Catholic Theology

Pokonferencyjny tom monograficzny; temat konferencji: Światło i ciemność w literaturze, kulturze i sztuce: od antyku do współczesności, organizator: Instytut Neofilologii i Badań Interdyscyplinarnych UPH w Siedlcach, termin: 24-25 września 2014, SiedlceLight in arts is becoming endless potency which allows to show what is visible or what the spectator only imagines s/he sees. Light in Christianity symbolizes God’s power. That is the reason why light plays perform a crucial role in the sacred art. To illustrate this idea the author presents the analysis of the Isenheim Altarpiece

Despite justified criticism of the papacy and patriarchal structures of the Catholic Church, I will remember Francis above all as a true follower of Jesus, who took seriously the early Christian community of property as described in the Acts of the Apostles. He has managed to shake the papal throne forever with a spirituality of a common home for all, deeply rooted in concrete, material reality.

La question du témoignage, de son herméneutique, de sa transmission, de ses conditions de possibilité et de sa réception a été abondamment travaillée aux XXe et XXIe siècles en philosophie. Gabriel Marcel parle ainsi de réceptivité créatrice du témoignage. Plusieurs subjectivités sont en relation dans le témoignage (celle du témoin, du sujet-objet transmis, du récepteur, des communautés). Ces études offrent la possibilité de s’interroger sur les acteurs de l’annonce, de la transmission et de la réception de la Parole de Dieu, en incluant donc le sujet divin.
La transmission de la Parole de Dieu obéit-elle aux mêmes caractéristiques que le témoignage, ou bien le sujet s’efface-t-il devant le contenu transmis (par définition, dans les faits, ou par illusion) ? Quelles sont les implications de cette question sur la transmission de l’Évangile et sur les difficultés de sa réception de nos jours en Occident ? Nous adopterons un point de vue missiologique, en trois temps.
Le premier temps s’interrogera sur la réception et la non-réception du témoignage lorsque le témoin, Jésus, par ses paroles et ses actes, se proclame lui-même l’envoyé de Dieu . La réception et la non-réception de son témoignage pouvant s’interpréter en termes théologiques et/ou par le contexte, selon ce que nous transmet l’Évangile, qu’est-ce que cela implique pour la mission ?
Le deuxième temps mettra en regard le témoignage et divers types de transmission de la Parole de Dieu. Qu’est-ce qui est transmis du témoignage évangélique, par qui est-ce transmis et comment dans le contexte contemporain ? La réception et la non-réception de la transmission sont-elles sur le même plan que celles du témoignage ?
Le troisième temps s’arrêtera sur la relation entre le témoignage de la charité et le témoignage de foi, en particulier dans les ambiguïtés possibles du témoignage de charité.

In this paper, I present what, for the moment, I will call Aquinas's account of private property. I hesitate so to name his account, for, it will become evident that Aquinas offers a conception of private property that differs significantly from current usage. For example, Thomas maintains that a needy person has a claim in justice to the abundance others possess. He holds that a needy person who takes from the abundance of another in order to satisfy his own urgent, manifest, unmet need does not steal, for he takes what belongs to him insofar as the goods of the earth are ordained to satisfying human need generally (S.t. IIaIIae, q.66, a. 7 and IIaIIae, q. 64, a.1). Thus, Thomas understands private property to have an ineradicable social dimension. In what follows, we will, first, briefly survey the standard contemporary account and its justificatory difficulty. Second, present Aquinas's account, and finally, conclude with a number of practical reflections. In a recent survey of private property's conceptual topography, Jeremy Waldron notes: The person to whom a given object is assigned by the principles of private property ... has control over the object: it is for her to decide what should

the Christian world will commemorate the 1700 th anniversary of the opening of the Council of Nicaea, which took place in Asia Minor in the year 325. This was the first ecumenical council in history, and it produced the creed that, completed by the First Council of Constantinople in 381, has become the distinctive expression of the Church's faith in Jesus Christ. This anniversary occurs within the Jubilee Year, which is centred on the theme "Christ our Hope," and it coincides with the common celebration of Easter by Christians of both East and West. As Pope Francis has emphasized, in this historic moment-marked by the tragedy of war along with countless anxieties and uncertainties-what is essential, most beautiful, most attractive, and also most necessary for Christians is precisely the faith in Jesus Christ proclaimed at Nicaea. Indeed, the proclamation of this faith is "the fundamental task of the Church" (Address to Participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 January 2024).

Cet essai explore la notion de communication vibro-auratoire, un concept ancré dans les paradigmes africains ancestraux et réactualisé dans la perspective de la Coafrwologie. Il s'agit d'un mode de communication non verbale, intentionnelle, émise sur des plans vibratoires et auraux, qui transcende le temps et continue d'agir au-delà de son émission initiale. À travers ce concept, nous mettons en lumière une forme de transmission symbolique, énergétique et spirituelle qui permet de comprendre comment la mémoire, le pouvoir et la conscience peuvent se véhiculer de manière non discursive, notamment dans les traditions africaines, mystiques et subalternes. Ce travail théorise aussi les obstacles à cette forme de communication dans le contexte d'une modernité colonisée et d'une fracture ontologique imposée aux populations africaines et afro-descendantes.

21:22 2.1 Revelation enriches and expands human thought 2.2 A cultural and intercultural event 2.3 The Church's creative fidelity and the problem of heresy 3. The ecclesial event: the Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council 3.1 The Church enters into the event of Jesus Christ through her nature and structures 3.2 The structural collaboration of the Church's charisms and the road to Nicaea 3.3 The Ecumenical Council of Nicaea Chapter 4: Keeping the faith accessible for all God's people Introduction: The Council of Nicaea and the conditions of credibility of the Christian mystery 1. Theology at the service of the integral character of salvific truth 1.1 Christ, the eschatologically effective truth 1.2 Salvation and the process of divine filiation 2. The mediation of the Church and the inversion of the dogmatic order: Trinity, Christology, Pneumatology, Ecclesiology 2.1 The mediations of faith and the ministry of the Church 2.2 Disagreement and synodality 2.3 The tongues of the Holy Spirit for forming and renewing consensus 3. Safeguarding the deposit of faith: charity at the service of the littlest 3.1 The unanimous faith of the People of God offered to all 3.2 Protecting faith before political power Conclusion: Proclaiming Jesus our Salvation to everyone today Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour 1700 th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of 325-2025 In the course of its tenth quinquennium, the International Theological Commission chose to carry out an in-depth study of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea and its dogmatic relevance today. The work was carried out by a special Sub-Commission, chaired by Fr.

Hearing a divine voice is a type of supernatural experience recognised in religions the world over. In Catholicism, a handful of saints and blesseds have reported experiencing locutions while some mystics have conducted theological inquiry into these divine communications. Locutions are not confined to the history books but continue as private revelation, a recent example being the locutions of Derrick Taylor which acted as the case study in this research. An English convert and post-conciliar traditionalist, Mr Taylor claimed to experience two sessions of locution during his lifetime (first in 1971 and again in 1978), both addressing his disillusionment with the Church hierarchy during the implementation of reforms to the Tridentine liturgy after the Second Vatican Council. The first was a locution brought about by the intermediation of the Sacred Heart while the second was spoken by the voice of a deceased priest who had been Mr Taylor’s confessor. Deconstructing each of Mr Taylor’s locutionary accounts and comparing them to past reports of locution tested them according to criteria established by mystics to help ascertain their authenticity.

The subject of this chapter is the comparative analysis of the concept of the beyond in relation to being and becoming. Following the revised theory of the Axial Religions (Weber, Jaspers, Eisenstadt), it focuses on the ‘invention of the transcendence’ as the new model of approaching the metaphysical status of the beyond: the novelty consists in creating a ‘contrast’ between the transcendent and the immanent orders. This contrasting tension between the transcendence and the immanence varies from maximal to minimal in the axial traditions – Abrahamic, Buddhist, and Daoist – but it never disappears completely. In the more static models, based on the transcendence conceived as the foundation of the ‘eternal structures of being,’ the immanent time and becoming will be reduced to a minimal significance. In the dynamic models, based on the contrary vision of the beyond as critical of and antithetical to the order of being, time and becoming will be increased in their value as the ‘history of redemption’ – either the possibility of repairing the world and lifting it to the transcendent ideal or the apocalyptic awaiting of the end of the world as unworthy of any ‘spiritual investment.’

The last encyclical by Pope Francis, Dilexit Nos, contains more novelty than a first glance might reveal. The first chapter presents the heart as the integral-integrating center of the human person rather than the seat of the emotions as often understood. Understanding the heart thus emphasizes its importance for love, which is correctly understood as a reality that involves the whole person. Sacred Heart devotion, then receives a new emphasis from the relations toward God and others that need to be characterized by love as modeled by Christ and many saints.

This article investigates the influence οf cultural values and religiοus beliefs οn the acceptance οr rejectiοn οf artificial intelligence (AI) amοng Greek cοnsumers. Drawing frοm the same mixed-methοd dοctοral research as the cοmpaniοn studies, we examine hοw Greece's rich cultural traditiοnsincluding strοng family ties, cοmmunity οrientatiοn, and Οrthοdοx Christian faithshape attitudes tοward AI technοlοgies. Using quantitative survey data (N = 318) and qualitative interviews (N = 20), we find that cultural factοrs significantly impact AI adοptiοn intentiοns. Greek cοnsumers frοm mοre traditiοnal backgrοunds (e.g., οlder, rural, and devοutly religiοus individuals) tend tο exhibit greater skepticism and fear tοward AI, οften viewing it as cοnflicting with established nοrms οr values. In cοntrast, yοunger, urban, and mοre secular cοnsumers shοw higher οpenness tο adοpting AI-driven services, thοugh nοt withοut cοncerns. We interpret these findings thrοugh Hοfstede's cultural dimensiοnsnοtably Greece's very high Uncertainty Avοidance and cοllectivist οrientatiοnand the

Il libro di Elisa Frei, Early Modern Litterae Indipetae for the East Indies, edito da Brill all'interno della collana Jesuit Studies, arriva alle stampe alla fine di un quinquennio particolarmente prolifico per lo studio delle indipetae: i recenti contributi, tra gli altri, di Pierre-Antoine Fabre, Girolamo Imbruglia, Emanuele Colombo, Camilla Russell, e della stessa Frei hanno contribuito a gettare una maggiore luce su questa tipologia documentaria, intimamente connaturata alla vocazione missionaria globale della Compagnia di Gesù. Un corpus di lettere imponente (oltre 24.000 conservate tra Roma e gli archivi provinciali dell'ordine) che, per la sua natura, ben si presta a ricerche interdisciplinari e che, auspicabilmente, incontrerà ulteriore interesse di studio nei prossimi anni anche grazie all'ambizioso progetto Digital Indipetae Database, promosso dall'Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies del Boston College, che ha il merito di rendere disponibili digitalmente le lettere inviate al generale da gesuiti dell'Antica e Nuova Compagnia. Cosa sono le indipetae? Il termine deriva dal latino Indias petere, chiedere le Indie, cioè i lontani territori di missione: si tratta delle lettere che gesuiti giovani e meno giovani indirizzavano al padre generale della Compagnia per essere inviati fuori dai confini europei, con l'obiettivo di servire l'ordine diffondendo la fede cattolica fra coloro che erano rimasti esclusi, sino a quel momento, dall'historia salutis. Una missione da perseguire a qualunque costo, vale a dire anche a costo della vita: il martirio costituiva anzi un orizzonte esperienziale auspicato e talvolta persino ricercato dagli indipeti o indiani, come erano chiamati i candidati alle missioni. L'idea di immolarsi per la causa diventa così un topos ricorrente nelle lettere al generale: alcune erano vergate dagli aspiranti missionari persino col sangue-come nel caso

Жоден із богословів ХХ століття не пробуджував стільки уваги до себе та до свого життя, як Дітріх Бонгьоффер (1906 – 1945), страчений у концтаборі за місяць до капітуляції Німеччини..Одна з найбільш фундаментальних його робіт, «Етика», була відновлена вже після смерті автора за незакінченими рукописами, які свого часу вдалося сховати від гестапо. Для Бонгьоффера справжнє християнство включає в себе активну участь у житті суспільства та взагалі людства, а не життя в окремому ізольованому просторі. Він був переконаний, що християни мають брати на себе повну відповідальність за світову історію. Розуміючи свою відповідальність в контексті Німеччини в роки Другої світової війни, Бонгьоффер взяв участь у заколоті проти Гітлера. Як міг християнин свідомо долучитися до проєкту, метою якого було позбавити злодія життя?

Жоден із богословів ХХ століття не пробуджував стільки уваги до себе та до свого життя, як Дітріх Бонгьоффер (1906 – 1945), страчений у концтаборі за місяць до капітуляції Німеччини. Одна з найбільш фундаментальних його робіт, «Етика», була відновлена вже після смерті автора за незакінченими рукописами, які свого часу вдалося сховати від гестапо. Для Бонгьоффера справжнє християнство включає в себе активну участь у житті суспільства та взагалі людства, а не життя в окремому ізольованому просторі. Він був переконаний, що християни мають брати на себе повну відповідальність за світову історію. Розуміючи свою відповідальність в контексті Німеччини в роки Другої світової війни, Бонгьоффер взяв участь у заколоті проти Гітлера. Як міг християнин свідомо долучитися до проєкту, метою якого було позбавити злодія життя?

Жоден із богосло-
вів ХХ століття не пробуджу-
вав стільки уваги до себе та до
свого життя, як Дітріх Бон-
гьоффер (1906 – 1945), страче-
ний у концтаборі за місяць до
капітуляції Німеччини. Він не
писав систематичних праць.
Одна з найбільш фундаменталь-
них його робіт, «Етика», була
відновлена вже після смерті ав-
тора за незакінченими рукопи-
сами, які свого часу вдалося схо-
вати від гестапо. Для Бонгьоффера
справжнє християнство включає в себе активну участь
у житті суспільства та взагалі людства, а не життя в
окремому ізольованому просторі. Він був переконаний, що
християни мають брати на себе повну відповідальність за
світову історію. Розуміючи свою відповідальність в контек-
сті Німеччини в роки Другої світової війни, Бонгьоффер взяв
участь у заколоті проти Гітлера. Як міг християнин свідо-
мо долучитися до проєкту, метою якого було позбавити зло-
дія життя?

The article analyzes the history of the term perichoresis in the space of time embraced by the first seven ecumenical councils. After the Christological debut of the terminology in the fourth century in the work of Gregory of Nazianzus to indicate the dynamism of the relationship of the two natures of Christ in the hypostatic union, the text shows how this theological transition was the basis of the development in Maximus the Confessor. In the seventh century he applied the theological gain of Gregory of Nazianzus to divinization, making explicit the Christological foundation of Christian salvation. The journey ends in the 8th century with John Damascene, who applies perichoresis to both Christology and divinization, as already seen before him, but extends the terminology to the Trinitarian dimension, thus sealing the parable of theological thought. This makes it possible to recognize a true theological grammar which, consistently with Timothy Pawl's studies, reveals the archite...

According to the sociologist Lewis Coser the literary artist can be a source of theoretical insight for the social science. This paper is an attempt to discern ideas related to public policy matters in the works of one of the well-known American fiction writers, Flannery O'Connor. The paper presents a few samples of O'Connor studies to serve as case studies.

En este breve documento se ponen sobre la mesa opciones que pocas veces se tienen. Una guía práctica para guiarse en estudio académico e interconfesional profundo en teología. Este trabajo es para quien tiene el ardiente deseo de conocer más a Dios, su voluntad, su palabra, y con esto ser más obediente a sus mandatos y servirle de mejor manera, pero que cuenta con la dificultad de no poder tener un asesoramiento para este objetivo. Que no sabe como ni con qué empezar. Para quien conoce muy bien su biblia primeramente. Pero también para quien sabe que puede entender distintas perspectivas sin ser arrastrado por ellas.

Esta estructura que se presentará a continuación está basada en los pénsums de seminarios protestantes y católicos, así como universidades prestigiosas (como la Pontificia Universidad Gregoriana, Universidad de Navarra, Harvard Divinity School, etc.) Han sido incluidos también los materiales por cada asignatura, así como un paso a paso o recomendaciones para el abordaje de cada una de las asignaturas o áreas a estudiar.

Las publicaciones de Prevost se enmarcan en un contexto en el que “los obispos de EE. UU. han sido muy enfáticos en oponerse a la deportación masiva de migrantes latinoamericanos, la mayoría de los cuales son católicos”, comentó Andrew Chesnut, Directorde Estudios Católicos de la Virginia Commonwealth University.

Din seria: "Ecclesia" Biserica "Sf. Ap. Andrei" din municipiul Oradea, judeţul Bihor-oază duhovnicească de dăinuire, propovăduire şi slujire autentică, rodnică şi binecuvântată... Biserica despre care voi vorbi puţin, în cele ce urmează, este un locaş de închinare, meditaţie şi rugăciune, foarte drag sufletului meu!... De ce? Din foarte multe motive, cum ar fi: frumuseţea sfintelor slujbe şi a cântărilor bisericeşti-promovate şi susţinute de către o strană impecabilă; bogăţia faptelor şi acţiunilor pastoral-misionare ale Sfinţiţilor ei Slujitori-în frunte cu Părintele Paroh Vasile Bota-Păstorul cel plin de vocaţie, demnitate, charismă, naturaleţe, dragoste, disponibilitate, compasiune şi milă creştină, propovăduire şi mărturisire cucernică, evlavioasă şi autentică; apoi mulţimea densă şi consistentă a credincioşilor, care participă la sfintele slujbe, oficiate în duhul curat ortodox şi autentic bizantin, în bun gust şi aleasă cuviinţă, apoi spiritul frăţesc şi de echipă în care se organizează aici orice activitate sau acţiune: fie că este o seară cultural-spirituală, catehetică sau duhovnicească, fie că este o campanie umanitară, fie că este o acţiune administrativ-edilitară şi gospodărească, fie că este vorba de organizarea unui eveniment deosebit, a unui praznic, a unui pelerinaj ori procesiuni, sau a hramurilor sfintei noastre biserici parohiale… Cu alte cuvinte, sau altfel spus, aici se râde cu cel ce râde, se plânge împreună cu cel ce plânge, se bucură cu cel ce se bucură şi, mai ales, se roagă, în comuniune deplină, cu cel care a venit să se roage!... Atmosfera, ambianţa ce caracterizează această comunitate bisericească, parohială, vie, activă, dinamică, filantropică, propovăduitoare şi mărturisitoare, este una bazată pe armonie frăţească şi familială, cucernică şi evlavioasă, totodată, sănătoasă, neipocrită, nefăţarnică şi cu totul autentică!... Aici se simt toţi ca într-o familie: preoţii cu credincioşii, bătrânii cu tinerii, bogaţii cu săracii şi intelectualii cu muncitorii!... Prin urmare aduc laudă şi cinste, respect şi recunoştinţă tuturor celor care contribuie la realizarea, săvârşirea şi desăvârşirea acestei stări, specifică creştinismului primar, răsăritean şi autentic!... Iată cum şi de ce poate deveni o biserică de cartier una de suflet!... O biserică, o comunitate eclesială altminteri tânără, căci lucrările de zidire au început în anul 2000, cu alte cuvinte, împlineşte vârsta de douăzeci și cinci ani de la punerea pietrei de temelie la Sfntul și Marele Praznic al Cincezicimii sau Rusaliilor din ziua de 18.06.2000, iar în toamna acestui an-2025 va împlini (pe 30. 11.2025-chiar în ziua de pomenire a hramului, a cinstitului ei, şi-al nostru, Sfânt Ocrotitor), douăzeci și patru ani de la slujba de târnosire a demisolului, fiind ctitorită, zidită şi construită de la firul ierbii, iar în anul acesta special, deosebit 2025-Centenar al Patriarhiei Române, în a treia zi a Cinzecimii sau Rusaliilor se vor împlini șapte ani de la momentul și evenimentul binecuvântat când, în Anul special Centenar al Unirii și Unității tuturor Românilor, în Duminica a doua din Postul Sfinţilor Apostoli Petru şi Pavel, închinată Sfinţilor Români, la data de 10.06.2018, a avut loc Slujba Târnosirii Bisericii celei Mari precum şi Sfânta Liturghie festivă, toate oficiate de un select corp arhieresc, de un vrednic corp sacerdotal-preoţesc, la care va participa un impresionant număr de credincioşi, invitaţi, musafiri şi oaspeţi, atunci fiind, practic, evenimentul care va încununa întreaga zidire, lucrare şi slujire, sacramentală şi pastoral-misionară a acestui frumos şi binecuvântat locaş de cult!… (A se vedea pentru cei interesaţi:-http://sfantulapostolandrei.ro/index.php?istoricul-bisericiisfantul-apostol-andrei-1). Aşadar, atât pentru edificarea şi confirmarea tuturor celor prezentate şi enunţate, în cuvinte sărace şi simple, de mine, până aici, cât şi pentru a vă bucura de frumuseţea ei arhitectural-edilitară şi ornamentală, de nobleţea şi supleţea acestei biserici, înveşnicită în piatră şi duh, de frumuseţea, armonia şi bogăţia sfintelor ei slujbe, şi, nu în ultimul rând, de erminia, completă şi complexă a picturii ei, curat bizantine şi tradiţional-ortodoxă, surprinsă în multe ipostaze fotografice excepţionale, merită consultat tot site-ul parohiei-http://www.sfantulapostolandrei.ro/. În continuarea celor prezentate până acum şi, totuşi, într-o altă ordine de idei, vreau să recunosc şi să mărturisesc faptul că, participând deseori la slujbele, activităţile, acţiunile şi

This article outlines the relationship between Aquinas's thought and priestly formation, beginning in the thirteenth century and ending with the twentieth-century Magisterium. In relation to the other articles in this special issue, this article is meant to serve as a kind of introduction, providing important historical context for those more specialized treatments of the relevance of Aquinas's thought for different aspects of priestly formation today. Beginning with his personal formation for the priesthood, this article examines Aquinas's role in the formation of priests during his own life, and then the subsequent role of Aquinas's thought in priestly formation before the Council of Trent, and during the post-Tridentine period until the twentieth century.

This essay was first delivered as a lecture at Blackfriars Hall, Oxford on February 1,
2023, as part of the Aquinas Lectures series, held during Hilary Term (2023): "Aquinas
and the Future of Christian Thought." I am grateful to Fr. Oliver Keenan, O.P., and the
Aquinas Institute for their kind invitation to participate in this lecture series, and to the
community at Blackfriars Hall for their generous welcome.

Il 15 se�embre 1993 inizia una storia. Il mar�rio di p. Puglisi riempie della sua eco le strade del mondo: dal quar�ere di Brancaccio e dalla ci�à di Palermo si diffonde per il mondo intero. Come mai? Un prete poco noto dai media, ma ama�ssimo da chi lo conosceva, parla a tu�, e lo fa a par�re dal sorriso con cui si rivolse ai suoi assassini. Nel corso del seminario di studi che si è svolto presso la Pon�ficia Facoltà Teologica di Sicilia "San Giovanni Evangelista", sita in Palermo, nella ricorrenza del trentennale del mar�rio (1993-2023) e con l'apporto di una molteplicità di voci, si è guardato a p. Puglisi da vari pun� di vista, cercando di arrivare al fondamento del suo essere e del suo agire nei vari contes� in cui ha operato. Ebbene, p. Puglisi era un credente profondamente innamorato di Cristo, un prete a�ento a ciascuno e impegnato a tempo pieno per far conoscere l'amore del Padre per i suoi figli. Quanto ha fa�o è stato eccezionale nella sua ordinarietà: è stato educatore, docente di religione, parroco, animatore della pastorale vocazionale e padre spirituale in seminario. Ogni cosa l'ha fa�a bene, perché le mo�vazioni di fondo e le sue speranze erano poste in alto: il 15 se�embre 1993 ha compiuto la sua corsa e ha toccato il cuore di persone avvezze al male, e lo ha fa�o con un sorriso. Il suo sorriso incoraggia a fare sempre scelte giuste e coeren�, guardando al bene di ciascuno e della ci�à degli uomini.

Blessed Francesco Paleari united deep spirituality and active charity, embodying synodal values through spiritual fatherhood, relational care, and service rooted in love, sacrifice, and communion with God. In this paper I explore synodal approach in spiritual accompaniment.

The legislator has not provided either a disqualifying or an invalidating
clause in c. 874 CIC. This fact does not substantiate the conclusion, however, that an infringement of the norm laid down in c. 874 §1 n. 3 CIC – when admitting a person to the function of sponsor – results only in illicit acceptance of this office. An analysis of the teaching of the Church on the effects of the sacraments of Christian initiation and their relationship with the purpose for which the institution of sponsor exists in the Church proves that the provisions of c. 874 §1 n. 3 CIC stem from the doctrine of the Church on the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. Even though it is of ecclesiastical provenience, the ratio legis of its existence is founded on God’s law which makes it mandatory to provide for the Catholic upbringing of the person being baptized, and for the unity of faith and community of the Church.
Taking into account the purpose of c. 874 §1 n. 3 CIC and the nature of the
office of sponsor, it seems reasonable to propose a thesis that the admission of a non-Catholic who is not in a close communion with the Catholic Church to the munus of sponsor may result in the office being taken on invalidly. In such case, the person who is unable to fulfill the tasks inherent to the office they undertake may become a godfather or a godmother invalidly. The case is similar with regard to the requirement of having been confirmed and received the Eucharist, and leading a life of faith in keeping with the function of sponsor. These criteria are also closely linked to the purposes for the fulfilment of which the munus of sponsor exists in the Catholic Church. Unless they are satisfied, the fulfilment of duties taken on together with the office seems hindered, if not impossible. The sponsor may encounter insurmountable obstacles in accompanying their godchild on the road of Christian life. The admission of a person who does not follow the rules of faith to the office of sponsor may also entail the risk that the person who is entrusted into their
spiritual care may lose faith, which would undermine the very purpose for
which this munus exists in the Catholic Church. Furthermore, it would contradict
God’s law which makes it mandatory to avoid any risks to faith.
A failure to satisfy the criteria laid down in c. 874 §1 n. 3 CIC results in
the invalidity of admitting a baptized person to the function of sponsor only
indirectly, when the candidate sponsor is unable to fulfill the duties taken on
together with the office, and if such inability is permanent. This truth is confirmed
in the fundamental legal principle which says: Impossibilum nulla obligatio
est. Since obligations assumed by the sponsor are inherently linked to
the office they are taking on, inability to fulfill these obligations results in an
invalid assumption of the function of sponsor. Consequently, the effects of
non-compliance with each of the requirements laid down in the above canon differ depending on the degree of the candidate sponsor’s communion with the Catholic Church and on whether he or she will be able to fulfill the duties inherent to the nature of this office. The criterion of being in the community of the Catholic Church is indirectly related to the requirement of being baptized. Unless the candidate sponsor has been baptized, they cannot validly undertake the function. This inability is related to the lack of canonical personality of an unbaptized person in the Catholic Church, and to the purposes for which the munus of sponsor exists.

Més enllà d’una proposta filosòfica, Re-fundar el cosmopolitisme és un veritable manifest (re)fundacional. En aquest breu però fecund assaig, Yves Charles Zarka situa l’estatut de l’ésser humà (del conjunt de la humanitat) en la seva relació amb el món vivent (la Terra i el conjunt d’éssers que l’habiten), com a nucli central d’un cosmopolitisme que ha de ser capaç de respondre i de correspondre a les proble-màtiques de la mundialització contempo-rània; a saber: les crisis migratòries, el terrorisme internacional, la contaminació i el canvi climàtic, entre d’altres. El que tenen en comú aquestes qüestions és la seva dimensió global, atès que ultrapassen les fronteres políticament establertes, al-hora que de totes se’n deriva una amena-ça real cap a l’existència humana present i futura, en tant que humanitat i, nogens-menys, en tant que éssers vivents de la Terra. És a dir, les conseqüències de l’ac-ció de les persones sobre el medi natural no són alienes a la humanitat mateixa.

In our understanding of the Eucharist could we be suffering from a kind of 'chinese-wispers'? Have we lost the original reason why Jesus said 'Do This' and are we  focusing only on the need to provide Communion? Are we then in danger of separating the receiving of Communion from the sacrifice of the Lamb of God that we invoke and make visible in the Liturgy of the Eucharist?

My hope in this paper is to challenge some of our preconceived thinking as Catholics and not take the easy option regarding the very real shortage of priests by providing Services of Word and Communion.

The genesis and growth of the epiclesis continues to be a perennial subject for liturgical debate and in part this is because although we have plenty of evidence for its forms from the late fourth century onwards, there is very little material prior to that, and what does exist is capable of a variety of interpretations. A recent article by Nathan Chase has given an excellent overview of the more recent studies that have been instrumental in helping to make conjectures on how this liturgical unit might have developed from the invocation maranatha through to a petition for the Lord/Son/Power to come, and then to morph to a request for the Father to send the Holy Spirit1. Chase has summarized the works of Robert Taft, Gabriele Winkler and Sebastian Brock, as well as Susan Meyers, Mary Farag, Maxwell Johnson, and the present writer, and he has put forward a cogent argument for a development that includes the Logos epiclesis of Sarapion. Although Chase’s argument is certainly one possible scenario, it is not the only interpretation of the evidence.

ALETHEIA Lettre d'informations religieuses "La vérité vous rendra libres" (Jean 8, 32) XXVI e année n° 354 10 mai 2025 Cette lettre mensuelle d'informations, publiée depuis juillet 2000, paraît douze fois par an et contient des nouvelles, des analyses et des commentaires qui ne trouveraient pas forcément leur place dans les publications auxquelles je collabore. Il s'agit simplement de servir la vérité dans la fidélité à l'enseignement traditionnel de l'Église.

São Francisco de Sales (1567–1622) foi um bispo, teólogo, escritor e diretor espiritual francês, conhecido por sua mansidão, sabedoria e profundo amor por Deus. Nasceu em Savóia, então parte do Ducado de Saboia (hoje França), em uma família nobre. Estudou Direito e Teologia na Universidade de Pádua, e foi ordenado sacerdote em 1593.

Em um tempo de intensas tensões religiosas devido à Reforma Protestante, Francisco destacou-se por sua caridade, paciência e argumentação serena, evangelizando a região calvinista de Chablais com notável sucesso. Foi nomeado Bispo de Genebra (residindo em Annecy por causa da hostilidade protestante) e exerceu o cargo com grande zelo pastoral.

É autor de obras espirituais que se tornaram clássicos, dos quais destacamos o “Tratado do Amor de Deus” – profunda reflexão sobre o amor divino e a união da alma com Deus.

Francisco de Sales teve grande influência sobre a espiritualidade moderna, defendendo que a santidade é possível a todos, não apenas a religiosos. Foi também diretor espiritual de Santa Joana de Chantal, com quem fundou a Ordem da Visitação de Santa Maria.

Faleceu em 1622 e foi canonizado em 1665. Em 1877, foi declarado Doutor da Igreja, e é patrono dos jornalistas, escritores e comunicadores católicos, por sua habilidade de evangelizar por meio da palavra escrita.

This article introduces the topic of liturgical spirituality. This argument is not new. However, the originality of the article is to resume its link with the liturgical movement (as a framework for understanding this spirituality) and the conciliar reflection to -in a second moment- enrich the look with the contributions of the liturgical magisterium of Pope Francis. It is a dynamic proposal in which the great affirmations of the SC are decisive but seen in continuity with its germinal preparation in the liturgical Movement and its actualization in the current journey of the Church expressed in the teachings of the Argentine pope.

Pope Francis appointed Robert Prevost in 2023 to lead the Vatican office that vets bishop nominations—one of the Church’s most powerful roles. And now, Prevost, 69, has become Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff. A Chicago native and Peruvian citizen, Prevost lived in Peru for many years, first as a missionary and then as an archbishop. In his first address, he spoke in Italian and Spanish as he greeted the crowd in Saint Peter’s Square. He had prominence going into the conclave that few other cardinals have. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective, FRANCE 24's Mark Owen is joined by our International Affairs Commentator Douglas Herbert and is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Chesnut, Professor and Chair in Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University.