
opposition to God’s original plan -- produce effects that are detrimental to
humanity. For this reason too it is reasonable to believe: science
is a precious ally of faith for understanding God’s plan for the universe, when
faith, remaining faithful to this very plan, always encourages scientific
progress to be achieved for the common good and the truth of the human person (General
Audience, Year of Faith. Catechesis on the reasonableness of faith in
God, 21 November 2012).
Pope Benedict XVI/Ratzinger, for more than half a
century spoke so often on the subject of reason, science, philosophy, theology
and faith that this brief quotation, from one of his Papal Catechetical
addresses (teaching authoritatively as pope) is filled with resonances of many
of his earlier instructions on these topics. Also, like his colleague (in
proclaiming the faith accurately) and his close friend Pope St. John Paul II,
Pope Benedict/Ratzinger returned many times to the relationship between
Catholic faith and science.
People (not
just non-Catholics, even some Catholics themselves) unfamiliar with the history
of the Catholic Church might object to the enthusiasm expressed by Pope St.
John Paul II and that of Pope Benedict XVI/Ratzinger for the necessary
engagement of Catholic Faith with reason and the natural sciences. A critical question
could be raised. In this time of renewal and during the promotion of the “New
Evangelization” in the 21st century, is a special emphasis on reason
and science supported by Catholic bishops around the globe? Not surprisingly,
yes. The role of reason and science in proposing the Catholic Faith is
essential and necessary. It is no pet project of St. Pope John Paul II or Pope
Benedict XVI. During the Year of Faith and in preparation for a Renewed
Evangelization, bishops from the entire world, after a sufficient period of detailed
planning, met with Pope Benedict XVI in Rome. The pope did not direct the
bishops’ discussions. Instead, Benedict provided the forum for the debate and
deliberations amongst the bishops themselves. The task of identifying the indispensable
components required today for a New Evangelization of the world was left to the
episcopal synod. At the conclusion of their synod, the assembled bishops issued a Message
addressed to all people without exception. In their message the bishops noted
the indispensable proclamation of the reasonableness of Catholic Faith and the
imperative to take into account the truths discovered through the exercise of
reason, especially those truths uncovered in the work of scientists in the contemporary
world. As a convocation of bishops from virtually every corner of the world
they were fully aware of the different needs of people living a vast variety of
contexts and cultures. Here then, are significant points highlighted by the
bishops concerning the proclamation of the faith in its connections with the
work of the sciences and education:
We, the
Bishops of the whole world gathered at the invitation of the Bishop of Rome
Pope Benedict xvi to reflect on
“the new evangelization for the transmission of the Christian faith”, wish to
address you all in order to sustain and direct the preaching and teaching of
the Gospel in the diverse contexts in which the Church finds herself today to
give witness.
The
changing social, cultural, economic, civil and religious scenarios call us to
something new: to live our communitarian experience of faith in a renewed way
and to proclaim it through an evangelization that is “new in its zeal, in
its methods, in its expressions”, as John Paul II said (Discourse to the
XIX Assembly of CELAM, Port-au-Prince, 9 March 1983, n. 3). Benedict
XVI recalled that it is an evangelization that is directed “principally at
those who, though baptized, have drifted away from the Church and live without
reference to the Christian life... to help these people encounter the Lord, who
alone fills our existence with deep meaning and peace, and to favor the
rediscovery of the faith, that source of grace which brings joy and hope to personal,
family and social life” (Homily for the
Eucharistic celebration for the solemn inauguration of the XIII Ordinary
General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, Rome, 7 October 2012) (no. 2).
The New
Evangelization is centered on Christ and on care for the human person in order
to give life to a real encounter with Him. However, its horizons are as wide as
the world and beyond any human experience. This means that it carefully
cultivates the dialogue with cultures, confident that it can find in each of
them the “seeds of the Word” about which the ancient Fathers spoke. In
particular, the new evangelization needs a renewed alliance between faith and
reason. We are convinced that faith has the capacity to welcome the fruits of
sound thinking open to transcendence and the strength to heal the limits and
contradictions into which reason can fall (no. 10).
The
encounter between faith and reason also nourishes the Christian community’s
commitment in the field of education and culture. The institutions of formation
and of research -- schools and universities -- occupy a special place in this.
Wherever human intelligence is developed and educated, the Church is pleased to bring
her experience and contribution to the integral formation of the person. In
this context particular care is to be reserved for Catholic schools and for
Catholic universities, in which the openness to transcendence that belongs to
every authentic cultural and educational course, must be fulfilled in paths of
encounter with the event of Jesus Christ and of his Church (no. 10).
A particular field of the encounter
between faith and reason today is the dialogue with scientific knowledge. This
is not at all far from faith, since it manifests the spiritual principle that
God placed in his creatures. It allows us to see the rational structures on
which creation is founded. When science and technology do not presume to
imprison humanity and the world in a barren materialism, they become an
invaluable ally in making life more humane. Our thanks also go to those who are
involved in this challenging field of knowledge (no. 10).
There is no doubt that Catholic scholars and educators have a serious
responsibility, especially those serving areas where the culture is scientifically
saturated. The responsibility for Catholic scholars is not simply being willing
to entertain scientific questions and issues for group discussion. More is
required. There is a specific demand for the purpose of the New
Evangelization that Catholic scholars provide a highly reasoned and exactingly
well-informed apo-logia for the faith in its encounter with contemporary
science. Today, and for over a century, the need is highest in the context of
questions raised by evolutionary science regarding humans.
Catholic scientists, philosophers, and theologians plainly have an immense
task facing them. Biological and Prehistoric archeological evidence document an
amazingly convoluted evolutionary history that provided an opportunity for the
origin of humans. All of this is very real. Furthermore, the Magisterium has
provided us Catholics with its own complicated, sometimes apparently confusing,
guidance in this area. Nonetheless, the guidance is there, and I believe it
needs to be studied with the utmost attention to the details of a rather
voluminous record.
