Catholic theology flows from faith in God, pope tells theologians

Published: 2005-12-01

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- While theology is an academic discipline and must follow the rules of scientific inquiry, it is not Catholic theology if it does not flow from faith in God and if it does not recognize the authority of the church, Pope Benedict XVI said. The pope met Dec. 1 with members of the International Theological Commission, a board he presided over for 24 years as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. U.S. Archbishop William J. Levada, who succeeded the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, thanked the pope for having "wisely guided" the commission's work, "approving numerous documents that contributed and still contribute to the growth of theology and to deepening important and essential themes of Catholic doctrine." The commission had three items on the agenda of its Nov. 28-Dec. 2 meeting: preparation of a statement on the salvation of babies who die without baptism, a study on the nature and methods of Catholic theology, and a study on the foundations of natural moral law.

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