Events

“Hope, together with faith and charity, makes up the triptych of the ‘theological virtues’ that express the heart of the Christian life (cf. 1 Cor 13:13; 1 Thess 1:3). In their inseparable unity, hope is the virtue that, so to speak, gives inward direction and purpose to the life of believers.” (Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025 Spes non confundit no. 18).

On the occasion of the Jubilee Year 2025, the Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas holds a special Session open to all who are interested in reflecting on the virtue of hope from a Thomistic perspective.

The Session will take place at the Convento di Santa Maria sopra Minerva from 12-14 June and is organized in collaboration with the Angelicum Thomistic Institute and the Thomistic Institute (Washington, DC).

CALL FOR COMPETITION : 2024 Prize of the Pontifical Academies

The Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas announces the Competition for the 2024 PRIZE OF THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMIES.

As stipulated in the Award Regulations, and in accord with the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas is administering the Competition for the 2024 Prize of the Pontifical Academies, awarded by the Holy Father at the annual Public Session of the Pontifical Academies.

A prize is provided for the first and second place winners.

The competition is reserved for young scholars, who are under 35 years of age on September 1, 2024, whose research or activity contributes significantly to the study and dissemination of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas.

Proposed works (produced in the following languages: Italian, French, Spanish, English) should be on a topic of Thomist philosophy or theology in historical and/or systematic perspective.

Works can be a) unpublished works, b) doctoral dissertations (defended from January 1, 2021 to September 15, 2024), c) published works (from January 1, 2021).

Interested parties should send their works, in digital version to the Secretariat of the Academy (past@past.va) and on paper by regular mail no later than January 1, 2025, specifying on the envelope,

“Premio delle Pontificie Accademie”

al Presidente dell’Accademia, P. S.-T. Bonino, o.p.

Largo Angelicum, 1; 00184 Roma

“Prize of the Pontifical Academies”

To the President of the Academy, P. S.-T. Bonino, o.p.

Largo Angelicum, 1; 00184 Rome

Submissions should be accompanied by the curriculum vitae of the authors themselves.

From the Vatican, October 1, 2024.

The importance of inter-religious dialogue in the perspective of the new evangelization requires a renewed philosophical and theological reflection on the nature of “religion” as a personal approach and/or social on the “gods” and the human value and maybe saving of religions non-Christian from the point of view of the faith and Catholic theology.

On these two points, the thought of St. Thomas can help clarify the issues and to provide the debate. The XV Plenary Session of the PAST intends to continue on two purposes: to understand the thought of St. Thomas on the issue of religion and religions in their historical and doctrinal in order to apply the processes of the Thomistic principles of a contemporary theology of religions.

Following the Academy’s tradition of studying the topics that the Holy Father believes to be important for the individual moments of the Church’s life, we decided we would focus on the evangelisation programme of Pope Francis and on the centrality of the Beatitudes in announcing the Good News. Besides the many references to them in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, the Holy Father suggested preparing for the next World Youth Day, to be held in Cracow in 2016, by reflecting with young people on the evangelic Beatitudes contained in the Gospel of St Mark.

St Thomas Aquinas thoroughly examines the Beatitudes in the wake of a long tradition, in particular the doctrine of St Augustine. His synthesis of the Gospel, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the theological and cardinal that were also studied by Aristotle, is very good and can certainly contribute to experiencing the peace and joy that only God can give. Thomas’ comment to the Beatitudes is also a treasure-trove of fine considerations on the deep- est desires of the human soul.

We are also encouraged in this study and de- bate by the considerable number of important quotes by Thomas Aquinas included in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, such as, for example, the crucial one that says, “the New Law consists chiefly in the grace of the Holy Ghost, which is shown forth by faith that worketh through love” (Summa Theologiae, I-II, q. 108, art. 1) or the one on mercy, “mercy takes precedence of other virtues, for it belongs to mercy to be bountiful to others, and, what is more, to succour others in their wants, which pertains chiefly to one who stands above. Hence mercy is accounted as being proper to God: and therein His omnipotence is declared to be chiefly manifested” (Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 30, art. 4).

Since we are close to the beatification of the Venerable Paul VI, I would like to recall that, as a young priest, he graduated in Thomistic Philosophy from this Roman Academy of St Thomas Aquinas, as Pius XI had before him. 

Pope Benedict XVI proclaimed the Year of Faith with the Apostolic Letter given Motu Proprio Porta fidei, dated 11 October 2011. He wrote: «We want this Year to arouse in every believer the aspiration to profess the faith in fullness and with renewed conviction, with confidence and hope. It will also be a good opportunity to intensify the celebration of the faith in the liturgy, especially in the Eucharist, which is “the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed; ... and also the source from which all its power flows”». at the same time, the Holy Father expressed the hope that «believers’ witness of life may grow in credibility. To rediscover the content of the faith that is professed, celebrated, lived and prayed, and to reflect on the act of faith, is a task that every believer must make his own, especially in the course of this Year». (Pope Benedict XVI, Porta fidei, 9).

The Pontifical Academy of St Thomas wishes to join the Pope’s inspired decision and rediscover with Aquinas those moments of faith intended as the intimate union of act and content, so characteristic of his thought, which the Magisterium of the Popes has continuously recommended, although at times its main features have been obscured by the inevitably process of summarization in order to be taught. If it were not possible to read St Thomas’ texts in their original strength and in the light of the real and demonstrated truths that the development of human thought presents, our fate would be pure repetition or error, attitudes that are both contrary to the truth. Therefore more than ever in this Year of Faith the Academy of St Thomas is called to revisit faith both in its subjective and in its objective aspects (fides qua – fides quae) in the light of the angelic doctor’s teachings, in order to renew our conviction, celebration, testimony and confession. Moreover, this is the attitude needed to provide an effective contribution to the implementation of the Church’s new and ongoing evangelization programme.

The Blessed John Paul II changed the course of his- tory on a par with Gregory the Great and Leo the Great. Not only did He free Europe from the communist ideology and praxis, but, thanks to the strengths of his Magisterium, his prayers, his ideas and actions, He ferried the Church into the Third Millennium with renewed apostolic dynamism. As He affirms, “since the beginning of my Pontificate, I’ve never missed any propitious opportunity to recall the unique figure of St Thomas”, the Doctor Communis of the Church. Indeed, in the wake of the Encyclical Fides et ratio, which reinterprets in the context of modernity Aquinas’ thought on the transcendental themes of truth, good and being, the Blessed John Paul II decided to refound the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas in order to give it a more active role in the programme of the new evangelization. Therefore, in compliance with the Beatification of Pope John Paul II by Pope Benedict XVI, the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas would like to recognize this admirable work not only out of gratefulness but also as a commitment and mission. On the occasion of the feast day of Sts Peter and Paul, the Roman and Catholic celebration of the Holy Father, the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas invites all of its Academicians, and all those who witnessed John Paul II’s pontificate, to unite in prayer and in the celebration of the happily reigning Benedict XVI, and to reflect on the special relationship between St Thomas and the blessed John Paul II, the heavenly patrons of the Academy.

After the ninth plenary session of the Academy, it was decided to dedicate two plenary sessions to the consideration of ST 1-2.94.2. The tenth plenary session (June, 2010) considered the ‘naturalness’ of the natural law, with a special attention to Ulpian’s definition of natural law as ‘quod natura omnia animalia docuit’.

For the eleventh plenary session, the idea is to con- sider (human) nature as connected more strictly with reason, with special attention to what Thomas says in ST 1-2.94.2 about man’s inclination to know the truth about God and to live peaceably in society.

It is hoped that the first day (afternoon/evening) of the eleventh session can set the tone for – and clarify the major theme of – the entire session.

Saturday’s discussion would first treat issues having to do with our knowledge of God; it would then move on to life in society. Regarding the first, it is important to understand that it is part of human rationality itself to seek to know the truth about God. The relationship, however, between our rational nature and our ultimate end has been a source of much controversy in twentieth century philosophy and theology, so it is imperative to address this issue, as well. A closely connected theme is the place in religion of the knowledge of God. For many contemporary thinkers, the serious study of religion concerns only religious experience, understood either as a personal or a sociological phenomenon. Regarding the second theme, an important issue in our contemporary pluralistic society is whether the proper organization of political society is a good connected in a direct manner with reason itself (and so with human nature) or whether it is instrumental to man’s achieving fulfillment in the attainment of other human goods. What is the role of government in promoting social virtue? The day would conclude with a panel discussion regarding these same themes.

The final day’s (morning’s) discussion would be about, not so much political society, but rather culture itself and religion’s historical role in it

Appreciative of Pope John Paul II’s designation of Thomas Aquinas as Doctor Humanitatis, and in obedience to his commission to ‘develop further this part of Thomistic doctrine which deals with humanity’ (Inter munera academiarum § 4), the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas will devote its 2010 Plenary Session to an examination of The Human Animal: Procreation, Education, and the Foundations of Society.
An important goal of the meeting is to explore contemporary challenges to the dignity of the human animal, and to clarify and affirm this dignity at a proper level based not only on a philosophical reflection, but also with the significant contribution of the current scientific knowledge, especially in the understanding of certain evolutionary mechanisms in relation to life (the discovery of cells and of DNA).

In 2004 the International Theological Commission issued its study on Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons in the Image of God. The Commission affirmed that: ‘The central dogmas of the Christian faith imply that the body is an intrinsic part of the human person and thus participates in his being created in the image of God’. It continues:

This truth has not always received the attention it deserves. Present-day theology is striving to overcome the influence of dualistic anthropologies that locate the imago Dei exclusively with reference to the spiritual aspect of human nature. Partly under the influence first of Platonic and later of Cartesian dualistic anthropologies, Christian theology itself tended to identify the imago Dei in human beings with what is the most specific characteristic of human nature, viz., mind or spirit. The recovery both of elements of biblical anthropology and of aspects of the Thomistic synthesis has contributed to the effort in important ways (Communion and Stewardship, § 27).

When we turn to Thomas’s synthesis, we find an extraordinarily rich appropriation of ancient science and wisdom with Christian teaching. One of the most important, and most familiar, passages on human animality is found in his article in the Summa theologiae on the plurality of precepts of the natural law. Thomas writes: ‘...there is in man an inclination to things that pertain to him more specially, according to that nature which he has in common with other animals; and in virtue of this inclination, those things are said to belong to the natural law “which nature has taught to all animals”, such as sexual intercourse, education of offspring and so forth’ (S.t. I-II, 94.2).
Thomas insists that the human person understands the goods not only of his own body but also the species. The goods of the human animal is not only something lived but something known. They fall under the general precept of law, ‘the good is to be pursued and done, and evil resisted’. This unification in the dynamism towards the good that Thomas was able to do in the self-evident principle of practical reason (habitually held by the habit of synderesis) is quite original, putting human life in a moral order with respect to good beyond instinctual inclination, just as, in relation to speculative reason oriented towards the truth, Aristotle had put the self-evident principle of non contradiction.

Our common animality opens a unique horizon of common goods. First, the loving and enduring communion in one flesh between males and females. Second, the love of the species in procreative acts. Third, the need for philanthropy, particularly in supplying the social resources for education of children. Fourth, the wider solidarity with other living things implied in hu- man stewardship. As rational animals, human beings are immersed in a multifaceted diffusion of the good in living things. This makes specific demands on our vocation to be provident both for oneself and for others. (Damascene, Prol. S.t. I-II).

Comparing the imago Dei in angels and human beings, Thomas contends that we ‘observe in man a certain imitation of God, consisting in the fact that man proceeds from man, as God from God; ‘and also in the fact that the whole human soul is in the whole body’, as God from God; ‘and again, in every part, as God is in regard to the whole world. In these and the like things the image of God is more perfect in man than it is in the angels’ (S.t. I 93.3).

Clearly, Thomas’s remarks in S.t. I-II 94.2 are very brief, and, as it were, telescoped. The passage needs to be understood in the broader context of Thomas’s teaching on how the human body participates in human love and prudence. Moreover, his teaching needs to be carefully understood in view of certain crises of our times: the demographic winter in the developed world, new technologies and the prospect of the machining of the humanum, widespread confusion about the nature and ends of the matrimonial society, and the ongoing challenge of defending the dignity of the whole human being against various philosophical and scientific reductionism.

The three-day program will foster a dialogue between philosophers, historians of philosophy, scientists, and theologians. Rather than having many short remarks, we commission only nine papers. First, each can make a substantive contribution to our theme. Just as importantly, the schedule leaves much time for fruitful dialogue be- tween academicians and invited scholars. The session on Sunday will be devoted to even broader context of S.t. I-II 94.2. These papers will help the Academy to move toward the 2011 Plenary Session, which will examine the last part of the article, where Thomas writes: ‘there is in man an inclination to good according to the nature of his reason, which is proper to him; thus man has a natural inclination to know the truth about God, and to live in society. In this respect, whatever pertains to this inclination be- longs to the natural law: e.g. to shun ignorance, to avoid offending those among whom one has to live, and other such things regarding the above inclination’.