Fifty years after the "Method in Theology" by Bernard Lonergan

Initiatives for Synod 2021-2024 / The Lonergan Project

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STEFANIA DE VITO | Faculty of Theology

by STEFANIA DE VITO

Faculty of Theology

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the publication

of Bernard Lonergan's Method in Theology,

the interdisciplinary group of professors and students

who study his thought at the Gregorian wanted

to conduct a reflection regarding synodality

This past May 20, the Gregoriana's Lonergan Project celebrated the 50th anniversary of the publication of Method in Theology with a workshop entitled “Theology for a Synodal Church.” Pedagogically, the latter is especially consistent with the way Lonergan understood theology. Following the evolution of his thought in Method in Theology, we find that theology is understood as a process in the making, one that mediates the truth of faith, drawn from Scripture and Tradition, within today’s ecclesial, social, and academic situation for the purpose of promoting progress and activating processes of redemption in history. This dimension is consistent with the synodal process initiated by Pope Francis in October 2021. 

In Lonergan’s reflection we do not find the expressions “synod/synodality”: his method in theology is already conceived as methodologically synodal and serves a synodal Church which goes forth. In fact, when Lonergan highlights the redeeming and constructive nature of the Church by means of theology, he is highlighting the missio ad intra and ad extraof the Church, called to edify the human community, with two core prerogatives. Firstly, to listen to the signs of the times and to the critical issues in the contemporary world; and secondly, to establish cooperation among the various theological domains and between these and the world of science at large, including the social sciences.

The first dimension makes it possible for theology to be truly “incarnate” and thereby driven forward in a bottom-up process. Indeed, the Synod Preparatory Document states that the synodal journey “unfolds within a historical context marked by epochal changes in society and by a crucial transition in the life of the Church, which cannot be ignored.” (§ 4). The historical awareness advocated by Lonergan is reflected in an act of honest listening to the rifts and the strengths of ecclesial and social realities, encompassing “the ability to imagine a different future for the Church and its institutions” (§ 9).  Indeed, this was the very goal of B. Lonergan in the early 1970s, in an attempt to satisfy the long-cherished spiritual renewal for the Church, called for by Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Council.

Synodal praxis substantiates the Church’s prophetic identity and mission, and enshrines theology as an ecclesial ministry. The collaboration between the theological disciplines, as conceptualised by Lonergan in his functional specialities, mitigates the damage caused by the ‘tyranny’ of one theological discipline to the detriment of the others and fosters collaboration based on the mutual recognition of the limits and potentialities of each functional speciality. Accordingly, Lonergan’s thought is relevant to synodality because its praxis can only be efficient and effective inasmuch as the delicate issues of epistemology, as well as pastoral and theological methodology, are tackled at its core.