John Paul II Institute
confirms fidelity to original vision
 |
| The Pontifical Lateran University, to which The Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute is attached |
Monsignor Pierangelo Sequeri, President of the Pontifical
John Paul II Theological Institute, responds to questions raised about the
renewal of the Institute promoted by Pope Francis.
By Christopher Wells
In view of ongoing controversy surrounding the renewal of
the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Matrimonial and Family
Science, the Institute has published a statement explaining some of the
decisions, but rejecting accusations, which it said were based on information
that was “distorted, factious, sometimes in bad faith.” The statement also
noted that some reports failed to seek verification of the story from the
source.
Questions raised
In a letter to the President of the Institute, Monsignor
Pierangelo Sequeri, and copied to the Grand Chancellor, Archbishop Vincenzo
Paglia, some students and former students had expressed their concerns about
the direction of the John Paul II Institute. Specifically, they questioned the
elimination of core courses in Fundamental and Special Moral Theology, and the
decision to remove long-time professors at the Institute. This has given rise
to doubts about whether the Institute will continue to remain faithful to John
Paul II’s vision for the Institute, and about whether they will be able to
continue in their original course of studies.
Support for project of renewal
Other students, however, have communicated their support for
the renewal. Monsignor Sequeri, in an interview with Vatican News, said some
students “have already written expressing confidence in the renewal and
expansion of research and formation in the theological-pastoral and
anthropological-cultural fields.” He said the Institute is already in
communication with those who have legitimate requests for information.
Faithful to the vision of John Paul II
Monsignor Sequeri said that the renewal of the Institute
“responds to the great impulse of Pope Francis, who from the beginning has
encouraged the Institute to equip itself with all the instruments necessary to
fulfill the mission that was entrusted to it in its creation by John Paul II,
in the new context in which the Church lives out its bonds of love in the
transmission of human life and of the Christian faith, which pertain to
matrimony and to the family, according to the design of God.” He insisted that
the project of renewal will remain scrupulously faithful to the “transparent
and profound adhesion to the riches of the Catholic tradition and the
authoritative Magisterium.”
He said that involves not only a greater emphasis in the
field of human sciences, but also a deepening of the theological and pastoral
aspects of marriage and family life. Critics, Msgr Sequeri said, are pursuing
their own interests, which are not those of John Paul II, of Pope Francis, or
of the Institute.
Love must banish fear
Monsignor Sequeri said he hopes that, when the full import
of the project of renewal appears, it will show its “constructive character and
the revitalization of the inspiration” that founded the Institute. “Love must
banish fear,” he said, “communion must overcome distrust, and the beauty of the
common cause must prevail over personal interests.”
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