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Encyclicals of Pope John Paul II
On the Relationship Between Faith and Reason
Encyclical letter Fides Et Ratio of the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the relationship between faith and reason.
154 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
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About the author
Pope John Paul II
1,046 books630 followersSaint Pope John Paul II (Latin: Ioannes Paulus II), born Karol Józef Wojtyła was elected Pope at the Conclave of 16 October 1978, and he took the name of John Paul II. On 22 October, the Lord's Day, he solemnly inaugurated his Petrine ministry as the 263rd successor to the Apostle. His pontificate, one of the longest in the history of the Church, lasted nearly 27 years.
Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.
He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.
His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.
Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.
With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.
He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia.
In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father. On April 1, 2011, he was raised to the glory of the altars and on April 27, 2014 canonized.
Driven by his pastoral solicitude for all Churches and by a sense of openness and charity to the entire human race, John Paul II exercised the Petrine ministry with a tireless missionary spirit, dedicating it all his energy. He made 104 pastoral visits outside Italy and 146 within Italy. As bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the city's 333 parishes.
He had more meetings than any of his predecessors with the People of God and the leaders of Nations. More than 17,600,000 pilgrims participated in the General Audiences held on Wednesdays (more than 1160), not counting other special audiences and religious ceremonies [more than 8 million pilgrims during the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone], and the millions of faithful he met during pastoral visits in Italy and throughout the world. We must also remember the numerous government personalities he encountered during 38 official visits, 738 audiences and meetings held with Heads of State, and 246 audiences and meetings with Prime Ministers.
His love for young people brought him to establish the World Youth Days. The 19 WYDs celebrated during his pontificate brought together millions of young people from all over the world. At the same time his care for the family was expressed in the World Meetings of Families, which he initiated in 1994. John Paul II successfully encouraged dialogue with the Jews and with the representatives of other religions, whom he several times invited to prayer meetings for peace, especially in Assisi.
Under his guidance the Church prepared herself for the third millennium and celebrated the Great Jubilee of the year 2000 in accordance with the instructions given in the Apostolic Letter Tertio Millennio adveniente. The Church then faced the new epoch, receiving his instructions in the Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio ineunte, in which he indicated to the faithful their future path.
With the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year and the Year of the Eucharist, he promoted the spiritual renewal of the Church. He gave an extraordinary impetus to Canonizations and Beatifications, focusing on countless examples of holiness as an incentive for the people of our time. He celebrated 147 beatification ceremonies during which he proclaimed 1,338 Blesseds; and 51 canonizations for a total of 482 saints. He made Thérèse of the Child Jesus a Doctor of the Church.
He considerably expanded the College of Cardinals, creating 231 Cardinals (plus one in pectore) in 9 consistories. He also called six full meetings of the College of Cardinals. His most important Documents include 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions, 45 Apostolic Letters. He promulgated the Catechism of the Catholic Church in the light of Tradition as authoritatively interpreted by the Second Vatican Council. He also reformed the Eastern and Western Codes of Canon Law, created new Institutions and reorganized the Roman Curia.
In the light of Christ risen from the dead, on 2 April 2005 at 9.37 p.m., while Saturday was drawing to a close and the Lord's Day was already beginning, the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, the Church's beloved Pastor, John Paul II, departed this world for the Father. On April 1, 2011, he was raised to the glory of the altars and on April 27, 2014 canonized.
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April 25, 2020
An extraordinary treatise on the harmony of faith and reason! I admit that I did not read every word; some concepts are a bit difficult for me. I’d recommend paying special attention to chapters two, three, and four (there are seven chapters in this encyclical, not including an introductory chapter and a concluding chapter).
December 3, 2020
É um livro mais doutrinário do que meditativo.
O Papa São João Paulo II explica como se relacionam a fé e a razão, a filosofia e a teologia, a influência de ideologias na contemporaneidade.
O Papa São João Paulo II explica como se relacionam a fé e a razão, a filosofia e a teologia, a influência de ideologias na contemporaneidade.
May 12, 2025
A gold mine of quality quotes from a great Pope and great Saint. Which is great! Because I get to write a paper on this :)
March 9, 2017
I found this to be a splendid example of the similarity between science and religion: both rest on faith statements and proceed by logical analysis. If you think science does not rest on faith statements, consider "Hume's Problem of Induction" and "Popperian Falsification."
Five stars! (I read a .pdf version.)
p. 62. The Church remains profoundly convinced that faith and reason “mutually support each other”; 122 each influences the other, as they offer to each other a purifying critique and a stimulus to pursue the search for deeper understanding.
p. 22. It is the one and the same God who establishes and guarantees the intelligibility and reasonableness of the natural order of things upon which scientists confidently depend,29 and who reveals himself as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Science and religion cannot be in conflict.
p. 50. The content of Revelation can never debase the discoveries and legitimate autonomy of reason.
p. 58. To believe it possible to know a universally valid truth is in no way to encourage intolerance; on the contrary, it is the essential condition for sincere and authentic dialogue between persons.
There is reading list in the last paragraph on p. 46.
p. 2. 3. Men and women have at their disposal an array of resources for generating greater knowledge of truth so that their lives may be ever more human. Among these is philosophy, which is directly concerned with asking the question of life's meaning and sketching an answer to it.
p. 4. Sundered from that truth, individuals are at the mercy of caprice, and their state as person ends up being judged by pragmatic criteria based essentially upon experimental data, in the mistaken belief that technology must dominate all.
p. 6. This knowledge expresses a truth based upon the very fact of God who reveals himself, a truth which is most certain, since God neither deceives nor wishes to deceive.6
p. 8. For the People of God, therefore, history becomes a path to be followed to the end, so that by the unceasing action of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13) the contents of revealed truth may find their full expression.
p. 8. the Eternal enters time
p. 9. The Council teaches that “the obedience of faith must be given to God who reveals himself”.14 This brief but dense statement points to a fundamental truth of Christianity. Faith is said first to be an obedient response to God.
p. 9. It is not just that freedom is part of the act of faith: it is absolutely required.
p. 11. These considerations prompt a first conclusion: the truth made known to us by Revelation is neither the product nor the consummation of an argument devised by human reason. It appears instead as something gratuitous, which itself stirs thought and seeks acceptance as an expression of love.
p. 14. If human beings with their intelligence fail to recognize God as Creator of all, it is not because they lack the means to do so, but because their free will and their sinfulness place an impediment in the way. . . . . “All man's steps are ordered by the Lord: how then can man understand his own ways?” (Prov 20:24).
p. 16. The crucified Son of God is the historic event upon which every attempt of the mind to construct an adequate explanation of the meaning of existence upon merely human argumentation comes to grief.
u·ni·form·i·tar·i·an·ism
ˌyo͞onəˌfôrməˈterēənizəm/
noun
GEOLOGY
the theory that changes in the earth's crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes.
I would have to say that I am an "extreme uniformitarian." It is to geological processes which appear to be operating at they have since creation, but also cosmological, evolutionary, etc. processes. Although this change is continuous, I do not see evidence that human nature has changed over the past 2,000 years.
Our earlier sources are "First Thessalonians" (c. 50 AD), "Galatians" (c. 53), First Corinthians (c. 53–54). Unless I believe there is Divine Inspiration, I would not credit sources today written, about events that took place fifteen to twenty years ago, by someone who did not witness them.
Exacerbating my challenge here, still in the absence of Divine Inspiration, our earliest (partial) copy of these sources is Papyrus 46 thought to have been made between 175 CE and 225 CE.
Beating my Doubting Thomas routine to death, how could Paul know, with any confidence, whom it was he met on the road to Damascus? There is no evidence he met Christ during his lifetime. There were no pictures.
Faith based on Divine Inspiration stands on its own. The Resurrection as a historical event . . . . .
p. 17. The Apostle accentuates a truth which the Church has always treasured: in the far reaches of the human heart there is a seed of desire and nostalgia for God.
True! Although I would have put it more that evolutionary psychology has established an adaptive value to religious belief.
p. 19. One may define the human being, therefore, as the one who seeks the truth.
By that measure is President Trump even human?
p. 21. This means that the human being—the one who seeks the truth—is also the one who lives by belief.
See Thomas Reid's "principal of credulity."
p. 30. In short, what for Patristic and Medieval thought was in both theory and practice a profound unity, producing knowledge capable of reaching the highest forms of speculation, was destroyed by systems which espoused the cause of rational knowledge sundered from faith and meant to take the place of faith.
p. 31. But this does not mean that the link between faith and reason as it now stands does not need to be carefully examined, because each without the other is impoverished and enfeebled. . . . . It is an illusion to think that faith, tied to weak reasoning, might be more penetrating; on the contrary, faith then runs the grave risk of withering into myth or superstition.
p. 33. On the contrary, the Magisterium's interventions are intended above all to prompt, promote and encourage philosophical enquiry.
p. 38. Scripture, therefore, is not the Church's sole point of reference. The “supreme rule of her faith” 75 derives from the unity which the Spirit has created between Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church in a reciprocity which means that none of the three can survive without the others.76
p. 39. I cannot fail to note with surprise and displeasure that this lack of interest in the study of philosophy is shared by not a few theologians.
p. 42. Although faith, a gift of God, is not based on reason, it can certainly not dispense with it.
p. 44. Insofar as cultures appeal to the values of older traditions, they point— implicitly but authentically—to the manifestation of God in nature, as we saw earlier in considering the Wisdom literature and the teaching of Saint Paul.
p. 45. To reject this heritage would be to deny the providential plan of God who guides his Church down the paths of time and history.
p. 46. Theology's source and starting-point must always be the word of God revealed in history, while its final goal will be an understanding of that word which increases with each passing generation.
p. 49. 78. It should be clear in the light of these reflections why the Magisterium has repeatedly acclaimed the merits of Saint Thomas' thought and made him the guide and model for theological studies.
p. 50. And again: “If there is no assent, there is no faith, for without assent one does not really believe”.96
p. 52. This applies equally to the judgements of moral conscience, which Sacred Scripture considers capable of being objectively true. 101
The law of Nature is a law installed by Nature in all living things. -- The Codes of Justinian.
p. 54. The segmentation of knowledge, with its splintered approach to truth and consequent fragmentation of meaning, keeps people today from coming to an interior unity.
p. 55. The first goes by the name of eclecticism, by which is meant the approach of those who, in research, teaching and argumentation, even in theology, tend to use individual ideas drawn from different philosophies, without concern for their internal coherence, their place within a system or their historical context.
p. 55. 87. Eclecticism is an error of method, but lying hidden within it can also be the claims of historicism. To understand a doctrine from the past correctly, it is necessary to set it within its proper historical and cultural context.
p. 56. 88. Another threat to be reckoned with is scientism.
p. 56. 89. No less dangerous is pragmatism, an attitude of mind which, in making its choices, precludes theoretical considerations or judgements based on ethical principles.
p. 57. 90. The positions we have examined lead in turn to a more general conception which appears today as the common framework of many philosophies which have rejected the meaningfulness of being. I am referring to the nihilist interpretation, which is at once the denial of all foundations and the negation of all objective truth. . . . . Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery. 106
p. 61. In order to fulfill its mission, moral theology must turn to a philosophical ethics which looks to the truth of the good, to an ethics which is neither subjectivist nor utilitarian. Such an ethics implies and presupposes a philosophical anthropology and a metaphysics of the good.
p. 64. Such a ground for understanding and dialogue is all the more vital nowadays, since the most pressing issues facing humanity—ecology, peace and the co-existence of different races and cultures, for instance—may possibly find a solution if there is a clear and honest collaboration between Christians and the followers of other religions and all those who, while not sharing a religious belief, have at heart the renewal of humanity.
p. 64. The intimate bond between theological and philosophical wisdom is one of the Christian tradition's most distinctive treasures in the exploration of revealed truth.
Five stars! (I read a .pdf version.)
p. 62. The Church remains profoundly convinced that faith and reason “mutually support each other”; 122 each influences the other, as they offer to each other a purifying critique and a stimulus to pursue the search for deeper understanding.
p. 22. It is the one and the same God who establishes and guarantees the intelligibility and reasonableness of the natural order of things upon which scientists confidently depend,29 and who reveals himself as the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Science and religion cannot be in conflict.
p. 50. The content of Revelation can never debase the discoveries and legitimate autonomy of reason.
p. 58. To believe it possible to know a universally valid truth is in no way to encourage intolerance; on the contrary, it is the essential condition for sincere and authentic dialogue between persons.
There is reading list in the last paragraph on p. 46.
p. 2. 3. Men and women have at their disposal an array of resources for generating greater knowledge of truth so that their lives may be ever more human. Among these is philosophy, which is directly concerned with asking the question of life's meaning and sketching an answer to it.
p. 4. Sundered from that truth, individuals are at the mercy of caprice, and their state as person ends up being judged by pragmatic criteria based essentially upon experimental data, in the mistaken belief that technology must dominate all.
p. 6. This knowledge expresses a truth based upon the very fact of God who reveals himself, a truth which is most certain, since God neither deceives nor wishes to deceive.6
p. 8. For the People of God, therefore, history becomes a path to be followed to the end, so that by the unceasing action of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 16:13) the contents of revealed truth may find their full expression.
p. 8. the Eternal enters time
p. 9. The Council teaches that “the obedience of faith must be given to God who reveals himself”.14 This brief but dense statement points to a fundamental truth of Christianity. Faith is said first to be an obedient response to God.
p. 9. It is not just that freedom is part of the act of faith: it is absolutely required.
p. 11. These considerations prompt a first conclusion: the truth made known to us by Revelation is neither the product nor the consummation of an argument devised by human reason. It appears instead as something gratuitous, which itself stirs thought and seeks acceptance as an expression of love.
p. 14. If human beings with their intelligence fail to recognize God as Creator of all, it is not because they lack the means to do so, but because their free will and their sinfulness place an impediment in the way. . . . . “All man's steps are ordered by the Lord: how then can man understand his own ways?” (Prov 20:24).
p. 16. The crucified Son of God is the historic event upon which every attempt of the mind to construct an adequate explanation of the meaning of existence upon merely human argumentation comes to grief.
u·ni·form·i·tar·i·an·ism
ˌyo͞onəˌfôrməˈterēənizəm/
noun
GEOLOGY
the theory that changes in the earth's crust during geological history have resulted from the action of continuous and uniform processes.
I would have to say that I am an "extreme uniformitarian." It is to geological processes which appear to be operating at they have since creation, but also cosmological, evolutionary, etc. processes. Although this change is continuous, I do not see evidence that human nature has changed over the past 2,000 years.
Our earlier sources are "First Thessalonians" (c. 50 AD), "Galatians" (c. 53), First Corinthians (c. 53–54). Unless I believe there is Divine Inspiration, I would not credit sources today written, about events that took place fifteen to twenty years ago, by someone who did not witness them.
Exacerbating my challenge here, still in the absence of Divine Inspiration, our earliest (partial) copy of these sources is Papyrus 46 thought to have been made between 175 CE and 225 CE.
Beating my Doubting Thomas routine to death, how could Paul know, with any confidence, whom it was he met on the road to Damascus? There is no evidence he met Christ during his lifetime. There were no pictures.
Faith based on Divine Inspiration stands on its own. The Resurrection as a historical event . . . . .
p. 17. The Apostle accentuates a truth which the Church has always treasured: in the far reaches of the human heart there is a seed of desire and nostalgia for God.
True! Although I would have put it more that evolutionary psychology has established an adaptive value to religious belief.
p. 19. One may define the human being, therefore, as the one who seeks the truth.
By that measure is President Trump even human?
p. 21. This means that the human being—the one who seeks the truth—is also the one who lives by belief.
See Thomas Reid's "principal of credulity."
p. 30. In short, what for Patristic and Medieval thought was in both theory and practice a profound unity, producing knowledge capable of reaching the highest forms of speculation, was destroyed by systems which espoused the cause of rational knowledge sundered from faith and meant to take the place of faith.
p. 31. But this does not mean that the link between faith and reason as it now stands does not need to be carefully examined, because each without the other is impoverished and enfeebled. . . . . It is an illusion to think that faith, tied to weak reasoning, might be more penetrating; on the contrary, faith then runs the grave risk of withering into myth or superstition.
p. 33. On the contrary, the Magisterium's interventions are intended above all to prompt, promote and encourage philosophical enquiry.
p. 38. Scripture, therefore, is not the Church's sole point of reference. The “supreme rule of her faith” 75 derives from the unity which the Spirit has created between Sacred Tradition, Sacred Scripture and the Magisterium of the Church in a reciprocity which means that none of the three can survive without the others.76
p. 39. I cannot fail to note with surprise and displeasure that this lack of interest in the study of philosophy is shared by not a few theologians.
p. 42. Although faith, a gift of God, is not based on reason, it can certainly not dispense with it.
p. 44. Insofar as cultures appeal to the values of older traditions, they point— implicitly but authentically—to the manifestation of God in nature, as we saw earlier in considering the Wisdom literature and the teaching of Saint Paul.
p. 45. To reject this heritage would be to deny the providential plan of God who guides his Church down the paths of time and history.
p. 46. Theology's source and starting-point must always be the word of God revealed in history, while its final goal will be an understanding of that word which increases with each passing generation.
p. 49. 78. It should be clear in the light of these reflections why the Magisterium has repeatedly acclaimed the merits of Saint Thomas' thought and made him the guide and model for theological studies.
p. 50. And again: “If there is no assent, there is no faith, for without assent one does not really believe”.96
p. 52. This applies equally to the judgements of moral conscience, which Sacred Scripture considers capable of being objectively true. 101
The law of Nature is a law installed by Nature in all living things. -- The Codes of Justinian.
p. 54. The segmentation of knowledge, with its splintered approach to truth and consequent fragmentation of meaning, keeps people today from coming to an interior unity.
p. 55. The first goes by the name of eclecticism, by which is meant the approach of those who, in research, teaching and argumentation, even in theology, tend to use individual ideas drawn from different philosophies, without concern for their internal coherence, their place within a system or their historical context.
p. 55. 87. Eclecticism is an error of method, but lying hidden within it can also be the claims of historicism. To understand a doctrine from the past correctly, it is necessary to set it within its proper historical and cultural context.
p. 56. 88. Another threat to be reckoned with is scientism.
p. 56. 89. No less dangerous is pragmatism, an attitude of mind which, in making its choices, precludes theoretical considerations or judgements based on ethical principles.
p. 57. 90. The positions we have examined lead in turn to a more general conception which appears today as the common framework of many philosophies which have rejected the meaningfulness of being. I am referring to the nihilist interpretation, which is at once the denial of all foundations and the negation of all objective truth. . . . . Truth and freedom either go together hand in hand or together they perish in misery. 106
p. 61. In order to fulfill its mission, moral theology must turn to a philosophical ethics which looks to the truth of the good, to an ethics which is neither subjectivist nor utilitarian. Such an ethics implies and presupposes a philosophical anthropology and a metaphysics of the good.
p. 64. Such a ground for understanding and dialogue is all the more vital nowadays, since the most pressing issues facing humanity—ecology, peace and the co-existence of different races and cultures, for instance—may possibly find a solution if there is a clear and honest collaboration between Christians and the followers of other religions and all those who, while not sharing a religious belief, have at heart the renewal of humanity.
p. 64. The intimate bond between theological and philosophical wisdom is one of the Christian tradition's most distinctive treasures in the exploration of revealed truth.
January 12, 2023
Por definición las encíclicas son cartas solemnes sobre asuntos de la Iglesia o determinados puntos de la doctrina católica dirigidas por el Papa a los obispos y fieles católicos de todo el mundo. (1)
san Juan Pablo II fue el 263° Papa de la Iglesia Católica y escribió catorce encíclicas, siendo Fides et Ratio su penúltima encíclica. (2)
Sobre san Juan Pablo II (3)
Karol Józef Wojtyla, elegido Papa el 16 de octubre de 1978, nació en Wadowice (Polonia) el 18 de mayo de 1920.
Fue el menor de los tres hijos de Karol Wojtyla y Emilia Kaczorowska, que falleció en 1929. Su hermano mayor, Edmund, médico, murió en 1932 y su padre, suboficial del ejército, en 1941.
A los nueve años recibió la Primera Comunión y a los dieciocho el sacramento de la Confirmación. Terminados los estudios en la escuela superior de Wadowice, en 1938 se inscribió en la Universidad Jagellónica de Cracovia.
Cuando las fuerzas de ocupación nazis cerraron la Universidad en 1939, el joven Karol trabajó (1940-1944) en una cantera y luego en la fabrica química Solvay para poder subsistir y evitar la deportación a Alemania.
A partir de 1942, sintiéndose llamado al sacerdocio, asistió a los cursos de formación del seminario mayor clandestino de Cracovia, dirigido por el Arzobispo Adam Stefan Sapieha. Al mismo tiempo, fue uno de los promotores del "Teatro Rapsódico", también clandestino.
Después de la guerra, continuo sus estudios en el seminario mayor de Cracovia, abierto de nuevo, y en la Facultad de Teología de la Universidad Jagellónica, hasta su ordenación sacerdotal, en Cracovia, el 1 de noviembre de 1946. Después fue enviado por el Cardenal Sapieha a Roma, donde obtuvo el doctorado en teología (1948), con una tesis sobre el tema de la fe en las obras de San Juan de la Cruz. En esos años, durante sus vacaciones, ejerció el ministerio pastoral entre los emigrantes polacos de Francia, Bélgica y Holanda.
En 1948 regresó a Polonia y primero fue coadjutor en la parroquia de Niegowić, a las afueras de Cracovia, y luego en la de San Florián, dentro de la ciudad. Fue capellán de los universitarios hasta 1951, cuando reanudó sus estudios filosóficos y teológicos. En 1953 presentó, en la Universidad Jagellónìca de Cracovia, una tesis sobre la posibilidad de fundar una ética cristiana a partir del sistema ético de Max Scheler. Después fue profesor de Teología Moral y Ética en el seminario mayor de Cracovia y en la Facultad de Teología de Lublín.
El 4 de julio de 1958, el Papa Pío XII lo nombró Obispo Auxiliar de Cracovia y titular de Ombi. Recibió la ordenación episcopal el 28 de septiembre de 1958 en la catedral de Wawel (Cracovia), de manos del Arzobispo Eugeniusz Baziak.
El 13 de enero de 1964 fue nombrado Arzobispo de Cracovia por el Papa Pablo VI, que lo creó Cardenal el 26 de junio de 1967.
Participó en el Concilio Vaticano II (1962-1965), contribuyendo especialmente en la elaboración de la constitución Gaudium et spes. El Cardenal Wojtyla participó en las 5 asambleas del Sínodo de los Obispos, anteriores a su Pontificado.
Fue elegido Papa el 16 de octubre de 1978 y el 22 de octubre dio inicio a su ministerio como Pastor Universal de la Iglesia.
El Papa Juan Pablo Il realizó 146 visitas pastorales en Italia y, como Obispo de Roma, visito 317 de las 332 parroquias con que cuenta Roma en la actualidad. Realizó 104 viajes apostólicos por el mundo, expresión de la constante solicitud pastoral del Sucesor de Pedro por todas las Iglesias.
Entre sus principales documentos se encuentran 14 Encíclicas, 15 Exhortaciones apostólicas, 11 Constituciones apostólicas y 45 Cartas apostólicas. Al Papa Juan Pablo II se deben también 5 libros: Cruzando el umbral de la esperanza (octubre de 1994); Don y misterio: en el quincuagésimo aniversario de mi sacerdocio (noviembre de 1996); Tríptico romano, meditaciones en forma de poesía (marzo de 2003); ¡Levantaos! ¡vamos! (mayo de 2004) y Memoria e identidad (febrero de 2005).
El Papa Juan Pablo II celebró 147 ceremonias de beatificación, en las cuales proclamo 1338 beatos, y 51 de canonización, con un total de 482 santos. Tuvo 9 consistorios, en los que creó 231 Cardenales (+ 1 in pectore). Presidió también 6 reuniones plenarias del Colegio de Cardenales.
Desde 1978 convoco 15 asambleas del Sínodo de los Obispos: 6 generales ordinarias (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990,1994 Y 2001), 1 asamblea general extraordinaria (1985) y 8 asambleas especiales (1980, 1991, 1994, 1995,1997,1998 [2] Y 1999).
El 13 de mayo de 1981, en la Plaza de San Pedro, sufrió un grave atentado. Salvado por la mano maternal de la Madre de Dios, tras una larga convalecencia, perdonó a su agresor y, consciente de haber recibido una nueva vida, intensificó sus compromisos pastorales con heroica generosidad.
Su solicitud de pastor encontró, además, expresión en la erección de numerosas diócesis y circunscripciones eclesiásticas, en la promulgación de los Códigos de Derecho Canónico —el latino y el de las Iglesias Orientales—, del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica. Proponiendo al Pueblo de Dios momentos de particular intensidad espiritual, convocó el Año de la Redención, el Año Mariano y el Año de la Eucaristía, además del Gran Jubileo del año 2000. Se acercó a las nuevas generaciones instituyendo la celebración de la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud.
Ningún Papa se había encontrado con tantas personas como Juan Pablo II. En las Audiencias Generales de los miércoles (no menos de 1160) participaron más de 17.600.000 peregrinos, sin contar todas las demás audiencias especiales y las ceremonias religiosas (más de 8 millones de peregrinos solo durante el Gran Jubileo del año 2000). También se encontró con millones de fieles en el curso de las visitas pastorales en Italia y en el mundo. Igualmente fueron numerosos los mandatarios recibidos en audiencia: baste recordar las 38 visitas oficiales y las 738 audiencias o encuentros con Jefes de Estado, así como las 246 audiencias y encuentros con Primeros Ministros.
Murió en Roma, en el Palacio Apostólico Vaticano, el sábado 2 de abril de 2005, a las 21h 37m, la víspera del Domingo in Albis o de la Divina Misericordia, fiesta instituida por él. Los funerales solemnes en la Plaza de San Pedro y la sepultura en las Grutas Vaticanas fueron celebrados el 8 de abril.
La solemne ceremonia de beatificación, en el atrio de la Basílica Papal de San Pedro, el 1 de mayo de 2011, fue presidida por el Sumo Pontífice Benedicto XVI, su inmediato sucesor y valioso colaborador durante muchos años como Prefecto de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe.
El Papa Francisco celebró el rito de canonización de Juan Pablo II el 27 de abril de 2014.
Sobre la encíclica Fides et Ratio:
Por primera vez me acerco a leer este tipo de documentos que me han dejado una honda impresión positiva. A través de cada sentencia de cada línea, san Juan Pablo II nos muestra la verdad, nos enseña, nos advierte de los peligros y nos revitaliza en la fe y nuestro compromiso como hijos de Dios y miembros de la Iglesia católica.
Fides et Ratio palabras latinas de Fe y Verdad, citando a san Juan Pablo II "son como las dos alas con las cuales el espíritu humano se eleva hacia la contemplación de la verdad. Dios ha puesto en el corazón del hombre el deseo de conocer la verdad y, en definitiva, de conocerle a Él para que, conociéndolo y amándolo, pueda alcanzar también la plena verdad sobre sí mismo (cf. Ex 33, 18; Sal 27 [26], 8-9; 63 [62], 2-3; Jn 14, 8; 1 Jn 3, 2)."
San Juan Pablo II reflexiona sobre el rol de la teología y la filosofía para llegar a la verdad, ambas ciencias deben complementarse, ayudarse mutuamente. En ese sentido, San Juan Pablo II demuestra un hondo conocimiento de nuestro mundo actual y anuncia los errores que se han cometido y se siguen cometiendo por el alejamiento de la razón y la fe.
"La filosofía moderna, dejando de orientar su investigación sobre el ser, ha concentrado la propia búsqueda sobre el conocimiento humano. En lugar de apoyarse sobre la capacidad que tiene el hombre para conocer la verdad, ha preferido destacar sus límites y condicionamientos.
Ello ha derivado en varias formas de agnosticismo y de relativismo, que han llevado la investigación filosófica a perderse en las arenas movedizas de un escepticismo general"
"No es exagerado afirmar que buena parte del pensamiento filosófico moderno se ha desarrollado alejándose progresivamente de la Revelación cristiana, hasta llegar a contraposiciones explícitas. En el siglo pasado, este movimiento alcanzó su culmen. Algunos representantes del idealismo intentaron de diversos modos transformar la fe y sus contenidos, incluso el misterio de la muerte y resurrección de Jesucristo, en estructuras dialécticas concebibles racionalmente. A este pensamiento se opusieron diferentes formas de humanismo ateo, elaboradas filosóficamente, que presentaron la fe como nociva y alienante para el desarrollo de la plena racionalidad. No tuvieron reparo en presentarse como nuevas religiones creando la base de proyectos que, en el plano político y social, desembocaron en sistemas totalitarios traumáticos para la humanidad."
Por eso San Juan Pablo II nos enseña "se puede entrever una gran correlación entre la vocación de la Santísima Virgen y la de la auténtica filosofía. Igual que la Virgen fue llamada a ofrecer toda su humanidad y femineidad a fin de que el Verbo de Dios pudiera encarnarse y hacerse uno de nosotros, así la filosofía está llamada a prestar su aportación, racional y crítica, para que la teología, como comprensión de la fe, sea fecunda y eficaz."
La verdad es Cristo y san Juan Pablo II dice: "Ahora todos tienen en Cristo acceso al Padre; en efecto, con su muerte y resurrección, Él ha dado la vida divina que el primer Adán había rechazado (cf. Rm 5, 12-15). Con esta Revelación se ofrece al hombre la verdad última sobre su propia vida y sobre el destino de la historia: « Realmente, el misterio del hombre sólo se esclarece en el misterio del Verbo encarnado », afirma la Constitución Gaudium et spes. Fuera de esta perspectiva, el misterio de la existencia personal resulta un enigma insoluble. ¿Dónde podría el hombre buscar la respuesta a las cuestiones dramáticas como el dolor, el sufrimiento de los inocentes y la muerte, sino no en la luz que brota del misterio de la pasión, muerte y resurrección de Cristo?"
San Juan Pablo II se refiere también a la libertad y la fe: "En la fe, pues, la libertad no sólo está presente, sino que es necesaria. Más aún, la fe es la que permite a cada uno expresar mejor la propia libertad. Dicho con otras palabras, la libertad no se realiza en las opciones contra Dios."
San Juan Pablo II conoce al hombre actual que se ha alejado de Dios y dice: "el necio se engaña pensando que conoce muchas cosas, pero en realidad no es capaz de fijar la mirada sobre las esenciales. Ello le impide poner orden en su mente (cf. Pr 1, 7) y asumir una actitud adecuada para consigo mismo y para con el ambiente que le rodea. Cuando llega a afirmar: « Dios no existe » (cf. Sal 14 [13], 1), muestra con claridad definitiva lo deficiente de su conocimiento y lo lejos que está de la verdad plena sobre las cosas, sobre su origen y su destino."
Una de las conclusiones de Fides et Ratio que el santo Juan Pablo II es: "Pido a todos que fijen su atención en el hombre, que Cristo salvó en el misterio de su amor, y en su permanente búsqueda de verdad y de sentido. Diversos sistemas filosóficos, engañándolo, lo han convencido de que es dueño absoluto de sí mismo, que puede decidir autónomamente sobre su propio destino y su futuro confiando sólo en sí mismo y en sus propias fuerzas. La grandeza del hombre jamás consistirá en esto. Sólo la opción de insertarse en la verdad, al amparo de la Sabiduría y en coherencia con ella, será determinante para su realización. Solamente en este horizonte de la verdad comprenderá la realización plena de su libertad y su llamada al amor y al conocimiento de Dios como realización suprema de sí mismo."
Realmente es una encíclica de mucha sabiduría. Recomiendo encarecidamente su lectura.
Así iniciamos el ciclo 2023.
Referencia bibliográfica:
https://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/...
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-p...
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-p...
san Juan Pablo II fue el 263° Papa de la Iglesia Católica y escribió catorce encíclicas, siendo Fides et Ratio su penúltima encíclica. (2)
Sobre san Juan Pablo II (3)
Karol Józef Wojtyla, elegido Papa el 16 de octubre de 1978, nació en Wadowice (Polonia) el 18 de mayo de 1920.
Fue el menor de los tres hijos de Karol Wojtyla y Emilia Kaczorowska, que falleció en 1929. Su hermano mayor, Edmund, médico, murió en 1932 y su padre, suboficial del ejército, en 1941.
A los nueve años recibió la Primera Comunión y a los dieciocho el sacramento de la Confirmación. Terminados los estudios en la escuela superior de Wadowice, en 1938 se inscribió en la Universidad Jagellónica de Cracovia.
Cuando las fuerzas de ocupación nazis cerraron la Universidad en 1939, el joven Karol trabajó (1940-1944) en una cantera y luego en la fabrica química Solvay para poder subsistir y evitar la deportación a Alemania.
A partir de 1942, sintiéndose llamado al sacerdocio, asistió a los cursos de formación del seminario mayor clandestino de Cracovia, dirigido por el Arzobispo Adam Stefan Sapieha. Al mismo tiempo, fue uno de los promotores del "Teatro Rapsódico", también clandestino.
Después de la guerra, continuo sus estudios en el seminario mayor de Cracovia, abierto de nuevo, y en la Facultad de Teología de la Universidad Jagellónica, hasta su ordenación sacerdotal, en Cracovia, el 1 de noviembre de 1946. Después fue enviado por el Cardenal Sapieha a Roma, donde obtuvo el doctorado en teología (1948), con una tesis sobre el tema de la fe en las obras de San Juan de la Cruz. En esos años, durante sus vacaciones, ejerció el ministerio pastoral entre los emigrantes polacos de Francia, Bélgica y Holanda.
En 1948 regresó a Polonia y primero fue coadjutor en la parroquia de Niegowić, a las afueras de Cracovia, y luego en la de San Florián, dentro de la ciudad. Fue capellán de los universitarios hasta 1951, cuando reanudó sus estudios filosóficos y teológicos. En 1953 presentó, en la Universidad Jagellónìca de Cracovia, una tesis sobre la posibilidad de fundar una ética cristiana a partir del sistema ético de Max Scheler. Después fue profesor de Teología Moral y Ética en el seminario mayor de Cracovia y en la Facultad de Teología de Lublín.
El 4 de julio de 1958, el Papa Pío XII lo nombró Obispo Auxiliar de Cracovia y titular de Ombi. Recibió la ordenación episcopal el 28 de septiembre de 1958 en la catedral de Wawel (Cracovia), de manos del Arzobispo Eugeniusz Baziak.
El 13 de enero de 1964 fue nombrado Arzobispo de Cracovia por el Papa Pablo VI, que lo creó Cardenal el 26 de junio de 1967.
Participó en el Concilio Vaticano II (1962-1965), contribuyendo especialmente en la elaboración de la constitución Gaudium et spes. El Cardenal Wojtyla participó en las 5 asambleas del Sínodo de los Obispos, anteriores a su Pontificado.
Fue elegido Papa el 16 de octubre de 1978 y el 22 de octubre dio inicio a su ministerio como Pastor Universal de la Iglesia.
El Papa Juan Pablo Il realizó 146 visitas pastorales en Italia y, como Obispo de Roma, visito 317 de las 332 parroquias con que cuenta Roma en la actualidad. Realizó 104 viajes apostólicos por el mundo, expresión de la constante solicitud pastoral del Sucesor de Pedro por todas las Iglesias.
Entre sus principales documentos se encuentran 14 Encíclicas, 15 Exhortaciones apostólicas, 11 Constituciones apostólicas y 45 Cartas apostólicas. Al Papa Juan Pablo II se deben también 5 libros: Cruzando el umbral de la esperanza (octubre de 1994); Don y misterio: en el quincuagésimo aniversario de mi sacerdocio (noviembre de 1996); Tríptico romano, meditaciones en forma de poesía (marzo de 2003); ¡Levantaos! ¡vamos! (mayo de 2004) y Memoria e identidad (febrero de 2005).
El Papa Juan Pablo II celebró 147 ceremonias de beatificación, en las cuales proclamo 1338 beatos, y 51 de canonización, con un total de 482 santos. Tuvo 9 consistorios, en los que creó 231 Cardenales (+ 1 in pectore). Presidió también 6 reuniones plenarias del Colegio de Cardenales.
Desde 1978 convoco 15 asambleas del Sínodo de los Obispos: 6 generales ordinarias (1980, 1983, 1987, 1990,1994 Y 2001), 1 asamblea general extraordinaria (1985) y 8 asambleas especiales (1980, 1991, 1994, 1995,1997,1998 [2] Y 1999).
El 13 de mayo de 1981, en la Plaza de San Pedro, sufrió un grave atentado. Salvado por la mano maternal de la Madre de Dios, tras una larga convalecencia, perdonó a su agresor y, consciente de haber recibido una nueva vida, intensificó sus compromisos pastorales con heroica generosidad.
Su solicitud de pastor encontró, además, expresión en la erección de numerosas diócesis y circunscripciones eclesiásticas, en la promulgación de los Códigos de Derecho Canónico —el latino y el de las Iglesias Orientales—, del Catecismo de la Iglesia Católica. Proponiendo al Pueblo de Dios momentos de particular intensidad espiritual, convocó el Año de la Redención, el Año Mariano y el Año de la Eucaristía, además del Gran Jubileo del año 2000. Se acercó a las nuevas generaciones instituyendo la celebración de la Jornada Mundial de la Juventud.
Ningún Papa se había encontrado con tantas personas como Juan Pablo II. En las Audiencias Generales de los miércoles (no menos de 1160) participaron más de 17.600.000 peregrinos, sin contar todas las demás audiencias especiales y las ceremonias religiosas (más de 8 millones de peregrinos solo durante el Gran Jubileo del año 2000). También se encontró con millones de fieles en el curso de las visitas pastorales en Italia y en el mundo. Igualmente fueron numerosos los mandatarios recibidos en audiencia: baste recordar las 38 visitas oficiales y las 738 audiencias o encuentros con Jefes de Estado, así como las 246 audiencias y encuentros con Primeros Ministros.
Murió en Roma, en el Palacio Apostólico Vaticano, el sábado 2 de abril de 2005, a las 21h 37m, la víspera del Domingo in Albis o de la Divina Misericordia, fiesta instituida por él. Los funerales solemnes en la Plaza de San Pedro y la sepultura en las Grutas Vaticanas fueron celebrados el 8 de abril.
La solemne ceremonia de beatificación, en el atrio de la Basílica Papal de San Pedro, el 1 de mayo de 2011, fue presidida por el Sumo Pontífice Benedicto XVI, su inmediato sucesor y valioso colaborador durante muchos años como Prefecto de la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe.
El Papa Francisco celebró el rito de canonización de Juan Pablo II el 27 de abril de 2014.
Sobre la encíclica Fides et Ratio:
Por primera vez me acerco a leer este tipo de documentos que me han dejado una honda impresión positiva. A través de cada sentencia de cada línea, san Juan Pablo II nos muestra la verdad, nos enseña, nos advierte de los peligros y nos revitaliza en la fe y nuestro compromiso como hijos de Dios y miembros de la Iglesia católica.
Fides et Ratio palabras latinas de Fe y Verdad, citando a san Juan Pablo II "son como las dos alas con las cuales el espíritu humano se eleva hacia la contemplación de la verdad. Dios ha puesto en el corazón del hombre el deseo de conocer la verdad y, en definitiva, de conocerle a Él para que, conociéndolo y amándolo, pueda alcanzar también la plena verdad sobre sí mismo (cf. Ex 33, 18; Sal 27 [26], 8-9; 63 [62], 2-3; Jn 14, 8; 1 Jn 3, 2)."
San Juan Pablo II reflexiona sobre el rol de la teología y la filosofía para llegar a la verdad, ambas ciencias deben complementarse, ayudarse mutuamente. En ese sentido, San Juan Pablo II demuestra un hondo conocimiento de nuestro mundo actual y anuncia los errores que se han cometido y se siguen cometiendo por el alejamiento de la razón y la fe.
"La filosofía moderna, dejando de orientar su investigación sobre el ser, ha concentrado la propia búsqueda sobre el conocimiento humano. En lugar de apoyarse sobre la capacidad que tiene el hombre para conocer la verdad, ha preferido destacar sus límites y condicionamientos.
Ello ha derivado en varias formas de agnosticismo y de relativismo, que han llevado la investigación filosófica a perderse en las arenas movedizas de un escepticismo general"
"No es exagerado afirmar que buena parte del pensamiento filosófico moderno se ha desarrollado alejándose progresivamente de la Revelación cristiana, hasta llegar a contraposiciones explícitas. En el siglo pasado, este movimiento alcanzó su culmen. Algunos representantes del idealismo intentaron de diversos modos transformar la fe y sus contenidos, incluso el misterio de la muerte y resurrección de Jesucristo, en estructuras dialécticas concebibles racionalmente. A este pensamiento se opusieron diferentes formas de humanismo ateo, elaboradas filosóficamente, que presentaron la fe como nociva y alienante para el desarrollo de la plena racionalidad. No tuvieron reparo en presentarse como nuevas religiones creando la base de proyectos que, en el plano político y social, desembocaron en sistemas totalitarios traumáticos para la humanidad."
Por eso San Juan Pablo II nos enseña "se puede entrever una gran correlación entre la vocación de la Santísima Virgen y la de la auténtica filosofía. Igual que la Virgen fue llamada a ofrecer toda su humanidad y femineidad a fin de que el Verbo de Dios pudiera encarnarse y hacerse uno de nosotros, así la filosofía está llamada a prestar su aportación, racional y crítica, para que la teología, como comprensión de la fe, sea fecunda y eficaz."
La verdad es Cristo y san Juan Pablo II dice: "Ahora todos tienen en Cristo acceso al Padre; en efecto, con su muerte y resurrección, Él ha dado la vida divina que el primer Adán había rechazado (cf. Rm 5, 12-15). Con esta Revelación se ofrece al hombre la verdad última sobre su propia vida y sobre el destino de la historia: « Realmente, el misterio del hombre sólo se esclarece en el misterio del Verbo encarnado », afirma la Constitución Gaudium et spes. Fuera de esta perspectiva, el misterio de la existencia personal resulta un enigma insoluble. ¿Dónde podría el hombre buscar la respuesta a las cuestiones dramáticas como el dolor, el sufrimiento de los inocentes y la muerte, sino no en la luz que brota del misterio de la pasión, muerte y resurrección de Cristo?"
San Juan Pablo II se refiere también a la libertad y la fe: "En la fe, pues, la libertad no sólo está presente, sino que es necesaria. Más aún, la fe es la que permite a cada uno expresar mejor la propia libertad. Dicho con otras palabras, la libertad no se realiza en las opciones contra Dios."
San Juan Pablo II conoce al hombre actual que se ha alejado de Dios y dice: "el necio se engaña pensando que conoce muchas cosas, pero en realidad no es capaz de fijar la mirada sobre las esenciales. Ello le impide poner orden en su mente (cf. Pr 1, 7) y asumir una actitud adecuada para consigo mismo y para con el ambiente que le rodea. Cuando llega a afirmar: « Dios no existe » (cf. Sal 14 [13], 1), muestra con claridad definitiva lo deficiente de su conocimiento y lo lejos que está de la verdad plena sobre las cosas, sobre su origen y su destino."
Una de las conclusiones de Fides et Ratio que el santo Juan Pablo II es: "Pido a todos que fijen su atención en el hombre, que Cristo salvó en el misterio de su amor, y en su permanente búsqueda de verdad y de sentido. Diversos sistemas filosóficos, engañándolo, lo han convencido de que es dueño absoluto de sí mismo, que puede decidir autónomamente sobre su propio destino y su futuro confiando sólo en sí mismo y en sus propias fuerzas. La grandeza del hombre jamás consistirá en esto. Sólo la opción de insertarse en la verdad, al amparo de la Sabiduría y en coherencia con ella, será determinante para su realización. Solamente en este horizonte de la verdad comprenderá la realización plena de su libertad y su llamada al amor y al conocimiento de Dios como realización suprema de sí mismo."
Realmente es una encíclica de mucha sabiduría. Recomiendo encarecidamente su lectura.
Así iniciamos el ciclo 2023.
Referencia bibliográfica:
https://es.catholic.net/op/articulos/...
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-p...
https://www.vatican.va/content/john-p...
December 26, 2014
Ever since the 18th Century "Age of Reason", and particularly since the German philosopher Emmanuel Kant published his groundbreaking work "A Critique of Pure Reason", there has been an assumption that faith and reason are somehow opposed to one another, and that someone who accepts religious beliefs based on faith has laid aside his reason. This is a flawed assumption to say the least, and in the work "Fides et Ratio", Pope St. John Paul II takes on this viewpoint with all of the eloquence and rigor that is typical of his encyclicals. It is a must read for as many Catholics, and even for non-Catholics, as possible.
It is my firm belief that if Catholics were to read and understand the writings of JPII, most if not all of the modern objections to the Catholic faith could be resolved. In this work, JPII presents an excellent analysis of the Catholic view on the complete compatibility and harmony of faith and reason. He starts out the encyclical with the motto that was engraved on the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi, "Know Thyself". JPII uses this motto as a springboard to help his reader draw the connection between true virtue as exemplified by wisdom and prudence and rational exploration of the world around us. He points out how traditional Catholic thinkers were also rigorous rationalists. Men like St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas, and even mystics like St. Theresa of Avila, used reason extensively in their works to demonstrate Catholic truths. He further laments the decline of philosophy, and particularly metaphysics, in the formation of Catholic priests and religious. It is an irony that, in an age when the Catholic faith is derided as irrational and superstition, the seminaries have turned their backs on the best tools available to address these concerns, namely a good solid education in philosophical logic, reasoning and metaphysics. If only Catholics could fall in love with philosophy in the way that Catholics have embraced it for centuries since the Patristic era. JPII, as a PhD Philosopher and former Philosophy professor at the Jaggelonian University in Krakow, understands this better than perhaps anyone.
It would be interesting for a Catholic group to invite a group of atheistic and agnostic scientists to a joint study of "Fides et Ratio", and see what kinds of discussions follow from it. Like all of JPII's writings, this one is meant to be read a little at a time, pondered and meditated on, and shared with others like the precious jewels that they are. I highly recommend this encyclical to everyone, particularly to anyone with an interest in science, philosophy or scholarship of any kind. It is a tremendous gift to the Church!
It is my firm belief that if Catholics were to read and understand the writings of JPII, most if not all of the modern objections to the Catholic faith could be resolved. In this work, JPII presents an excellent analysis of the Catholic view on the complete compatibility and harmony of faith and reason. He starts out the encyclical with the motto that was engraved on the ancient Greek oracle at Delphi, "Know Thyself". JPII uses this motto as a springboard to help his reader draw the connection between true virtue as exemplified by wisdom and prudence and rational exploration of the world around us. He points out how traditional Catholic thinkers were also rigorous rationalists. Men like St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas, and even mystics like St. Theresa of Avila, used reason extensively in their works to demonstrate Catholic truths. He further laments the decline of philosophy, and particularly metaphysics, in the formation of Catholic priests and religious. It is an irony that, in an age when the Catholic faith is derided as irrational and superstition, the seminaries have turned their backs on the best tools available to address these concerns, namely a good solid education in philosophical logic, reasoning and metaphysics. If only Catholics could fall in love with philosophy in the way that Catholics have embraced it for centuries since the Patristic era. JPII, as a PhD Philosopher and former Philosophy professor at the Jaggelonian University in Krakow, understands this better than perhaps anyone.
It would be interesting for a Catholic group to invite a group of atheistic and agnostic scientists to a joint study of "Fides et Ratio", and see what kinds of discussions follow from it. Like all of JPII's writings, this one is meant to be read a little at a time, pondered and meditated on, and shared with others like the precious jewels that they are. I highly recommend this encyclical to everyone, particularly to anyone with an interest in science, philosophy or scholarship of any kind. It is a tremendous gift to the Church!
April 30, 2025
A remarkable work that explores not merely the possibility, but the necessity of approaching faith and reason both cautiously and courageously. Faith without reason devolves into superstition, while reason without faith ultimately descends into skepticism and nihilism. It is the cooperation of fides and ratio that allows us to see beyond the horizon of the tangible. The importance of trust—both in ourselves and in God—becomes essential if we are to truly understand our telos.
December 2, 2021
John Paul II unwaveringly commits himself to showing the proper relationship between faith and reason. He also makes a cry for the return of metaphysics and philosophy in general. Philosophy is fulfilled through its relationship with faith and revelation.
May 19, 2016
The desire for knowledge is so great and it works in such a way that the human heart, despite its experience of insurmountable limitations, yearns for the infinite riches which lie beyond, knowing that there is to be found the satisfying answer to every question as yet unanswered.
This is but one of the many gems Saint John Paul II writes in his encyclical. With his solid background in philosophy and theology he explores with unremitting rigor the relationship of faith and reason and their necessary grounding in truth.
Whether we admit it or not, there comes for everyone the moment when personal existence must be anchored to a truth recognized as final, a truth which confers a certitude no longer open to doubt. [...] The capacity to search for truth and to pose questions itself implies the rudiments of a response. Human beings would not even begin to search for something of which they knew nothing or for something which they thought was wholly beyond them.
He analyzes modern philosophies to what extend they answer the human spirit's search for truth.
Rather than make use of the human capacity to know the truth, modern philosophy has preferred to accentuate the ways in which this capacity is limited and conditioned. [...] A legitimate plurality of positions has yielded an undifferentiated pluralism, based upon the assumption that all positions are equally valid, which is one of today's most widespread symptoms of the lack of confidence in truth.
Much of this encyclical is dedicated to restore this lack of confidence in truth found in modern society in order for man to regain his full humanity.
This is but one of the many gems Saint John Paul II writes in his encyclical. With his solid background in philosophy and theology he explores with unremitting rigor the relationship of faith and reason and their necessary grounding in truth.
Whether we admit it or not, there comes for everyone the moment when personal existence must be anchored to a truth recognized as final, a truth which confers a certitude no longer open to doubt. [...] The capacity to search for truth and to pose questions itself implies the rudiments of a response. Human beings would not even begin to search for something of which they knew nothing or for something which they thought was wholly beyond them.
He analyzes modern philosophies to what extend they answer the human spirit's search for truth.
Rather than make use of the human capacity to know the truth, modern philosophy has preferred to accentuate the ways in which this capacity is limited and conditioned. [...] A legitimate plurality of positions has yielded an undifferentiated pluralism, based upon the assumption that all positions are equally valid, which is one of today's most widespread symptoms of the lack of confidence in truth.
Much of this encyclical is dedicated to restore this lack of confidence in truth found in modern society in order for man to regain his full humanity.
May 21, 2008
Pope John Paul II shows how much of a philosopher he really is in this work. He makes one of the more successful attempts at not only bridging the gap between faith and reason but making them codependent upon one another. My favorite quote from this work, one that kicks of the ideas that he puts forth, "Abandoning the investigation of being, modern philosophical research has concentrated instead upon human knowing. Rather than make use of the human capacity to know the truth, modern philosophy has preferred to accentuate the ways in which this capacity is limited and conditioned." Here he distinctly puts himself at odds with the rationalists on purpose. He makes a good case for faith needing reason, for without reason there would not exist free will and faith without the existence of free will becomes little more than instinct and looses significance. It is through reason that faith becomes significant and this significance feeds the thirst of reason. (you can see his return to the ancients in that circular thought).
I highly recommend this as a philosophical read, even more so over a theological one.
This work is available from the Vatican website for free in most major languages.
I highly recommend this as a philosophical read, even more so over a theological one.
This work is available from the Vatican website for free in most major languages.
September 13, 2007
even if you aren't catholic, Pope John Paul still offers a lot. the most important thing I took, barring the religious aspects (which is like 90%) is that culture is headed in a direction that among other things attempts to validated two "truths" that might contradict one another such as "x" can be true for christians and something contradictory "y" can be true for muslims, and they are both universal truths...and thats no good
backburner
August 6, 2016Dec 17, 2015: Not sure how long this has been on my ‘currently reading’ but I’m not, so it’s OFF!
Last night I discovered the best lecture on this amazing encyclical. Listened to 1/2 of it and hope to finish the other 1/2 today.
Last night I discovered the best lecture on this amazing encyclical. Listened to 1/2 of it and hope to finish the other 1/2 today.
June 24, 2010
A must read for those stuggling with the questions about religion. JPII's argument is solid and offers comfort for the secularized mind.
September 26, 2016
I love how Catholicism embraces the harmonious unity of faith and reason. Faith and reason both lead to God which, in turn, reveals to us the truths about who we are and what life's meaning is.
February 12, 2019
St. John Paul II's encyclical dealing with philosophy and its relationship to theology. A great example of the intellectual tradition of the Catholic Church and its respect for all pursuit of truth.
June 19, 2023
5/5 ⭐
“la verdad jamás puede ser limitada por el tiempo y la cultura; se conoce en la historia, pero supera la historia misma.”
🙏Leí ésta carta encíclica allá por el año 2019, recomendación de quien fue mi guía espiritual y estaba un poco oxidada con la filosofía y era mi primera vez con la teología, así que, comenzó gustándome mucho, luego me aburría a tal punto que me daba sueño (¿Para qué mentir?) y por último me terminé peleando con dicho documento y lo abandoné para retomarlo más adelante y decir: “bueno, lo terminé”. Pero en ese entonces no tenía una fe sólida y ni un conocimiento espiritual que tengo ahora; por ejemplo: la referencia a Padres de la iglesia, los Concilios, los signos, etc.
🙏En ésta oportunidad ME ENCANTÓ todo lo que leí, aunque sigo oxidada con la Filosofía pude comprender que nos quiere decir su Santidad. En resumidas cuentas la frontera entre la razón y la fe está dada por la Sabiduría de la cruz.
🙏Da inicio diciendo que “Dios y el hombre, cada uno en su respectivo mundo, se encuentran así en una relación única. En Dios está el origen de cada cosa, en Él se encuentra la plenitud del misterio, y ésta es su gloria; al hombre le corresponde la misión de investigar con su razón la verdad, y en esto consiste su grandeza. Hay preguntas cuya respuesta es necesaria la fe.”
🙏La verdad es ESENCIAL en la vida e historia de los hombres y su objetivo es volver a darle la confianza al hombre de hoy la posibilidad de encontrar una respuesta segura a sus preguntas y crisis esenciales; Pero también es una invitación a la conciencia humana a enfrentarse al problema del existir y del vivir, a partir del reconocimiento de la verdad de Dios como principio de la verdad de la persona y del mundo entero»
🙏La verdad desde la iglesia es la fe; es la verdad hecha carne como expresión de amor desde la gratuidad. El conocimiento que el hombre tiene de Dios culmina cualquier otro conocimiento verdadero sobre el sentido de la propia existencia que su mente es capaz de alcanzar. La fe, que se funda en el testimonio de Dios y cuenta con la ayuda sobrenatural de la gracia, pertenece efectivamente a un orden diverso del conocimiento filosófico.
🙏La fe sin razón, conduce a la superstición y la razón sin fe, conduce al nihilismo y al relativismo; De ahí que sea tan necesaria una relación sana entre fe y razón, la cual es una relación íntima que SIEMPRE HA EXISTIDO. Lo que ha sucedido es que en nuestro mundo actual se han cometido una serie de errores como consecuencia del alejamiento de esta relación. Cito: “La filosofía moderna, dejando de orientar su investigación sobre el ser, ha concentrado la propia búsqueda sobre el conocimiento humano. En lugar de apoyarse sobre la capacidad que tiene el hombre para conocer la verdad, ha preferido destacar sus límites y condicionamientos. Ello ha derivado en varias formas de agnosticismo y de relativismo, que han llevado la investigación filosófica a perderse en las arenas movedizas de un escepticismo general”.
🙏Como ex atea sugiero que lean ésta carta encíclica de manera serena porque en ella se muestra el acercamiento de la parte razonable de la iglesia católica hacia los ateos y agnósticos. “La fe y la razón son como las dos alas con las cuales el espíritu humano se eleva hacia la contemplación de la verdad(...) “además del conocimiento propio de la razón humana, capaz por su naturaleza de llegar hasta el Creador, existe un conocimiento que es peculiar de la fe".
🙏A través de los tiempos, el ser humano se ha planteado preguntas fundamentales sobre su propia identidad y sobre su origen, como además sobre qué es lo que le sucederá después de su muerte. En la búsqueda de la verdad misma y su fundamento, la razón encuentra en la fe su apoyo más dotado de belleza.
🙏"Tanto la fe como la razón se han empobrecido y debilitado una ante la otra. La razón, privada de la aportación de la revelación, ha recorrido caminos secundarios que tienen el peligro de hacerle perder de vista su meta final. La fe, privada de la razón, ha subrayado el sentimiento y la experiencia, corriendo el riesgo de dejar de ser una propuesta universal".
🙏Por último “creer en la posibilidad de conocer una verdad universalmente válida no es en modo alguno fuente de intolerancia; al contrario, es una condición necesaria para un diálogo sincero y auténtico entre las personas.” Y agrega: "verdad y libertad, o bien van juntas o juntas perecen miserablemente. Lo más urgente hoy es llevar a los hombres a descubrir su capacidad de conocer la verdad”.
“la verdad jamás puede ser limitada por el tiempo y la cultura; se conoce en la historia, pero supera la historia misma.”
🙏Leí ésta carta encíclica allá por el año 2019, recomendación de quien fue mi guía espiritual y estaba un poco oxidada con la filosofía y era mi primera vez con la teología, así que, comenzó gustándome mucho, luego me aburría a tal punto que me daba sueño (¿Para qué mentir?) y por último me terminé peleando con dicho documento y lo abandoné para retomarlo más adelante y decir: “bueno, lo terminé”. Pero en ese entonces no tenía una fe sólida y ni un conocimiento espiritual que tengo ahora; por ejemplo: la referencia a Padres de la iglesia, los Concilios, los signos, etc.
🙏En ésta oportunidad ME ENCANTÓ todo lo que leí, aunque sigo oxidada con la Filosofía pude comprender que nos quiere decir su Santidad. En resumidas cuentas la frontera entre la razón y la fe está dada por la Sabiduría de la cruz.
🙏Da inicio diciendo que “Dios y el hombre, cada uno en su respectivo mundo, se encuentran así en una relación única. En Dios está el origen de cada cosa, en Él se encuentra la plenitud del misterio, y ésta es su gloria; al hombre le corresponde la misión de investigar con su razón la verdad, y en esto consiste su grandeza. Hay preguntas cuya respuesta es necesaria la fe.”
🙏La verdad es ESENCIAL en la vida e historia de los hombres y su objetivo es volver a darle la confianza al hombre de hoy la posibilidad de encontrar una respuesta segura a sus preguntas y crisis esenciales; Pero también es una invitación a la conciencia humana a enfrentarse al problema del existir y del vivir, a partir del reconocimiento de la verdad de Dios como principio de la verdad de la persona y del mundo entero»
🙏La verdad desde la iglesia es la fe; es la verdad hecha carne como expresión de amor desde la gratuidad. El conocimiento que el hombre tiene de Dios culmina cualquier otro conocimiento verdadero sobre el sentido de la propia existencia que su mente es capaz de alcanzar. La fe, que se funda en el testimonio de Dios y cuenta con la ayuda sobrenatural de la gracia, pertenece efectivamente a un orden diverso del conocimiento filosófico.
🙏La fe sin razón, conduce a la superstición y la razón sin fe, conduce al nihilismo y al relativismo; De ahí que sea tan necesaria una relación sana entre fe y razón, la cual es una relación íntima que SIEMPRE HA EXISTIDO. Lo que ha sucedido es que en nuestro mundo actual se han cometido una serie de errores como consecuencia del alejamiento de esta relación. Cito: “La filosofía moderna, dejando de orientar su investigación sobre el ser, ha concentrado la propia búsqueda sobre el conocimiento humano. En lugar de apoyarse sobre la capacidad que tiene el hombre para conocer la verdad, ha preferido destacar sus límites y condicionamientos. Ello ha derivado en varias formas de agnosticismo y de relativismo, que han llevado la investigación filosófica a perderse en las arenas movedizas de un escepticismo general”.
🙏Como ex atea sugiero que lean ésta carta encíclica de manera serena porque en ella se muestra el acercamiento de la parte razonable de la iglesia católica hacia los ateos y agnósticos. “La fe y la razón son como las dos alas con las cuales el espíritu humano se eleva hacia la contemplación de la verdad(...) “además del conocimiento propio de la razón humana, capaz por su naturaleza de llegar hasta el Creador, existe un conocimiento que es peculiar de la fe".
🙏A través de los tiempos, el ser humano se ha planteado preguntas fundamentales sobre su propia identidad y sobre su origen, como además sobre qué es lo que le sucederá después de su muerte. En la búsqueda de la verdad misma y su fundamento, la razón encuentra en la fe su apoyo más dotado de belleza.
🙏"Tanto la fe como la razón se han empobrecido y debilitado una ante la otra. La razón, privada de la aportación de la revelación, ha recorrido caminos secundarios que tienen el peligro de hacerle perder de vista su meta final. La fe, privada de la razón, ha subrayado el sentimiento y la experiencia, corriendo el riesgo de dejar de ser una propuesta universal".
🙏Por último “creer en la posibilidad de conocer una verdad universalmente válida no es en modo alguno fuente de intolerancia; al contrario, es una condición necesaria para un diálogo sincero y auténtico entre las personas.” Y agrega: "verdad y libertad, o bien van juntas o juntas perecen miserablemente. Lo más urgente hoy es llevar a los hombres a descubrir su capacidad de conocer la verdad”.
March 26, 2024
A true gem.
August 21, 2024
Mooi boek om in een klooster te lezen!
February 12, 2018
FIDES ET RATIO, Encyclical Letter of John Paul II [On the Relationship between Faith and Reason] [1998]
As a person who came to Faith and the Catholic Church first through Reason (an intellectual inquiry prompted by my own road to Damascus moment), I’ve always been interested in how it's possible for the two to coexist in one mind, Faith (Fides) and Reason (Ratio), when on the surface they appear so different, even contradictory. The operative phrase there is “on the surface.” Dictionary definitions and popular conceptions of terms like belief, faith, proof, and reason don't tell the whole store. There is more depth to upack in the philosophical understanding of these terms, more nuance that suggests Faith and Reason share, to quote John Paul II “a profound and indissoluble unity” [FER p29].
“The fundamental harmony between the knowledge of faith and the knowledge of philosophy is once again confirmed. Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason, and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents” [FER p57].
“The Magisterium's pronouncements have been concerned less with individual philosophical theses than with the need for rational and hence ultimately philosophical knowledge for the understanding of faith” [FER p70].
There is so much more to say about this topic. Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper has written extensively on this topic (see the essay 'On Faith' in his book FAITH, HOPE, LOVE [1986], AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF RELIGION by James Cox [2010]), as have many others going back centuries. But that's for another time.
FIDES ET RATIO is an enlightening document by one of our truly great philosophical popes. This small volume of 132 pages rewards the careful reader with his wisdom and insights, and with his warnings about liberation theology, Marxism, Socialism and Communism [FER p71-73]. This should be read, and studied, by some people in Rome. An excellent read.
As a person who came to Faith and the Catholic Church first through Reason (an intellectual inquiry prompted by my own road to Damascus moment), I’ve always been interested in how it's possible for the two to coexist in one mind, Faith (Fides) and Reason (Ratio), when on the surface they appear so different, even contradictory. The operative phrase there is “on the surface.” Dictionary definitions and popular conceptions of terms like belief, faith, proof, and reason don't tell the whole store. There is more depth to upack in the philosophical understanding of these terms, more nuance that suggests Faith and Reason share, to quote John Paul II “a profound and indissoluble unity” [FER p29].
“The fundamental harmony between the knowledge of faith and the knowledge of philosophy is once again confirmed. Faith asks that its object be understood with the help of reason, and at the summit of its searching reason acknowledges that it cannot do without what faith presents” [FER p57].
“The Magisterium's pronouncements have been concerned less with individual philosophical theses than with the need for rational and hence ultimately philosophical knowledge for the understanding of faith” [FER p70].
There is so much more to say about this topic. Catholic philosopher Josef Pieper has written extensively on this topic (see the essay 'On Faith' in his book FAITH, HOPE, LOVE [1986], AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHENOMENOLOGY OF RELIGION by James Cox [2010]), as have many others going back centuries. But that's for another time.
FIDES ET RATIO is an enlightening document by one of our truly great philosophical popes. This small volume of 132 pages rewards the careful reader with his wisdom and insights, and with his warnings about liberation theology, Marxism, Socialism and Communism [FER p71-73]. This should be read, and studied, by some people in Rome. An excellent read.
January 3, 2014
A very well-written and needed exhortation on the necessary relationship between faith and reason. Central to the Pope's vision is the recovery of the ''Sapiential Dimension'' of philosophy and the sciences - that is, that science, ethics, and anthropology is are interrelated and should be studied together. Also vital is a real and firm metaphysics, on which universal truths and statements can be truly - though imperfectly - known. By reaffirming these fundamental truths whichnare necessary for Christian faith, philosophers have a truly Christian task that they are called to take up, without losing any of the autonomy of philosophy's rationalistic method.
Quotables:
''If faith does not think, it is nothing'' (79, quoting Augustine).
''Without wonder, men and women would fall into a deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal'' (4).
''I cannot fail to note with surprise and displeasure that this lack of interest in the study of philosophy is shared by not a few theologians'' (61).
Quotables:
''If faith does not think, it is nothing'' (79, quoting Augustine).
''Without wonder, men and women would fall into a deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal'' (4).
''I cannot fail to note with surprise and displeasure that this lack of interest in the study of philosophy is shared by not a few theologians'' (61).
August 27, 2016
I've only read this book twice with a distance of 5 years in between. Surely I get much more of it now that I've converted, but it has been a good experience, and surely an influence in my conversion.
It's undoubtedly amazing, especially to know more about the Fathers of the Church and their decisive approach to philosophy as a way to show, how behind everything we can reason, there's a God. It's been quite an encouraging read to approach the Summa Theologica in the future, little by little.
It's undoubtedly amazing, especially to know more about the Fathers of the Church and their decisive approach to philosophy as a way to show, how behind everything we can reason, there's a God. It's been quite an encouraging read to approach the Summa Theologica in the future, little by little.
June 11, 2016
How does our "faith" and "reason" (ability to think) work together?
How can we enhance both?
How can dig deeper into our own humanity with regards to faith and reason?
How has the history of humanity revealed (or failed to reveal) this relationship?
What does scripture have to say about this?
The Saints?
Christ?
How important is this relationship?
It might just be everything your soul is looking for...
How can we enhance both?
How can dig deeper into our own humanity with regards to faith and reason?
How has the history of humanity revealed (or failed to reveal) this relationship?
What does scripture have to say about this?
The Saints?
Christ?
How important is this relationship?
It might just be everything your soul is looking for...
August 27, 2012
Un excelente análisis y propuesta conciliadora entre los temas que competen a la fe y la razón. Teniendo como punto de unión el pensamiento y el Ser Humano, una obra que es de lectura forzosa para todo aquel que desea conocer de una manera honesta la relación intima que ha habido, hay y habrá siempre entre fe y filosofía.
March 10, 2014
A brief explanation on the nature of faith and reason. But more so, a synthesis why faith and reason need to be reconciled to one another. A good philosophical structure leads to a well developed theology. Reason purifies faith from superstition, while faith purifies reason from odd conclusions of human existence.
August 8, 2016
A very strong argument for the necessity of both faith and human reasoning in coming to the discovery of truth, and likewise of reason in approaching faith and faith in approaching reason. Passages can be difficult at times (the writing is deep especially if one is unaccustomed to philosophical argument/language)
Read
August 1, 2012Letto all'epoca del Giubileo e soprattutto all'epoca in cui facevo la catechista in parrocchia... una lettura interessante (da quel che ricordo), ma anche impegnativa... e d'altra parte credo che il rapporto tra fede e ragione sia di natura teologica, ma anche individuale...
Read
November 26, 2016This is a very dense, philosophically-rich encyclical of John Paul II. It serves as a good introduction to the topic of religious epistemology and the study of the relationship between faith and reason.
November 26, 2016
Ok, but very meandering without getting to the point throughout much of the encyclical. He makes some good points, but you have to read a lot of excess verbiage to get to them. I would not read this again. 2.5 stars for being excessively verbose.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 26, 2017
I thought it was okay in parts, but as it drew to a conclusion it leaned more and more heavily on philosophy. Whilst this is a typical characteristic of Roman Catholic theology, and so should be of no surprise to a reader of this book, I found it unsatisfactory theologically.
February 18, 2008
A must read for any Catholic philosopher
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