Pope: 2019 Ratzinger laureates
teach us to engage in active dialogue with cultures
 |
| Jesuit priest Father Paul Béré (L) and professor Charles Margrave Taylor, (R) together with Pope Francis |
At a ceremony in the Vatican on Saturday, Pope Francis
conferred the Ratzinger Prize on Canadian Catholic philosopher Charles Margrave
Taylor, and Jesuit priest Father Paul Béré of Burkina Faso, a renowned scholar
of Sacred Scripture.
By Robin Gomes
Although the 2019 Ratzinger Prize winners come from
different continents and cultural backgrounds, Pope Francis said, they teach us
that theology should "be and remain in active dialogue with cultures”,
always seeking the way to God and the encounter with Christ.
The Pope made the remark while conferring the 2019 Ratzinger
Prize at a ceremony in the Vatican, November 9.
The Ratzinger Prize by the Joseph Ratzinger-Benedict XVI
Vatican Foundation was begun in 2011 to recognize scholars whose work demonstrates
a meaningful contribution to theology in the spirit of German Cardinal Joseph
Ratzinger, who became Benedict XVI and is Pope Emeritus since February 2013.
Taylor, a philosopher and professor emeritus at McGill
University, is being honoured for his profound analysis of the phenomenon of
secularization.
Father Béré, the first African to win the Ratzinger Prize,
is particularly known for his work on the figure of the biblical figure Joshua,
who, according to the 53-year old priest, is a source of inspiration for the
Church in Africa, especially regarding the transmission of values from one
generation to another.
Dialogue with cultures
In conferring the prize, Pope Francis pointed out that it is
"a duty for theology to be and remain in active dialogue with
cultures", even as they change over time and evolve differently in various
parts of the world. At the same time, it is a condition necessary for the
vitality of Christian faith, for the Church’s mission of evangelization.
It is from this perspective, he said, Taylor and Father Béré
have made important contributions.
Understanding secularization
The Pope acknowledged Taylor’s contribution to the
understanding of the phenomenon of secularization in our time, which he said is
a significant challenge for the Catholic Church, for all Christians and for all
believers in God.
“Few scholars in the present day,” the Pope said, “have
posed the problem of secularization with the breadth of vision as has Professor
Taylor.” He has carefully analyzed the development of Western culture, the
movements of the human mind and heart over time, in their shadows and
lights.
The Pope said Taylor invites us to intuit and seek new ways
to “live and express the transcendent dimensions of the human soul, those
spiritual dimensions in which the Spirit continues to work imperceptibly”.
“This allows us to deal with Western secularization in a way that is neither
superficial nor given to fatalistic discouragement,” the Pope said.
Inculturation in Africa
In honouring Father Béré, Pope Francis said he wished to
express his appreciation and encouragement to all those committed to the
inculturation of the faith in Africa through their “original and deepened
study”.
He recalled that the first centuries had produced the great
figures of Tertullian, Cyprian, Augustine in northern Africa, but the spread of
Islam and subsequent colonialism had prevented a true African inculturation of
the Christian message until the second half of the last century. However, the
Pope pointed out that contemporary African theology is still young but dynamic
and full of promise. “Father Béré,” he said, “provides an example of this by
his work on the interpretation of Old Testament texts in a context of oral
culture, thus bringing to fruition the experience of African culture.” The
priest has also committed himself to make the Synods that he participated in,
known, understood, and received in the African context.
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