Editoriale – 56

Segnalo la pubblicazione di un testo da me curato che raccoglie gli atti di due giornate di presentazione di un volume frutto del lavoro dell'Area di Ricerca "Temi di Teologia Fondamentale in prospettiva ecumenica". Inserisco un estratto della versione inglese della mia introduzione

A. Sabetta (ed.), Fidei doctrinae fundamentum: veritas Evangelii per se ipsam praesens, LUP, Città del Vaticano 2013, 164pp

The collected texts in this volume were presented in Rome (December 1, 2011) and Tübingen (December 15, 2011) at the conferences held on occasion of the presentation of Sacrament and Word in the Foundation and Content of Faith according to Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Doctrine, published concurrently in Italy by Lateran University Press and in Germany by Mohr Siebeck. This volume constitutes the second publication of the International Research Area "Topics of Fundamental Theology from an Ecumenical Perspective." The first volume, The Foundation and Objective Dimension of Faith according to Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran Doctrine, saw light in 2008. Edited by Professors E. Herms and L. Žak, it was published in German by Mohr Siebeck and in Italian by Lateran University Press. On occasion of the publication, a presentation was held in Tübingen (April 7, 2008) and Rome (April 9, 2008).

The Foundation and Objective Dimension of Faith gathered together materials from the Research Area's first phase of work (2001-2006), and it had a certain resonance in Italy and an even greater one in Germany. The second volume, Sacrament and Word, gathers together a portion of work from the Second Quinquennium.

The International Research Area "Topics of Fundamental Theology from an Ecumenical Perspective," permanently based at the Pontifical Lateran University, was instituted in 2001 on the basis of an exchange of ideas between Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and Professor Eilert Herms. Its institution was proposed and mediated by the Cardinal himself.

The Research Area is currently directed by Prof. Eilert Herms (Faculty of Evangelical Theology, University of Tübingen) and Prof. Giuseppe Lorizio (Faculty of Theology, Pontifical Lateran University, Rome). Its members include Professors Wilfried Härle (Heidelberg), Christoph Schwöbel (Tübingen), Lubomir Žak (Rome), Massimo Serretti (Rome), and, since 2007, Antonio Sabetta (Rome). The Research Area's activities are punctuated by semiannual seminar-style meetings, during which members analyze and discuss core themes in Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran doctrine from the perspective of Fundamental Theology. Every meeting follows the following format: (1) the presentation of a specific topic from the standpoint of its place within Catholic doctrine (presented by a Catholic and a Lutheran), (2) the presentation of the same topic from the standpoint of its place within Lutheran doctrine (presented by a Lutheran and a Catholic), and (3) discussion and the preparation of a report that requires the approval of both parties.

Of particular importance is the report drawn up at the conclusion of the discussions that follow the reading of papers. It contains views shared by all the members about the adequacy of each speaker-author's presentation, which lies at the nexus between the two traditions' doctrinal formulations (those taken into consideration) and their object, as well as about the way in which this object is seen and described by each side. Furthermore, the report exhibits, according to the group members' common perception, to what extent the res toward which both doctrinal formulations aim is identical and to what extent the respective descriptions of this res are in conformity with one another. Finally, the report notes everyone's opinion on which issues require further clarification, so that it is evident whether or not the group has reached a consensus regarding the res.

This methodological choice frees project participants from concerns about reaching a compromise that will reconcile their positions in a single fundamental-theological understanding of the issues in question; rather, the members aim to present their viewpoints in full fidelity to the essential tenets of their respective faiths. The contributions are simply scientific studies on doctrinal texts, written by theologians who, by virtue of their Confessions, seek to understand, grasp, and describe-deciphering the literal meaning of the doctrinal texts examined-that which constitutes the res and how this res may be understood and presented. The author of each contribution develops the exposition of the doctrine under examination from his point of view, highlighting the problems and open questions he manages to find and that, in his opinion, need clarification.

In their work, research project members abide by their intention to offer a scientific contribution to the field of Fundamental Theology without being affected by worries about contributing to the continuation of ecumenical dialogue between the two Confessions. In this sense, the project must not be seen as an initiative that strives to compete with other ecumenical initiatives; however, Area members fervently desire that their work-though primarily aimed at clarifying underlying perspectives and the structural principles of revealed and believed realities-might contribute to an ever more solid theological ground in which current ecumenical dialogue can root itself with increasing depth.

Concretely, the collected studies in the volume presented in December 2011 considered the question of the relationship between Word and sacrament, attempting to verify if and how the doctrinal formulations of the Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran traditions, in describing the reality of the sacrament(s) and the reality of the Word, refer to the one and the same res: the event of the manifestation of God the Creator in His incarnate Logos by the Holy Spirit-an event that is the foundation and content of faith.

The conferences in both Rome and Tübingen saw a substantial number of students and professors who reflected on the theme aided by two talks: one Catholic and one Reformed (Prof. P. Hünermann in Rome and Tübingen, Professors F. Ferrario and S. Rostagno, respectively in Rome and Tübingen). The presence of academic authorities was significant and important: for Lateran University, University Rector Msgr. Enrico dal Covolo, Pro-Rector Patrick Valdrini, and the then Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Prof. Renzo Gerardi; for the University of Tübingen, Prof. Dr. Volker Drehsen, Dean of the Evangelical Faculty. Most importantly, authorities from both Churches participated: Msgr. Mansueto Bianchi, then President of the Italian Episcopal Conference's Commission for Ecumenism and Interreligious Dialogue; the Bishop of Rottenburg-Stuttgart, Msgr. Gebhard Fürst; Frank Otfried July, the Evangelical Bishop of Württemberg; and Prof. Dr. Wilfried Hartmann, President of the General Synod of the VELKD.