Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Theologia Catholica Latina

Foreword. Focus on the Synodality

2024-01-11T08:04:18+00:00

Synodality is the central theme of this issue of our journal, as it is the topic that is most preoccupying the Catholic Church and theology today. The authors approach the topic from different perspectives: Korinna Zamfir examines the relevant texts of the WCC, Moses Nóda analyses the local history of synodality in the context of monasticism, Norbert Nagy places the research of the concept in the context of liturgical reform, while Sándor Fazakas brings the theology of the concept of koinonia from Reformed theology to a multifaceted understanding of this topic. Of special note in the contents of our publication is Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal SJ’s presentation on Latin American Synodality, an edited version of his speech delivered on 17 November 2023, when he received his Doctor Honoris Causa award. Here we publish the laudatio of the Dean of the Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology of the Babeș-Bolyai University, Dávid Diósi.

Conciliarity in the World Council of Churches Texts. Intersections, Interactions, Specific Emphases

2024-01-11T08:20:29+00:00

The Synod of Bishops on Synodality has placed the church as a synodal community at the core of Catholic theological reflection. The conciliar or synodal nature of the church is also a topic of ecumenical dialogue. This essay surveys the theme of conciliarity in some WCC texts over the past 50 years, arguing that discussions of conciliarity reflect the interrelation between contemporary ecclesial events and theological developments. This diachronic analysis also indicates that while for two decades conciliarity has been regarded as a hopeful model for achieving communion and collaboration between the churches, the concept has gradually lost its appeal. The twin concept of synodality emerged in the latest ecclesiological convergence texts with a different focus. The study reveals the shift from an understanding of conciliarity centred on the people of God and baptism to one increasingly focusing on ordained ministry. At the same time, the topic of synodality, which remerged recently in Catholic theology, indicates the reception of some ideas developed in ecumenical dialogue.

Synodality Before the Synod As the Path of a Religious Community. The Theological and Social Initiatives of the Sisters of Social Service in Transylvania in the First Half of the Twentieth Century

2024-01-11T09:13:28+00:00

As the Society of the Sisters of Social Service, an international religious community established in Hungary, celebrates the centenary of its foundation, evoking the early stages of its mission provides an opportunity for re-examining the charism of the society. The success of the Sisters of Social Service, their ability to deal effectively with the challenges of their time, in particular those emerging in the interwar period and during the second world war, was largely due to their modern and open-minded vision. This paper discusses the charism of the society, shaped by Benedictine spirituality and devotion to the Holy Spirit, focusing on two aspects of their activity, their social sensitivity and commitment to social work, and their contribution to the dissemination of the ideas of the liturgical movement. These initiatives also highlight the contribution of women to the mission of the Church before their explicit acknowledgement in contemporary synodal documents.

Das Bild der pilgernden Kirche im "Ordo Dedicationis Ecclesiae et Altaris" (1977)

2024-01-11T09:41:02+00:00

The image of the church as a pilgrimaging community under the sacramental authority of the bishop as the high priest of his flock (SC 41) is central to liturgy in which church buildings and altars are dedicated. This article sums up the reform of that part of the Roman Pontifical, which contains these rites. It also off s some liturgical and ecclesiological insights, which could be of interest in the context of the current worldwide synodal process in the Roman Catholic Church. An undoubtably positive result of the reform of these rites is the pneumatical eff rt which can be observed throughout the entire celebration. Much more important than the church building is the trinitarian focus on the church as People of God, Body of Christ and Temple of the Holy Spirit.

“Koinonia” in Reformed Theology

2024-01-11T10:18:42+00:00

This presentation is an edited and revised version of the presentation given at the Ecumenical International Conference “Active Participation in Community”, Pannonhalma Archabbey, 21 October 2022. The theme of the conference was synodality − accordingly, this paper aims to present the basic features of Reformed ecclesiology. It highlights the fact that adapting different forms of communion from a secular context is not a viable solution for the church, even though it remains a challenge for the church today in almost all countries. Instead, the ecclesiological and practical implications of koinonia must be considered. According to Reformed theology and Confessions of faith, the ministries, services and governance of the church derive from the koinonia with Christ and with one another. Participation in this communion requires a concrete form of ecclesial and social service; it is concretized by participation in the threefold office of Christ (royal, priestly and prophetic). Last but not least, sharing in the threefold office of Christ has an as yet unexploited ecumenical potential for the common witness of Christians.

Sinodalidad en la Iglesia. Palabras del prepósito general de la Compañía de Jesús, p. Arturo Sosa Abascal, s.j., en el Acto académico de conferimiento del título de Doctor Honoris Causa de la Universidad Babes-Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca, 17 de noviembre de 20231

2024-01-11T10:58:52+00:00

Una profunda emoción me lleva a iniciar estas palabras con una acción de Gracias al Señor por tanto bien recibido a través de la Universidad Babes-Bolyai, la más antigua y fecunda Universidad en Romania. Recibo este reconocimiento en nombre de la Compañía de Jesús, ligada a los orígenes de esta Universidad cuando en el lejano 1581 fundó la Academia Claudipolitana Societatis Iesu, entonces Colegio Mayor de los Jesuitas en Cluj. Agradezco de corazón esta generosa iniciativa de la Facultad de Teología Romano-Católica y la Facultad de Teología Greco-Católica. Nos encontramos en este significativo acto académico cuando acaba de finalizar la primera reunión de la XVI Asamblea del Sínodo de los Obispos, bajo el título Por una Iglesia sinodal: comunión, participación y misión. El Santo Padre Francisco ha querido tratar el tema de la sinodalidad de la Iglesia dentro de un proceso propiamente sinodal. Por eso, se ha organizado en tres fases sucesivas que permiten la participación activa de todo el Pueblo de Dios. El itinerario sinodal se inició en octubre del 2021 con la consulta a nivel diocesano, seguida por una consulta continental y esta primera asamblea a nivel universal. Tanto las organizaciones laicales como la vida consagrada han participado activamente en todos los niveles y fases del proceso.

Laudatio on the Doctor Honoris Causa Academic Title Awarding to Very Rev. Fr. Arturo Sosa Abascal, Superior General of the Society of Jesus

2024-01-11T11:17:58+00:00

In hoc Regno nostro eruditionis instituendaeque in liberalibus disciplinis iuventutis, Collegium societatis Jesu, in Civitate Coloswar erigendum atque construendum statuerimus, […], cuius maxime decori atque utilitati consultum semper esse cupimus, […] ut et ornamento et commodo illi sit. “In an effort to advance the sciences and to propagate the liberal arts among our youth, we have decided to establish and to construct a Jesuit College in the city of Cluj, in the sincere hope that this college may prove to be an advantage and an ornament to the city,” writes Kristóf Báthory in his letter to the Magistrate of the city of Cluj, dated 5 May 1580. One year later, on 12 May 1581, István Báthory, King of Poland and Prince of Transylvania, signed the founding document of the Jesuit College and Academia Claudiopolitana, which states that students of the institution may study both towards a bachelor’s and a master’s degree and a doctorate, as it is legal and customary in the academies of Italia, Gallia, Hispania, and Germania.

Un SMS di San Anselmo a Maurizio sul male o il male nella lettera 97 di Anselmo d’Aosta

2024-01-11T11:36:24+00:00

The following article through Anselm of Aosta’s Letter 97 brings to the reader, the idea that Anselm’s epistolary today can be understood as virtual letters: SMS or messages on social networking sites. The theme of the Letter 97 presents evil not as something or not-something, but as almost something. With his itinerary, Anselm not only re-elaborated Augustine’s thought, but also opened the door for a new interpretation that after centuries, that is, today, becomes interesting because of its freedom and perspectives. By the means of language Anselm opens the horizon to the eyes of today’s reader that stretches to ontological perspective. In this sense, the evil that is almost-something opens an infinite possibility.

Nagy Kornél, Lembergben kezdődött. Az Örménykatolikus Egyház Születése [It Begun in Lemberg. The Beginning of the Armenian Catholic Church] Nyíregyháza: Szent Atanáz Görögkatolikus Hittudományi Főiskola, 2020. 195 pp.

2024-01-11T12:02:55+00:00

Kornél Nagy is a Senior Research Fellow of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, a renowned researcher of European Armenians and the Armenian Catholic Church in Transylvania. In this work, he seeks to examine when the establishment of the European Armenian Catholic Church can be dated, based on ecclesiastical and archival sources. The research focuses on the Armenian community of Lemberg and its gradual rapprochement with the Catholic Church. To present the research findings, Nagy first presents the available sources, placing them in their historical context. Of particular importance are the Vatican archival sources, which provide a realistic picture of the demographic-religious relations in 17^t^h-century Central-Eastern Europe, the internal divisions of the European Armenian community of the time, and its relations with the motherland under Turkish occupation. To help the reader understand the settlement and Catholicization of the Armenians in Eastern Europe, the author briefly outlines the history of the first Christian nation, highlighting that even before the Turkish conquest, there was tension between Constantinople and the Armenians, not only for religious but also for ethno-social reasons. The rapprochement between the Armenians and the Catholic Church began in the first millennium, and then fluctuated in the following centuries. The author also points out that it was not only external invasions (Byzantines, Persians, Turks) that caused the westward migration of Armenians, but also internal divisions that accelerated the process.