Pope Benedict XVI to ITC: Christian clarity for the good of society

Pope Benedict XVI is asking Christians to render clearly present their religious motives when they work with non-believers to achieve common ends in society. The Holy Father was speaking to the participants in the Plenary Assembly of the International Theological Commission, which concluded its annual session today at the Vatican. The International Theological Commission was established in 1969 to examine questions of doctrinal importance - to act as a bridge between the Magisterial offices of the Roman Curia and the worldwide community of theologians.

The commission consists of not more than 30 members, appointed for 5-year terms, during which a series of areas are established for special consideration. The current commission has been exploring the basic question of God and the understanding of monotheism, the importance of the Church’s social doctrine, and the place and role of theology itself in the life of the Church.

Each of these three areas was an object of Pope Benedict XVI’s reflections on Friday, as he met with the participants in this year’s Plenary Assembly.

“Christian theology,” said Pope Benedict, “together with the lives of all the faithful, must restore to happy and crystalline visibility the impact of Trinitarian revelation on the life of our community.” He went on to discuss the concrete ways in which this should inform Christians’ participation in broader society, saying, “In the necessary collaboration in faovr of the common good with those who do not share our faith, we must make present the true and profound religious motivations of our social commitment, just as we expect of others that they manifest their own motivations, so that our work together can be carried out in clarity.”

“He, who has perceived the foundations of Christian social action,” said Pope Benedict, “may thus also discover a stimulus for taking faith in Jesus Christ into consideration.”

The current 5-year term of the International Theological Commission began in 2009, and ends in 2013. Listen