Vatican News

The symposium will be held at the Vatican on March 1 and 2 Man and Woman: The Image of God in the Anthropology of VocationsWhich will witness the participation of Pope Francis and international specialists in the Bible, philosophy, theology, humanities and education. The honor will be performed by Cardinal Marc Ouellet, prefect emeritus of the bishops' office. The aim of the two days, organized by CRAV (Centre for Research and Anthropology of Professions). It is to offer an updated vision of Christian anthropology in an age of pluralism and intercultural dialogue, to support the meaning of life as a vocation.

Focus on topics such as marriage, the priesthood and consecrated life

The event is open to wide public participation and the program will witness the participation of many experts who are also invited to answer the question: “To whom does God address?” A seminar delving deeper into Christian anthropology, covering topics such as marriage, the priesthood, and consecrated life. To discover the beauty of every profession. Cardinal Ouellet explains: “The era of Christianity has ended, and a new era in the transmission of the cultural and spiritual heritage of Christians requires the faithful around the world to reposition themselves in the face of an environment that has become alien, indifferent or even hostile, even in traditionally Catholic countries. One of the most surprising areas is In this historical change is anthropology, in which the eclipse of religious references and the increasing authority of the humanities gives rise to a panorama of contradictory visions of the human. These oscillate between a spirituality divorced from the physical condition and a materialism that reduces all transcendent aspirations to technologically controllable biopsychic data. We can no longer To dream of returning to the previous situation, after the “truce” and overcoming the current “crisis,” we must think in other terms about the future of Christianity, in a context in which Christians are expected to find a new model that bears witness to their identity.

“For this reason – explains the Cardinal – we must choose an approach to cultural and religious diversity that allows dialogue and the presentation of the Christian vision in complete freedom and with concern for human brotherhood. The anthropological question, for example, whose aspects are more important are the diverse issues that are often discussed in the scientific, university and school fields. And familyism, must be addressed in this spirit. We are at the dawn of a qualitative leap for the human race, on the cusp of a transhumanist boom, made possible by technology and science. And “hyper-connectivity, stimulated by the spread of biomolecular, transgender, and space experiments? All hypotheses seem open, except that it is too easy to forget that the vast majority of human beings live in subhuman conditions, that crowds are scattered on migration routes due to climatic or other pressures, and that the outbreak of multiple conflicts and general rearmament challenge the moral mind to slow down Madly rushing forward, preventing the waste of resources that should first and foremost ensure the minimum well-being of all humanity. For the four winds.”

Space for the word of God

“What future for humanity? What kind of defense of humanity must we invent to meet today's challenges? What hope can we offer to those searching for meaning? These are all questions that the Catholic Church bears in mind when proclaiming the new Gospel of salvation.” The anthropological situation requires dialogue, respect for diversity, and solidarity with the poorest and most vulnerable groups. This does not prevent us from presenting the Christian vision of men and women in its originality and specificity. On the contrary, the current situation provides an opportunity not to be “missed in reaffirming the coordinates of man according to Christian revelation and offering dialogue and an anthropology of vocations rooted in the meaning of life as a vocation. In today’s cacophony, there is more space than ever before to listen to the word of God and benefit from it.” “From it. From divine wisdom are the coordinates of meaning for present and future human life.”

Follow-up to the 2022 Priestly Symposium

The academic initiative follows the February 2022 symposium For a basic theology of the priesthoodWho studied the relationship between the common priesthood of the baptized and the three levels of ordained service. The Scientific Committee of the Center for Research and Anthropology of Vocations (CRAV), which organized the symposium on the priesthood – underlines the observation – sees in the anthropological question a natural continuation of this research, which explores the ecclesiastical meaning of vocations from the point of view of fundamental anthropology. This pastoral perspective suggests that research is of interest to a wide audience, not just specialists.

A global vision for the Christian response to anthropological problems

“Pastors, coaches and teachers at all levels – the statement emphasizes – will be able to find a universal vision of the Christian response to current anthropological problems, without disagreements or regression of identity, a vision developed within the horizon of faith and quietly offered as “a way to seize the Christian meaning of life for all those who seek About the truth. The place chosen and the quality of the participants are sufficient to underscore the importance of the topic, the urgent need for reflection of this kind in the face of some confusion and bewilderment, and the desire to shed light that both energizes and calms people who do research or who have pastoral responsibilities.

Due to the pandemic, the previous symposium had to be held in the Paul VI Hall, while it will now be held in the Synod of Bishops Hall, which includes a limited number of participants.