Meeting of the student groups in Castelgandolfo 2015

How to speak of God
 
 

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report
 

This year's meeting of the student groups had the highlight of the celebration of Holy Mass with Pope em. Benedict XVI in the church of the Campo Santo Teutonico two content and one organizational focus.

The first focal point was the meeting of the members of the student group and the new student group with the Czech professor of sociology and pastor of the academic community in Prague, Tomáš Halík. The focus was on two lectures by the 2010 Romano Guardini Prize winner. In these, he dealt with the big question of faith today. Many of his experiences in the intellectual debate with doubters, non-believers and atheists flowed into this. One  focus of the discussion and the detailed talks was his approach that the crisis of the church harbors a great opportunity. In order to draw attention to a new focus on the interior of Christianity, Halík tries to broaden the view, far from the "classical" division of traditionalists and modernists. The Czech psychotherapist, who was ordained underground in 1978, drew on his therapeutic and priestly experience and combined this with a review of European literature into two highly interesting lectures that contained important information for the future development of Christianity in Europe.

Halík, who is also President of the Czech Christian Academy, states that the number of seekers, of people on the way, is increasing in his pastoral environment. The biblical figure of Abraham is a great role model for him: a seeker who has set out. Even today there are such people who are on the way and it is important to accompany them. Their searching already shows that they are called, but all too often it is not yet clear to them where and from whom the voice is coming. Since for Halík the theologian is a professional doubter, he can be a guide for people who are searching. Here the priests of our day must take time to accompany the people.

For the theologians who had met for two days in Castel Gandolfo, a second substantive emphasis was then given by a short lecture by a priest who many decades ago taught Prof. Dr. Joseph Ratzinger did his doctorate. During an evening round table discussion, he gave a brief report on the current situation of the persecuted Christians in Syria. Père Antoine is from Lebanon and his family lives in Damascus. In this way, the theologians gathered in Castel Gandolfo were able to gain an impression of the current political situation of Christians in the Middle East.

As an organizational focus, the new student group has given itself a basis with the formulation of a self-image. This is also available on the homepage. In it, the main features are recorded as to how the young theologians want to work together and how Joseph Ratzinger's theology can continue to be fruitful.

The highlight of the meeting was the Holy Mass with Pope em. Benedict XVI in the Campo Santo Teutonico in the Vatican. In a free sermon, ready for publication as always, the theology professor expounded the Sunday gospel to his students. This was followed by a very impressive personal encounter with the former Regensburg professor of dogmatics and today's Pope emeritus!

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P. Justinus C. Pech

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Photos: Michael Hofmann, Stefan Loppacher

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