VATICAN CITY, OCT. 10, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI says that spirituality does not rob theology of scientific weight but rather gives it coherence.
The Pope made that point in a message written for the centenary of the birth of a friend, Swiss theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar.
"Theology, as and how he conceived it, had to be combined with spirituality; only in this way, in fact, could it be profound and effective," said the Holy Father in his message addressed to the international congress entitled "Love Alone Is Credible," organized at the Lateran University in tribute to von Balthasar.
In his message, Benedict XVI said: "On an occasion such as this, it would be easy to fall into the temptation to return to personal memories, based on the sincere friendship that united us and on the numerous works that we undertook together, addressing many of the challenges of those years," and he mentioned in particular the foundation of the review Communio.
"However, I do not wish to make reference to memories, but rather to the richness of von Balthasar's theology," said the Pontiff. "Hans Urs von Balthasar was a theologian who put research at the service of the Church, as he was convinced that only theology could be characterized by the ecclesial."
Spirituality does not diminish the scientific weight of theology, "but imprints on theological study the correct method to be able to arrive at a coherent interpretation," the Holy Father added. (
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