The portal Więź.pl with the pen of Fr Jan Słomka announces the end of the schooling. According to the priest, this is what Pope Francis wants; and even more than he wants – he simply orders it. So there is nothing left but to go in the designated direction, according to Fr Słomka. Not so fast.
Jan Słomka is simply a prof. of theology; he lectures in Katowice and Łódź, among others. Author left motu proprio Ad theologiam promovendam November 2023. This tiny paper addressed to theologians passed in the planet without much echo, and in Poland it was not noticed at all. The exception was the portal PCh24.pl, which described motu proprio The pope is rather detailed. Now the paper became curious in Więź.pl, formulating, can be said, very serious conclusions.
‘The longer I burden in motu proprio Ad theologiam promovendam"I can see more clearly that in this letter Pope Francis called on theologians to abandon scholastics: its metaphysics, conceptual apparatus and methods of thinking" – says Fr Jan Słomka. According to the priest, Francis “wants to tell theologians that it is advanced time to quit scholastics based on Aristotle’s metaphysics. And since the image of the non-physical planet (i.e. meta-physical), the concepts utilized and the ways of reasoning form an inseparable full in Aristotle's metaphysics, it cannot be abandoned in part." In his opinion, the change should affect, among another things, abstract concepts, which should be reconsidered and "moved to the category of ancillary structure" in theology. "Today we cannot treat concepts as obvious, unambiguous in substance," said the priest. In addition, the wording of Ad theologiam promovendam the postulate of “radical contextual theology”, which, as the priest points out, can only be realised erstwhile “we are starting theological reasoning with a concrete one”.
Fr Jan Słomka takes Ad theologiam promovendam as a good coin and believes that a beautiful decisive step should be taken into the fresh theological areas indicated by the Pope. How could this work in practice? It is simple; we do not request to look far for the fruit of the "new paradigm". That's even Fiducia supplicans, a paper allowing the blessing of single-sex couples. This is what Franciszkowo-Fernándezian theology of the "new paradigm" looks like in practice.
Rather than wage war on scholastics, it is more crucial to undertake the task which the Church has rather consistently designated for theologians for the last 150 years, namely – to survey St. Thomas, the most prominent author of truly scholastic. Ceremony recognized as the Universal Doctor, given by the popes as the basis for shaping in seminars – he was and should stay a leading origin for theologians. The Catholic Church does not request a fresh paradigm, but alternatively a renewed paradigm – but fundamentally identical, that is, Catholic. For almost 800 years this Catholic paradigm has been peculiarly Tomism. Departing from Tomism in fresh decades has so far only led to disastrous intellectual disarmament of the Church. Deepening this state of affairs by rejecting scholastics on the ground in full vague expressions from Ad theologiam promovendam It seems like a simple suicide.
It is good for theologians in Poland to read honestly in Ad theologiam promovendam. Not necessarily to immediately throw ourselves in the direction indicated by the pope; but to realize what he is trying to represent present as a dominant in theology. possibly then they will appreciate the simplicity, clarity and Catholicity of authentic scholastics – in terms of Tomasz and well-developed in many countries today, partially besides in Poland, neotomism.
Paweł Chmielewski
