Cardinal George: Faith remains the same, theologies can change
(Vatican Radio) The XII Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas
ended Sunday with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Secretary of
State of the Vatican. In his homily, which focused on the mystery of the Eucharist,
Cardinal Bertone spoke about the "profound and luminous faith" of St. Thomas Aquinas
in the Blessed Sacrament.
The Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of
St. Thomas Aquinas had as its theme βThe Thomistic Legacy of Blessed John Paul II.β
The Academy was reformed by Bd. Pope John Paul in 1999, following his encyclical βFides
in ratioβ in which he called for a renewal of Thomistic thought.
Among
the speakers at the three-day event was Cardinal Francis George of Chicago. He says
Bd. John Paul "re-invigorated the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas." Citing Fides
in ratio, Cardinal George says that St. Thomas "remains the primary thinker in
our history who brings together faith and reason - as Pope John Paul II did."
"One
of the ways he did that," Cardinal George continues, "was to use phenomenology in
a way similar to the way Aquinas used Aristotle. That is, faith in conversation with
philosophical studies comes to develop theologies that change from time to time. Faith
remains the same, but theologies can be different, because some philosophies, which
are the works of human reason, are better able to grapple with the mysteries of faith
than are others."
Listen to the interview of Cardinal Francis George
with Christopher Wells: