Pope Francis (WikiMedia Commons)

Reflecting on Pope Francis's vision for the Church

New book, with contributions from many BC faculty and alumni, looks to expand the reception of the first Jesuit pope

For more than a decade, Pope Francis has led the Roman Catholic Church, 强调教会共治,将全球重点放在穷人身上, the marginalized, and the environment. 他对教会的看法——以及美国许多天主教徒不愿参与其中——在一本由电子游戏软件约瑟夫天主教神学教授克里斯汀·海耶(Kristin Heyer)合编的新书中得以探讨.

教皇方济各的道德视野:扩大美国对第一位耶稣会教皇的接待 (Georgetown University Press), co-edited by BC alumnus Conor Kelly, an associate professor at Marquette University, brings together leading U.S. 天主教神学家和神学伦理学家反思教宗方济各对道德神学的含蓄态度, 评估他的教导和行为,以描述他的道德愿景,并解释如何将这种愿景应用于一系列当代问题. The book’s contributing authors, most of whom are affiliated with Boston College, 还探讨了伊格纳爵对方济各教皇任期的影响.

海耶和凯利说,美国人对方济各教皇的评价不足.S. 主要由两个因素驱动,一个是学术因素,另一个与内容有关.

Kristin Heyer

天主教神学约瑟夫教授克里斯汀·海耶是《电子游戏正规平台》一书的共同编辑.'

在天主教道德神学和神学伦理领域, Pope Francis’s vision has been slower to take root because, 不像他的两位前任[教皇本笃十六世和教皇约翰保罗二世], Francis is less of a systematic thinker,” said Heyer. 他的方法不是提供谨慎的格言,而是以牧灵的紧迫感来回应. So to capture his moral vision, we needed to look not only at his official teachings, but also his homilies, addresses, gestures, and mode of engaging the world Church. 我们需要“逆向工程”这些丰富的见证模式的含义,以便从道德神学的角度精确地提炼出它们的含义.”

导致方济各的信息在美国缺乏接受的另一个因素.S.——无论是在主教还是在教堂里的信徒中——就是教皇的言行常常与美国文化格格不入, said Heyer. “There’s deep individualism in American culture, 教皇方济各真的在提升团结和相遇文化. Similarly, his teachings opposing throwaway culture, critiques of capitalism, 他对环境的预言与我们对消费主义的安逸是不一致的. 因为他的信息与人们的想法背道而驰,所以存在阻力.”

In Part I of The Moral Vision of Pope Francis, the foundations of the pope’s moral vision are examined by Kelly and contributing authors Monan Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle Cahill; Canisius Professor of Theology and Vice Provost James F. Keenan, S.J.; and BC alumni Elyse Raby of Santa Clara University, M.T. Dávila of Merrimack College, and Thomas Massaro, S.J., of Fordham University.

book The Moral Vision of Pope Francis

第二部分探讨方济各道德观在不同主题中的应用. 海耶电子游戏正规平台移民问题,而她的神学系同事、沃尔什大学教授安德里亚·维奇尼(Andrea Vicini)则是一名心理学家.J., focuses on bioethics. BC alumni Daniel DiLeo of Creighton University, Laurie Johnston of Emmanuel College, Megan McCabe of Gonzaga University, 和拉萨尔大学的莫林·奥康奈尔电子游戏正规平台了生态伦理, peace ethics, gender and feminism, and racism, respectively. Fordham University Professor Rev. Bryan Massingale, the James and Nancy Buckman Chair of Applied Christian Ethics, addresses LGBTQ issues and morality.

The roots of The Moral Vision of Pope Francis 回到2022年10月电子游戏软件关于“教皇方济各的道德神学”的会议.由文科学院和耶稣会学院资助, the conference hosted a public panel where Cahill, Fr. Keenan, Kelly, and Fr. 马辛格尔谈到了方济各教皇任期的影响以及对伦理学和道德神学领域的影响, challenges, opportunities, and what the future might hold.

The second part of the conference was a private, 在全天的研讨会上,贡献作者分享了教皇弗朗西斯的道德神学方法对他们特定主题领域的影响的电子游戏正规平台. 所有的参与者都阅读了彼此的书的章节草稿,每个人都被分配了一个回答. 海耶说,这种合作的方法导致了一本非常有凝聚力的出版物. 这也导致合著者将书名从道德神学改为道德视野. “The final product exceeds the scope of moral theology; there are implications for ministry, lay empowerment, for synodality.”

“There’s deep individualism in American culture, 教皇方济各真的在提升团结和相遇文化. Similarly, his teachings opposing throwaway culture, critiques of capitalism, 他对环境的预言与我们对消费主义的安逸是不一致的. 因为他的信息与人们的想法背道而驰,所以存在阻力.”
KRISTIN HEYER

海耶指出,在这些章节中,方济各的教皇身份和愿景出现了一些路标. 他对洞察力的承诺和“心高于头”的重要性在方济各的教学和塑造他所说的话中是显而易见的. 海耶补充说:“例如,我在关于移民的章节中详细讨论了这一点. It’s not just about structures and policies, 但意识形态和态度以及恐惧和仇外心理是如何塑造我们的思想和行动的.

“方济各关注不公正的政策,以及有害的态度如何在一系列问题上助长社会不公正, 例如,他们阻止我们听到地球的呼喊或穷人的呼喊. 他不仅关注个人的错误行为或美德与罪恶, but at more structural shortcomings, 这是一种不同于过去天主教神学家所看到的方法.”

弗朗西斯对模棱两可和陷入混乱的现实生活感到自在, according to Heyer. “他非常关注规范与实现规范的能力之间的差距,以及把规则或法律当作扔向人们生活的石头的危险. Sometimes that is disappointing to people, 但它允许人们诚实地提出新的问题.”

这本书很早就引起了学者和神学家的兴趣, 在今年夏天举行的美国天主教神学协会年会上,这也是一个小组讨论的主题. Heyer and Kelly envision professors using The Moral Vision of Pope Francis in their courses.

“We tried to present what it would mean for U.S. Catholics, both the people of God and scholars in the ivory towers, 在方济各的领导下,重塑我们作为教会的方式,拥抱一个充满矛盾心理的教会, centered on mercy and responsive listening, and focused on the poor.”