Pope: moral theology must get
“hands dirty” with concrete issues
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| Pope addresses Alphonsian Academy (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis on Saturday meets students and staff from
Rome’s Alphonsian Academy inviting them to be an example of a church that “goes
forth” and dialogues.
In 1949 the Alphonsian Academy was founded by the
Redemptorists, in the spirit of Saint Alphonsus Liguori, patron saint of moral
theologians. Since then, the Academy has provided scientific training to
clerics, religious and lay people and since 1960 it has been part of the
Faculty of Theology of the Pontifical Lateran University.
Marking the 70th anniversary of the
institute, Pope Francis on Saturday invited its members to "look
forward", to "regain missionary enthusiasm", and to
"outline courageous steps to meet the expectations of the people of
God".
University institutes and ecclesiastical faculties, noted
the Pope, must be examples of a church that “goes forth” in order to
"carry out a wide-ranging dialogue". He said, it was necessary
to network with ecclesial and academic institutions from all over the world in
order to "propose appropriate and realistic paths of resolution" to
"problems of epochal proportions that affect humanity today”.
A world to be healed not condemned
During his address, Pope Francis stressed the need to “guard
against excessive idealization," by being close to the everyday situations
of individuals and families. This world is not to be condemned, said the
Pope; instead it needs "to be healed and liberated" with mercy,
following in the actions of Christ.
The Pontiff underlined that the “teaching of moral theology
must encourage the highest values of the Gospel, such as charity. It must also
look to liberation from the law of sin and death; a freedom that can never be
indifferent to those most in need.”
Moral Theology, ecology and defending the weakest
Pope Francis went on to say that a united world should work
to overcome particular interests, facing together the "new and serious
challenges" to society, such as; the increasing dominance of the logic of
competitiveness, the law of the strongest, and the lack of consideration
for the human being, who is sometimes reduced to disposable consumer goods.
The Pope also emphasized the ecological emergency in our
world, describing it as, "the cry of the earth, violated and wounded"
by selfish exploitation.
“It draws my attention”, he said, to the fact that when I
carry out the ministry of reconciliation or when I did, even before, rarely
does anyone accuse themselves of having violated nature, the earth, creation.
We are not yet aware of this sin.” It is your job, he added, to make people
aware.
Moral theology, he affirmed, must take on board the
urgency of each nation in a convincing way in a mutual effort to care for our
common home through viable ways of integral development.
The same common commitment, he said, applied to advanced
biomedical research. Moral research, the Pope stressed, must bear witness to
the unconditional value of life, reaffirming that "the life of the weakest
and most defenceless is that which we are called to take upon ourselves in a
spirit of solidarity and trust.”
In conclusion, Pope Francis said he was sure the
Alphonsianum would continue to commit itself to a moral theology that does not
hesitate to get “its hands dirty” with concrete problems, especially with the
fragility and suffering of those who see their future threatened, bearing real
witness to Christ "the way, the truth and the life".
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