Crowds gather to pray the rosary for Pope Francis' health on Feb. 27, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAVatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Crowds gather to pray the rosary for Pope Francis' health on Feb. 27, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Vatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).
Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.
Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Crowds gather to pray the rosary for Pope Francis' health on Feb. 27, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAVatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Crowds gather to pray the rosary for Pope Francis' health on Feb. 27, 2025, in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
Vatican City, Feb 28, 2025 / 03:15 am (CNA).
Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.
Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Deir Mar Musa, also known as the Monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian, is a centuries-old Christian monastery in al-Nabk north of Damascus, Syria. / Credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty ImagesMadrid, Spain, Feb 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The Trinitarian Order was established in the Middle Ages to free Christian captives held by Muslims during the Crusades. Today, in a context of "modern crusades," where Islamic fundamentalism continues to persecute Christians for their faith, the Trinitarians remain a beacon of hope for those who remain firm in their commitment to Christ."Ocho Siglos Después" ("Eight Centuries Later") is a documentary that gives a voice to this suffering and puts a face on forgotten Christians in places like Syria, Nigeria, or northern India but who are not losing hope thanks to the "silent" help offered by Trinitarian International Solidarity (SIT, by its Spanish acronym), a nongovernmental organization founded by the Trinitarian family 25 years ago.The documen...
Deir Mar Musa, also known as the Monastery of St. Moses the Abyssinian, is a centuries-old Christian monastery in al-Nabk north of Damascus, Syria. / Credit: LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images
Madrid, Spain, Feb 28, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
The Trinitarian Order was established in the Middle Ages to free Christian captives held by Muslims during the Crusades. Today, in a context of "modern crusades," where Islamic fundamentalism continues to persecute Christians for their faith, the Trinitarians remain a beacon of hope for those who remain firm in their commitment to Christ.
"Ocho Siglos Después" ("Eight Centuries Later") is a documentary that gives a voice to this suffering and puts a face on forgotten Christians in places like Syria, Nigeria, or northern India but who are not losing hope thanks to the "silent" help offered by Trinitarian International Solidarity (SIT, by its Spanish acronym), a nongovernmental organization founded by the Trinitarian family 25 years ago.
The documentary by Fascina Producciones was screened Feb. 25 at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid by the vicar general of the order, Father Antonio Aurelio, and the film's director, Alfredo Torrescalles. The event was moderated by Spanish television host Ana Rosa Quintana and was also attended by the apostolic nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Bernardito Auza.
The documentary captures the apocalyptic atmosphere that looms over the Syrian city of Aleppo, where a small group of Christians abandoned to their fate, most of them elderly, have been struggling every day to survive since the war broke out in 2011.
The support of the Trinitarians reaches every corner of these humble homes, located in desolate neighborhoods destroyed by bombs, thanks to the help of other "angels" who are on the ground, such as Father Hugo Alaniz of the Institute of the Incarnate Word.
A woman who has been bedridden for 13 years or a man who must raise his son with Down syndrome and who, clutching his little rosary, thanks God for his life, are some of those featured in the film, which first focuses on Syria.
In Nigeria, the devastating testimonies of the women who were able to escape the clutches of the terrorists of the jihadist group Boko Haram show how terror has been perpetuated in their communities and their hearts. These Christians find refuge and help in the midst of desperation thanks to the Catholic Church and the work of SIT.
From Africa, the documentary turns to northeastern India, where many young people are being forced to leave their homes as a result of clashes between the Hindu Meitei people and the Christian Kuki tribal people.
Trinitarians say the ethnic conflict has become a religious one and that the Christian community has no support from the government, which is determined to limit religious freedom and prohibit evangelization.
Aurelio emphasized that the documentary is not about the Trinitarians but about showing the reality faced by the people they help. "We are not altruists, we are Christians," he said, noting that the Trinitarians are discreet and "work quietly."
For Aurelio, "the help that can be given to persecuted Christians is very complex, because the problem these people have is not a matter of needing material aid but of their very existence. We want to inform people about their situation and their suffering, because what is not made known does not exist," he emphasized.
"The message of this documentary is not for them, it is for us. They are Christians like us, why are they abandoned? Why aren't we paying any attention to them? Why aren't we helping them? Why aren't we speaking publicly about this persecution? Why don't we feel close to them? Our concrete objective as Trinitarians is for these people to not feel alone," the vicar general of the Trinitarian Order underscored.
The documentary's director, Alfredo Torrescalles, shared how much he was impacted by filming this documentary, especially in places like Syria. "I think the work that the Trinitarians do is essential, really shines, and is very necessary, but I fear that people will end up becoming desensitized to these tragedies. We have to make an effort to find a way to reach the population and touch their hearts," he said.
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, pictured on June 19, 2024, introduced a $2 million program to encourage abortionists to come to his state. / Credit: PSpencer Platt/Getty ImagesCNA Staff, Feb 27, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.New Jersey governor to bring abortionists to stateThe New Jersey governor's new budget proposal includes $52 million to fund abortion, reproductive health, and family planning, including a $2 million incentive program designed to bring "reproductive health care providers" to the state. In his remarks for the 2026 budget on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy made clear the initiative was designed to bring abortionists and others from pro-life states. He said the program would attract reproductive health care providers "targeted by politicians elsewhere." Murphy also pledged to stockpile abortion pills during his State of the State address in January.Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey&nb...
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, pictured on June 19, 2024, introduced a $2 million program to encourage abortionists to come to his state. / Credit: PSpencer Platt/Getty Images
CNA Staff, Feb 27, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).
Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news.
The New Jersey governor's new budget proposal includes $52 million to fund abortion, reproductive health, and family planning, including a $2 million incentive program designed to bring "reproductive health care providers" to the state.
In his remarks for the 2026 budget on Tuesday, Gov. Phil Murphy made clear the initiative was designed to bring abortionists and others from pro-life states. He said the program would attract reproductive health care providers "targeted by politicians elsewhere."
Murphy also pledged to stockpile abortion pills during his State of the State address in January.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey applauded the budget, praising the governor for his continued funding of reproductive health services that "are vital for empowering individuals to make informed choices about their bodies and futures."
But New Jersey Right to Life Executive Director Marie Tasy condemned the abortion funding, saying that "the lives of 59,700 future New Jersey citizens extinguished in just one year weighs heavy on our hearts, as does every single abortion."
Iowa legislators proposed an informed-consent bill on abortion pills that requires clinics to inform women that chemical abortions are reversible.
The bill would require clinics to inform women — via both signage and a consent form — that medication abortion is reversible and that it's not always effective in ending a pregnancy. Women would also need to be informed of the common risks associated with medication abortion. Clinics would need written consent before administering a medical abortion, except in medical emergencies.
A chemical abortion takes place via a two-pill regimen. The first pill, mifepristone, kills an unborn child by blocking the hormone progesterone, cutting off the child's supply of oxygen and nutrients. The second pill, misoprostol, is taken between 24 to 48 hours after mifepristone to induce contractions and expel the child's body.
Progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, can be used to reverse the effects of the first pill, mifepristone, if taken shortly after.
Proponents of the bill maintain that women deserve to know the various risks of chemical abortion, including hemorrhage, infection, ongoing pregnancy, and missed ectopic pregnancy, while opponents say that medication abortion is safe and has low mortality and complication rates.
Iowa also introduced a second bill, which would make it unlawful to manufacture or dispense abortion pills.
Chemical abortions account for nearly three-quarters of abortions in Iowa.
The bishop of Wilmington, Delaware, is leading the opposition against a physician-assisted suicide bill that is back in the Delaware Legislature by heading a march on the state capital.
The legislation would legalize assisted suicide for terminally ill adults that doctors have determined have six months or fewer left to live, allowing them to "request and self-administer medication to end the individual's life" provided that attending health practitioners "believe the individual has decision-making capacity, is making an informed decision, and is acting voluntarily."
Delaware's former governor John Carney, a consistent opponent of assisted suicide, vetoed the physician-assisted suicide bill last September. But the state's new governor, Matt Meyer, quickly promised to sign a physician-assisted suicide bill if it reaches his desk.
In response, Bishop William Koenig is inviting Catholics to march against the bill when legislation sessions resume. Koenig and others will march on the Legislative Hall in the state capital on March 11 after celebrating Mass at 8 a.m. at Church of the Holy Cross in Dover.
Koenig has asked Catholics to call on their state lawmakers to vote against the bill. The diocese, which spans Delaware and the eastern shore of Maryland, has asked Catholics to oppose assisted suicide laws in both states.
While Maryland has other Catholic lobbies, Koenig noted that in Delaware "we are the only Catholic voice to lobby our legislators."
In an action alert urging Catholics to contact their legislators, the Diocese of Wilmington called the bill "a slippery slope" that could target "vulnerable individuals — such as the elderly, disabled, or those experiencing depression."
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that "intentional euthanasia, whatever its forms or motives, is murder" and "gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and the respect due to the living God, his Creator" (No. 2324). This teaching was reaffirmed in the 2020 Vatican document Samaritanus Bonus. Pope Francis has spoken frequently against euthanasia and assisted suicide and in favor of palliative care.
Delaware's General Assembly has considered the legislation four times since 2019.
Pope Francis meets with the Spanish bishops at the Vatican on Nov. 28, 2023. / Credit: Vatican MediaMadrid, Spain, Feb 27, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).The secretary-general and spokesman for the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym), Bishop Francisco César García Magán, expressed his conviction that the conditions for the resignation of Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for 14 days due to health problems, have not been met.Asked at the end of the meeting of the conference's standing committee, García explained that the resignation of the pontiff is provided for in Canon 332.2 of the Code of Canon Law, with the only requirement that "it be free and be formally expressed."García also pointed out that it is public knowledge that in 2013, the year he became pope, Francis gave the then-Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, "a signed letter with his formal resignation in case of impediment.""I signed it and told him: 'In case of impediment due to ...
Pope Francis meets with the Spanish bishops at the Vatican on Nov. 28, 2023. / Credit: Vatican Media
Madrid, Spain, Feb 27, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).
The secretary-general and spokesman for the Spanish Bishops' Conference (CEE, by its Spanish acronym), Bishop Francisco César García Magán, expressed his conviction that the conditions for the resignation of Pope Francis, who has been hospitalized for 14 days due to health problems, have not been met.
Asked at the end of the meeting of the conference's standing committee, García explained that the resignation of the pontiff is provided for in Canon 332.2 of the Code of Canon Law, with the only requirement that "it be free and be formally expressed."
García also pointed out that it is public knowledge that in 2013, the year he became pope, Francis gave the then-Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, "a signed letter with his formal resignation in case of impediment."
"I signed it and told him: 'In case of impediment due to medical reasons or whatever, here is my resignation. You already have it.' I don't know who Cardinal Bertone gave it to, but I gave it to him when he was secretary of state," the pontiff revealed to the Spanish newspaper ABC in 2022.
The CEE spokesman pointed out in this regard that "these conditions are not being met because the impediment to which the pope was referring was when it is linked to a mental limitation, a mental impediment. What the pope has now are illnesses typical of age."
"As he has said on occasion, the Church is not governed with the knees but with the head, with the help of the Holy Spirit," added the prelate, who, after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, considered that, if Pope Francis made the same decision, "it would not be new."
The bishops' spokesman also stressed that "we are not in a pre-conclave period; far from it" and made an appeal to the people of God to "intensify prayer for the healing of this pope" and to do so "with affection and communion."
This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA's Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Passersby peer into the John Paul II Chapel at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where a daily Holy Hour is among several prayer initiatives in the Eternal City for the health and recovery of Pope Francis. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAVatican City, Feb 27, 2025 / 06:15 am (CNA).Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Passersby peer into the John Paul II Chapel at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where a daily Holy Hour is among several prayer initiatives in the Eternal City for the health and recovery of Pope Francis. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA
Vatican City, Feb 27, 2025 / 06:15 am (CNA).
Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.
Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
null / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller|ShutterstockCNA Staff, Feb 27, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night temporarily paused an order from a lower court directing the White House to pay out roughly $2 billion in foreign aid grants to nonprofit organizations.The Department of Justice had filed an appeal with the ??U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday night after U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to make payments to grantees by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday. The Trump administration had frozen the funding as part of an extensive series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump last month. Numerous Catholic entities have been affected by the freeze, though the Church was not involved with the suit at issue on Wednesday night.The administration argued that Ali's order forced the government to "pay arbitrarily determined expenses on a timeline of the district court's choosing." It...
null / Credit: Wolfgang Schaller|Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Feb 27, 2025 / 13:10 pm (CNA).
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night temporarily paused an order from a lower court directing the White House to pay out roughly $2 billion in foreign aid grants to nonprofit organizations.
The Department of Justice had filed an appeal with the ??U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Tuesday night after U.S. District Judge Amir Ali ordered the administration to make payments to grantees by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Trump administration had frozen the funding as part of an extensive series of executive orders issued by President Donald Trump last month. Numerous Catholic entities have been affected by the freeze, though the Church was not involved with the suit at issue on Wednesday night.
The administration argued that Ali's order forced the government to "pay arbitrarily determined expenses on a timeline of the district court's choosing." It further claimed the court "create[d] a payment plan" that was contrary to the president's obligations under Article II of the Constitution and the principles of "federal sovereign immunity."
In its petition to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the Justice Department noted that the appeals court had not yet responded to the filing by late afternoon, leading the Trump administration to petition the high court "in light of that extraordinary circumstance."
Chief Justice John Roberts on Wednesday night subsequently issued an order that the district court's ruling was "hereby stayed" pending a further order. "Any response" from the nonprofits suing the Trump administration would have to be filed by Friday at noon, the chief justice said.
The dispute before the high court is one of several legal challenges that have arisen after Trump issued numerous executive orders after taking office last month, including one that paused all foreign aid grants for 90 days.
Trump's Jan. 20 executive order said the "United States foreign aid industry and bureaucracy" are not aligned with American interests and "serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries."
The funding freeze touched off a flurry of lawsuits from nonprofits and aid groups who said the White House had engaged in an overreach of its executive power. The groups further said the lack of funding would wreak havoc on vulnerable populations, including refugees and those in undeveloped countries.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sued the Trump administration earlier this month over what the bishops said was an unlawful suspension of funding for refugee resettlement and aid programs. A federal judge last week denied the bishops' request to block that freeze.
Several faith-based refugee services brought forward a similar lawsuit against the Trump administration earlier this month over its suspension of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. A federal judge in Seattle this week blocked that order, claiming the Trump administration had exceeded its authority in issuing it.
In further challenges to Trump's executive orders, numerous religious groups have filed suit against the administration over its policy to allow broad immigration enforcement at houses of worship. Immigration officials were previously constrained from arresting illegal immigrants at churches under Biden-era guidelines.
A federal judge earlier this week ruled in favor of the plaintiffs in one of those lawsuits, blocking suspected illegal immigrant arrests at some religious sites while the lawsuit plays out in federal court.
Passersby peer into the John Paul II Chapel at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where a daily Holy Hour is among several prayer initiatives in the Eternal City for the health and recovery of Pope Francis. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNAVatican City, Feb 27, 2025 / 06:15 am (CNA).Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis. Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Passersby peer into the John Paul II Chapel at Gemelli Hospital in Rome, where a daily Holy Hour is among several prayer initiatives in the Eternal City for the health and recovery of Pope Francis. / Credit: Courtney Mares/CNA
Vatican City, Feb 27, 2025 / 06:15 am (CNA).
Pope Francis spent another restful night at Rome's Gemelli Hospital after being admitted on Friday, Feb. 14, to undergo testing and treatment for bronchitis.
Follow here for the latest news on Pope Francis' health and hospitalization:
Pope Francis attends the general audience at the Vatican on Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN NewsCNA Newsroom, Feb 27, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).Pope Francis slept well overnight and his condition continues to improve as he undergoes treatment for a complex respiratory infection at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican announced Thursday morning.The 88-year-old pontiff continues oxygen therapy "with high flow rates" and has begun physiotherapy treatment for his respiratory passages.While the pope's condition shows signs of improvement, Vatican officials emphasized that "the prognosis remains cautious" as his hospitalization extends into its 13th day.Pope's consolation to grieving motherThe Vatican, meanwhile, has revealed a moving letter the Holy Father wrote shortly before his hospitalization.In the letter, set to appear in the monthly magazine Piazza San Pietro, Pope Francis responded to a grieving Roman mother who lost her 21-year-old son."Jesus, who weeps with us, wil...
Pope Francis attends the general audience at the Vatican on Feb. 12, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/EWTN News
CNA Newsroom, Feb 27, 2025 / 07:30 am (CNA).
Pope Francis slept well overnight and his condition continues to improve as he undergoes treatment for a complex respiratory infection at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, the Vatican announced Thursday morning.
The 88-year-old pontiff continues oxygen therapy "with high flow rates" and has begun physiotherapy treatment for his respiratory passages.
While the pope's condition shows signs of improvement, Vatican officials emphasized that "the prognosis remains cautious" as his hospitalization extends into its 13th day.
The Vatican, meanwhile, has revealed a moving letter the Holy Father wrote shortly before his hospitalization.
In the letter, set to appear in the monthly magazine Piazza San Pietro, Pope Francis responded to a grieving Roman mother who lost her 21-year-old son.
"Jesus, who weeps with us, will sow in our hearts all the answers we seek," the pope wrote to Cinzia, whose son Fabrizio went out one evening in October 2019 and never returned home.
Meanwhile, the prayer vigils for the pontiff's recovery continue.
According to a Thursday announcement from the Secretariat of State of the Holy See, the holy rosary will be prayed again this evening at 9 p.m. in St. Peter's Square, with Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the vicar general for the Diocese of Rome, presiding over the prayer service.
The Vatican also confirmed that "due to the pope's continued hospitalization, the jubilee audience scheduled for Saturday, March 1, has been canceled."
Faith & Reason Institute President Robert Royal. / Credit: Courtesy of Faith & Reason InstituteWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 27, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Faith & Reason Institute, the first Washington, D.C.-based think tank devoted to encouraging both of these essential elements of human existence. The institute, which got its name from St. John Paul II's 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio, addresses issues of economics, politics, public policy, science, and technology, among others, from the perspective of both faith and reason. "I thought there needed to be a more explicit emphasis on both faith and reason here in Washington and elsewhere," the institute's president, Robert Royal, told CNA in an interview ahead of the organization's recent gala celebrating its milestone anniversary.Reflecting on the institute's beginnings, Royal recalled his father telling him: "'Are you sure this is going to work?' And I [told him],...
Faith & Reason Institute President Robert Royal. / Credit: Courtesy of Faith & Reason Institute
Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 27, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Faith & Reason Institute, the first Washington, D.C.-based think tank devoted to encouraging both of these essential elements of human existence.
The institute, which got its name from St. John Paul II's 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio, addresses issues of economics, politics, public policy, science, and technology, among others, from the perspective of both faith and reason.
"I thought there needed to be a more explicit emphasis on both faith and reason here in Washington and elsewhere," the institute's president, Robert Royal, told CNA in an interview ahead of the organization's recent gala celebrating its milestone anniversary.
Reflecting on the institute's beginnings, Royal recalled his father telling him: "'Are you sure this is going to work?' And I [told him], 'Well, there isn't an overabundance of faith or reason in Washington, so it's a growth industry, I think I'll do OK.' And 25 years later, we're still here."
Among the institute's projects are its Fides et Ratio Seminars, in which Catholic academics are invited to gather to read and discuss Catholic books. The recurring seminars, according to Royal, help to fill a gap that was missing among Catholic academics.
"A lot of times when I go to donors about that, they would say, 'Well, don't these guys already get that in their departments?'" Royal said. "And the truth is no, because a lot of professors, they just come in to get their mail [and] teach their courses. Maybe there's a departmental meeting, but to sit down with like-minded Catholic academics and to talk about Catholic stuff was something that we found was really quite something."
Another seminar provided by the institute is the Free Society Seminar, geared toward students and young professionals. These seminars, hosted in Slovakia, attract American and European Catholics to learn about Catholic moral theology and its intersection with political theory.
These seminars, according to Royal, teach students about the threats to free society, such as communism and humanism. He said there is "no longer any living memory" of communism among young students, "so we've had to revise the curriculum there and talk a bit more about these kinds of things."
In 2008, the Faith & Reason Institute also launched The Catholic Thing, which offers a steady stream of thought pieces on various contemporary issues. The blog features dozens of engaging Catholic writers, and each piece is edited by Royal.
The Catholic Thing also provides online courses on theology that can be purchased. The subjects of the courses include Christology, the doctrines of the Trinity, and lessons on important works of Catholic literature such as St. Augustine's "City of God" and Dante Alighieri's "Inferno."
The Faith & Reason Institute seeks to reflect the core of St. John Paul II's 1998 encyclical Fides et Ratio, which emphasizes the need for both faith and reason within theology, both of which he stated "stand in harmony" with each other.
"Deprived of what revelation offers, reason has taken side-tracks which expose it to the danger of losing sight of its final goal," the pontiff wrote. "Deprived of reason, faith has stressed feeling and experience and so run the risk of no longer being a universal proposition."
"It is an illusion to think that faith, tied to weak reasoning, might be more penetrating; on the contrary, faith then runs the grave risk of withering into myth or superstition," John Paul II wrote. "By the same token, reason which is unrelated to an adult faith is not prompted to turn its gaze to the newness and radicality of being."
The late sainted pontiff, who held doctorates in both philosophy and sacred theology, was building on a long Catholic intellectual tradition that embraces both faith and reason as two ways of knowing that work best, as the institute sees it, "when they mutually challenge one another to look farther, to probe more deeply, in quest of truth."
"The faith — as we can demonstrate from Catholic history — the faith really needs reason [and] it really needs philosophy," Royal said.
Royal pointed to second-century Christianity in which St. Justin Martyr, one of the patron saints of philosophers, wrote open letters to the Roman Senate that defended the faith and argued against the persecution of Christians. Justin, who was educated in Platonist philosophy, was a convert to Christianity.
According to Royal, Justin "was a philosopher and tried to argue the truth of Christianity with [the Roman government]." Because of his philosophical background, "Platonism [came] very strongly into the Church" with his writings and others after him, such as Augustine.
Aristotlean thought, which focuses on "the real tools of logical analysis and rational consistency," Royal said, developed in the middle ages. St. Thomas Aquinas, in the 1200s, "balances both the Platonic and the Aristotelian lines in the Church," which set the foundations for a lot of Catholic philosophical thought today.
As it marks its anniversary, Royal told CNA that the Faith & Reason Institute continues to seek new ways to engage citizens and institutions alike, and introduce better ideas of faith and reason to the culture as a whole.
