UNITY AND IDENTITY: DECISIVE PRINCIPLES IN THE CATHOLIC THEOLOGY

Abstract

This article is an analysis of the document Theology today: perspectives, principles and criteria published by the International Commission of the Roman Catholic Church. The foundations and principles of Catholic theology as unity and identity, require a permanent turn to the unique message of Christ, a message that we need to announce with courage and conviction. Therefore, it is legitimate to speak about the need for a certain unity of theology. Thus, we must bear in mind that the concept of unity needs to be carefully understood so as not to be confused with uniformity or with an individual style. The unity of theology and the whole Church, as professed in the Creed, must be closely linked to the idea of catholicity, as well as to holiness and apostolicity. Uniqueness and identity come from Christ, Savior of the world. The theology of unity and identity that wants to be Catholic must participate in the catholicity and in the unity of the Church, which ultimately is based on the trinitarian unity of God himself. Theology is catholic in the richness of the plurality of its expressions, protagonists, ideas and contexts and, therefore it is born from the attentive listening of the Word of God, it is incardinated in the communion of the Church and it is oriented to the service of the truth.