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Dec. 16, 1964 THE SKYSCRAPER Page Three Theologians Explore 'Freedom, Man' Reverend Hans Kung is a pro fessor of theology at Tubingen Uni versity. He has written the con troversial The Council Reform and Reunion and The Structures op the Church, published talks to the bisliops of the second Vatican Council. It is not often that signal minds of two continents and diverse back grounds meet to survey an issue before the public. More rare still is the opportunity for American students to witness such a high-level intellectual exchange firsthand. To present the stimulating ideas as stated directly by today's influen tial theological minds to a broader audience than was able to attend the Washington seminar Freedom and Man at Georgetown University, the Skyscraper attempts to capture the core of these concepts in print. Kung Favors Dialogue, Discussion in Church by Mary Lynch can the theologian be truly free. The final success or fail ure of the Council will depend upon the immediate renewal of this center of the Church. Freedom elicits variety in the ology, explained Father Kung. There has never been only one the ology in the Catholic Church. All theologies are representative of the Church, but there is no entirely in clusive theology that might be termed singly representative. Father Kung described the Church as composed of a cen ter and a periphery. The center consists of those elements of tradition, unity, continuity, harmony and strict order. The periphery, on the other hand, includes movement, innovation and change. The periphery, however, must not be a reac tionary state of mind or an isolated area. It should, in stead, be in continual dialogue with the center. In his final remarks, Father Kung stated that the .true repre sentative theology will not be modern or traditional theology but rather one which is backed by a gospel founded on the word of God not the word of man and therein finds its emphasis. It is the truth which will make us free. Traditional Religious Liberty Keynotes Murray's Lecture Reverend Hans Kung stated that Freedom of Theology is not to be understood in a purely negative sense. In his address at the George town University philosophy confer ence Freedom and Man the young philosopher-theologian reiterated the position of the theologian in the Catholic Church. Freedom in the ology is a positive aspect free dom is something, he continued. It is a manifestation of freedom of the Church and is both a gift and a task. A problem that arises today in volves determining who really rep resents the Catholic Church. Fa ther Kung believes that the Church is in a similar dilemma to that of Protestant theologians who had formerly been distinguished from Catholic theologians by their di versified opinions. Today the Catholic viewpoint is likewise diversified, and to day's leading Catholic theologi ans look to the Church to back their individual theological out looks. The modern renewal in theology is pastoral in orientation (as op posed to the former scientific and literary approach). Theology is not intellectual query as an end in it self. It is, by its compromise with spirituality, a means which aims at serving God. Father Kung also pointed out that theology with a pastoral bent must be based on scholarly re search. Doctors of theology must continue to be students of theology, involved in active scholarly effort. Theology cannot be of any meaning if it is thoughtless par roting. Commenting on free theology and the Church, Father contended that the place of modern thought in theology is in .the middle of the Church. The theologian cannot stand above the Church if he is to be effective in engaging in theology to and for the Church. The criti cism which is the task of the the ologian must constantly be carried on. It is never finished once and for all. Also, the Catholic theology of infallibility does not negate the freedom of the theologian. There is an essential difference between the definition of faith of one person and .the definition of faith of the Church as a whole. Theology should seek discus sion, Father continued. The word of God has never been and will never be without witness of His people. Only by con stantly exposing himself to the people of God whom he serves, Appearing with the dignity and self-possession of a prince of the Church, Reverend John Courtney Murray, S.J., established a phe nomenal rapport with his audience by his wit, and thus became known as the personality at the confer ence. He immediately captivated his audience by proposing to talk directly on religious liberty at the Vatican Council. He began by pointing out that since the first rumblings of com plaint were repressed 10 years ago, nothing has been published on religious liberty, and thus the Church has been deprived of the guidance needed before the Coun cil. Three texts on religious freedom were submitted to the Council by this problem's few investigators. The first text, by Bishop Desmedt of Bel gium, and the second, by Pietro Pavane, Pope John's encyclical advisor, supported religious freedom, emphasizing the free dom of conscience and the full exercise of religion. These two texts tried to start from .theological or ethical princi ples of religion, and go to the practical effects of religion. The French-speaking bishops held that conscience leads to the exercise of conscience, but the Spanish bishops objected, holding that this view of religious liberty is only true for a person with a right conscience. Father Murray spearheaded the group of seven men who wrote the third text. In committee, the text was vetoed by Cardinal Michael Brown, who was more unsinkable by Nancy Vandenberg than his famous cousin, according to Father Murray. Using norms such as .the common good and the purpose of society, the bishops did not come to correct conclusions, and it was Father Murray's pur pose to revise and reconcile both previous texts. The seven-man group started from data of the historical con sciousness, concluding that the state of religious freedom is a ju ridical freedom which should be recognized in constitutions. Another of Father Murray's things to be saying the same thing? This is what .theologians are for. Father Murray's group concluded that religious liberty depends on a consideration of the integrity of the person. Before its final revision, the third text considered .two argu ments, both the classical and con temporary theories of tolerance. The classical theory begins with the ethical principle that truth has rights and error has no right. Their thesis, that Catholicism Reverend John Courtney Murray, SJ., a professor at Woodstock Je suit Theologate, Woodstock, Md., is best known for his lifelong studies of American and Roman Catholic confrontations, presented in his books, We Hold These Truths, The Problem of God: Yesterday and Tomorrow. He is a department editor of the Encyclopedia Britannica and editor of Theological Studies. As one of the investigators of the religious liberty problem, Father Murray was invited to the Vatican Council. Commenting on Father Murray's action at the council, Monsignor George Higgins, director of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, said, I never thought Father Murray would stoop to quote canon law even to confuse the conservatives. Expecting that Father Murray's text on religious liberty will be passed in the next session of the Council, Monsignor Higgins predicts a negative vote of less than 50. He also predicts that when the history of Vatican II is written Father Courtney Murray will be one of the ten master minds of the Coun cil. tasks was to reconcile Popes Pius IX and John XXIII on the issues of religious freedom. Pius IX held that religious liberty is a night mare, while John XXIII believed in the independence of conscience. Father Murray's comment was How do you get two popes who are saying exactly the opposite Rahner's Philosophy Explains Man's Free Choice of God Reverend Kovrl Rahner, SJ., teaches theology at the University of Munich. He edits the theological encyclopedia LEXIKON fur ThEOLO- GIE und KirchE and co-edits the QUESTIONNES DlSPUTATAE. God is the ground and the ob ject of freedom. An absolute act of freedom, said Reverend Karl Rahner, S.J., is the complete reali zation that freedom is derived from and directed towards God. Addressing a capacity crowd on the first night of the philosophy convention, the German theologian set the level with his profound in- tellectualism. In the theology of freedom, Father explored his be lief that .this involves a philosophy of freedom in context of revelation. Nears Final Phase Freedom, pointed out Father Rahner, is the story of man com ing to himself, an historical in volvement. He believes that man is now at a phase, the final phase, which only a vision of God can sur pass. Father enumerated two ways in which this can be fulfilled. First, there must be a complete self-giv ing of man as a free being; and by Mariellen O'Brien second, the ultimate acceptance of God, not objectively, not as a thing. Freedom is not a free choice, the theologian emphasized. It is a function according to the nature of spirit. The spirit of man contains a certain transcendence towards its supporting ground. Freedom is found in this transcendence, Fa ther Rahner pointed out. God is reflected upon in every act of freedom just as God is known in every object, he con tinued. Attains Self-understanding The transcendence of action is never purely natural. Freedom is a constituent of human nature, the theologian said. It is the ability to find oneself by reaching .to the ground of freedom. Freedom is not merely the capacity to choose, Father explained, but rather the attaining to self-understanding to say yes or no corresponding to self-appropriation in knowledge. Freedom, reiterated Father, is the self-realization of man choos ing objectively. It is the self-ful fillment or refusing of an in dividual. The basic act of free dom is related to the basic act of existence, Father said. Freedom is not identified in objective acts; it is not one of a series of moral acts or the morality in the last act. Relates Differences The concrete freedom of man leads to the unity of differences, Father Rahner explained. It is the real capacity in man for the eter nal. God is the ground of freedom; even in respect to this supporting ground there is freedom. The theo logian pointed out that man can deny its very condition which is God. Therefore, necessarily, man can affirm and deny God at the same time, but, Father warned, if he denies God then he is denying the very act of freedom. Discloses Mystery The mystery of freedom is pro found, he agreed, because it is di rected to God alone, as its source and object. A man who is fully free, the theologian emphasized, has submitted completely .to God. Freedom must always objectify it self, in order to find itself, and therefore, always be somewhat alien to itself, Father Rahner ex plained. It is necessarily ambigu ous and a mystery that must sur render itself to God. Father de fined the act of freedom as a truth ful risk, as the act whereby God delivers himself in redeeming free dom and man consents to this divine communication. should be the religion of the state, emerges from this principle. All other religions are technically ex terminated, that is, put beyond the boundaries of religious life. The rule of thumb for the conservatives who hold this classical theory is use intolerance when possible and tolerance when necessary. Father Murray pointed out that this .theory was finally rejected as false and unsuitable for the Church of today, and the contem porary theory was accepted. One example of religious lib erty is slid n in the contro versy of the bishops over the open question of whether hu man nature is fully known. Father Murray pointed out that man's nature is histori cal, and it grows as man lives and knows himself, thus being reflected in his social life. Father Murray, who was opti mistic in his views on the Council, said he believes .the majority of the fathers are for progress in doc trine. He also emphasized that there is no uncertainty in the Council about religious freedom. As Father sees it, one of the weaknesses of the third text is that it has no solid argument for a transition from the freedom of con science to the freedom to act in so ciety. This text affirms that the search for truth among men takes the form of a dialogue, and some form of communication is needed. Comments on the nature of reli gion, the human conscience and limits of the powers of govern ment in free society were included in .the text. The theological part of this text concerns the freedom of the church and of the faith. Father Murray said this text comments on freedom in the world today, and makes veiled references to freedom behind the Iron Curtain. He concluded with a call to all men to recognize that religious lib erty is due to every man.
title:
1964-12-16 (3)
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Women and Leadership Archives http://www.luc.edu/wla
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