Thematic Seminar IV: Christianity’s present crisis and the future shape of the Church

4.5 ECTS / Semester / Português

We will take three sentences as a statement of the problem to be studied: «This time of ours is not only an epoch of change but a real epochal change» (Pope Francis); «We have not yet found the “form” that can allow us to move forward more freely and expeditiously» (Ghislain Lafont); «Christianity is in search of a new home and new forms of expression in a postmodern and post-secular pluralistic society» (Tomáš Halík). Then, it is intended to diagnose the crisis that exposes the end of an era for Christianity and to discuss its credibility theologically in our secular and plural cultural context. Assuming it as a «favorable moment» which, of itself, is already a theological position, the question of the ecclesial «form» that is capable of realizing, today, the «force» of the Gospel of the Kingdom will be posed, to identify shaping traits and generatrix categories of an existentially meaningful Christianity («livable») and culturally recognizable («visible»). Above all, it is desired that students identify the problem, the theological presuppositions with which it is approached, the mental framework that serves as its frame, and the categories with which thought is organized. Assuming itself as a seminar of fundamental theology, the path to be taken intends to deepen, in a critical way, the articulation of faith-culture by becoming aware of the problem at stake for the understanding of Christian identity and the realization of the Church’s mission. The frame of reference will be given by the Second Vatican Council, namely in Gaudium et spes, recently declined in Evangelii gaudium, texts that the students will study from this key. Then it is hoped that they will be able to deepen criteria such as «signs of the times» and «pastoralism» and categories such as «style» and «form», taking direct contact with the theologians Christoph Theobald, Ghislain Lafont, and Stella Morra. By doing so, the students will hopefully be exercised in the theological declension and pastoral application of these same criteria and categories. To have access to these authors, in some cases, due to the lack of translations, the use of the French and Italian languages will be unavoidable. 

Faculty

Professor Emérito ou Jubilado / Professor Auxiliar
José Frazão Correia, nasceu em 1970, na aldeia de Alqueidão da Serra. Fez estudos de Filosofia e de Teologia em Lisboa, Braga, Roma e Paris. Doutorou-se em…