Harmonizing ecclesiastical knowledge

In these first months of his pontificate, Pope Leo XIV has shown a growing concern for education. It is a central issue, as an important cultural and spiritual battle is being fought there, one that will define the future. While there have been various reflections on education in general and on Catholic universities, there has been a lack of in-depth debate on “ecclesiastical knowledge” (essentially, philosophy, theology, history, philology, and canon law), which helps the Church to explain itself and, above all, to proclaim its message.

Concerned about the configuration of higher education, I have just published the book The harmonization of ecclesiastical knowledge. Keys to Rethinking Catholic Higher Education, (Dykinson), published free of charge so that it can reach everyone, which aims to be a reflection on the subject based on Veritatis Gaudium.

It can be seen that, throughout the first centuries, the Church absorbed secular knowledge, synthesized it with the kerigma and tradition, offering a comprehensive encyclopedia of knowledge, which gradually became fragmented. With the triumph of liberalism, states separated themselves clearly from the Church, and ecclesiastical knowledge remained, in most Catholic countries, in seminaries and pontifical universities, in a state of decline. The Second Vatican Council decided to open the doors to dialogue with the secular world, and the Church, to this day, has followed the global guidelines of civil education without excessive hindrance. 

Much of the current problem stems from the fact that the Church has lost its intellectual leadership and has become complacent with global trends, which are characterized by fads that stray from Christian thinking, as well as by the reduction of basic training and the fragmentation into countless master's degrees, diplomas, and elective courses.

In order for each branch of knowledge not to go its own way, as has been the case in the civil world for two centuries, it is necessary for all ecclesiastical knowledge to have a clear understanding of the spiritual purpose that nourishes it and, above all, the unity that exists between them. From the internal tension between the different branches of knowledge, which cooperate with each other, a firm unity of knowledge must emerge, which can then engage in fruitful dialogue with civil knowledge. However, the lack of well-integrated ecclesiastical knowledge leads to abuses and misunderstandings and, above all, prevents the attainment of a harmonious truth that integrates and unifies them. What is needed is a harmonization that, without renouncing the irreducible character of each branch of knowledge, seeks to the utmost its connections with the others. 

A paradigm shift is proposed: a model for articulating ecclesiastical knowledge that starts with the Word of God, in its historical and philological context, continues on to philosophy, then rises to theological speculation, and finally translates into canon law. Finally, the joint re-reading of the Word of God and the canonical provisions should give way to new reflections and adjustments, and to restarting the process as many times as necessary.

All of this implies the need to organize new, more ambitious, and better-integrated ecclesiastical curricula that seek, above all, the unity of knowledge and the supernatural goal they pursue. This unity must be reflected in the arrangement of subjects and must fill the minds of students.

To this end, it is proposed to rethink the current curricula and structure the institutional cycle into a dual seven-year degree in Ecclesiastical Philosophy and Theology. This would broaden the scope of education and counteract the secular trend toward reducing basic education and increasing postgraduate studies. To achieve unity of knowledge, this double degree in Ecclesiastical Philosophy and Theology is necessary, which would then lead to various Bachelor's or Master's degrees of specialization. The lack of prior training in secondary education, almost across all five continents, the current (slower) maturation processes, and increasing life expectancy invite us to rethink Catholic higher education from a global understanding of the unity of ecclesiastical knowledge to specialization, and from a thorough discernment of all ecclesial charisms to their realization in the state of life. In short, it is necessary for the Church to rethink the harmonization of ecclesiastical knowledge: that it may offer believers and non-believers, for the good of all humanity, an intellectually well-assembled project that is courageous in its search for truth.