Faith, Reason and the University

Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture under this title to an audience at the University of Regensburg on September 12, 2006. The subsequent wave of angry and violent protest that spread around the world served to demonstrate his point that:

"'Not to act reasonably, not to act with logos, is contrary to the nature of God', said Manuel II, according to his Christian understanding of God, in response to his Persian interlocutor. It is to this great logos, to this breadth of reason, that we invite our partners in the dialogue of cultures. To rediscover it constantly is the great task of the university."

As our Holy Father travels to Turkey, we would do well to pray for him and for those who wish him harm. Much has been written by far more qualified and insightful commentators on the topic of this lecture at the University of Regensburg, and therefore I hesitate to be redundant. However, the Holy Father's fifth international apostolic journey, as a response to an invitation from His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, carries much more significance, generally and personally, than is implied by the disconcerting backdrop of Regensburg. The visit comes two years after Pope John Paul II returned the holy relics of St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory Nazianzen to the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. The ceremony took place on November 27, 2004; On November 30, 2004 His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew presided over the Divine Liturgy for the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle, during which the holy relics were enshrined in the Patriarchal Cathedral of St. George. It was on this day that our son was born, and he was named after St. John Chrysostom and St. Andrew the Apostle in honor of this most historic event.

It has been stated publicly that Pope Benedict XVI has three objectives in Turkey:

1. Pastoral confirmation of the local Catholic community in the faith.

2. Ecumenical participation in the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Church of St. George followed by an address and a joint declaration with His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew.

3. Fostering of dialogue with Islam.

As part of his third objective, the Holy Father will deliver an address to Ali Bardakoglu, Turkey's president of religious affairs, who has recently and publicly referred to the Regensburg lecture as an "attack on the pillars of Islam."

I think that in this turbulent context, the imperative for the reunification of East and West is as promising as it is urgent. Therefore my prayers are offered for Pope Benedict XVI, His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, and all who would be our "partners in the dialogue of cultures."

Relevant Listening/Viewing:

EWTN Coverage

Relevant Reading:

Prayer for Pope Benedict
Faith, Reason and the University
The Regensburg Moment