Catholic Research Articles

The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church by Romanus CessarioO.P., Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2023, pp. xiv+290, $32.99, hbk

The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church by Romanus CessarioO.P., Baker Academic, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2023, pp. xiv+290, $32.99, hbk

‘Saying No’: Frames of Sexual Abuse in Survivors’ Narratives

AbstractUsing qualitative interviews with survivors and activists against sexual violence in the Catholic Church in Switzerland, this article suggests that the expression “saying no” or the idea of “refusal” frames discussions regarding child sexual abuse with detrimental consequences. This discourse is sometimes linked to a restrictive understanding of sexual consent and is applied to children in very asymmetrical relationships, who should be placed outside the scope of sexual consent. Particularly for men who have been sexually abused as children, this understanding of consent is referred to when speaking about sexual abuse. This asks questions about the gender norms influencing the discourse of consent and the challenges of understanding oneself as a victim of abuse. The article argues for a critical examination of the concept of consent and its connection to children and minors. It suggests that it is crucial, as many (feminist) scholars in different fields have argued, to abandon a negative standard of consent (saying no, resisting) in politics against sexual violence and instead focus on the capability to participate in and determine the sexual relationship.

RAYMUND NETZHAMMER - RESPECTED FIGURE OF THE GERMAN CATHOLIC POPULATION IN ROMANIA

Raymund Netzhammer is a prominent representative of the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches in Romania. He worked as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bucharest between 1905-1927 and felt that he belonged to the whole country, his adopted homeland, Romania, so that he was particularly valued not only by German Catholics, but also by believers from other confessions.

EDMUND T. WHITTAKER, PHYSICS AND CATHOLICISM. THOUGHTS OF A CONVERT

In 1951, Pope Pius XII gave a long speech with the unequivocal title ‘The proofs for the existence of God in the light of modern natural science’, dealing with the relationship between modern science, Thomism and theology. The event was widely reported in the British press partly because the only living scientist quoted in that discourse was the Edinburgh emeritus professor of mathematics and convert to Catholicism, Edmund T. Whittaker (1873–1956), who was, in the 1930s and 1940s, producing his own corpus on the then-popular subject of science and religion. In this article, using the vast and unexplored correspondence between Whittaker and his son, the mathematician John M. Whittaker (1905–1984), I shall explore his thoughts and popular works, in which he mixed modern physics and mathematics, philosophy, apologetics, and theology. Whittaker is well known among historians of science for his A history of the theories of aether and electricity , the work of a hard-working, self-trained history aficionado. Similarly, after his conversion (in 1930, at the age of 57), Whittaker started reading and forming his own views around the official philosophy of the Catholic Church, Thomism. The core idea with which he justified his conversion and which would be the backbone of his speculations on natural theology was ‘sacramentality’. With it, he thought he could bridge the gap between mathematics, modern physics, and religion, and all with a sui generis embrace of Thomism.

Požehnání v biblické a prakticko-teologické perspektivě: Příspěvek k diskuzi o žehnání párů stejného pohlaví

The study examines the concept and practice of blessing in contemporary Christian churches and reflects on the possibilities of blessing same-sex couples. It emphasises the need to distinguish the blessing of a same-sex couple from the legal act of entering into a civil partnership. The purpose of the blessing is not to affirm or sanctify a particular life form but to bring a couple committed to an enduring relationship of love, respect and fidelity before God, promising his favour, grace and gifts. The study consists of three parts. First, it introduces the concept of blessing in the Old and New Testament. The second part discusses blessing from a contemporary practical theological perspective. It presents blessing as a gift and a task of the church community and as a key motif of casual services. It points to the specific linguistic form of blessing as opposed to prayer, wish and proclamation, presents blessing as an act of communication and reflects on the question of its content and effects. The third part deals with the question of who or what can be blessed and whether it is theologically legitimate to bless same-sex couples. It reflects on the possibility of blessing in the pastoral practice of the Roman Catholic Church, anchored in the declaration Fiducia supplicans, and in the liturgical practice of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren. It concludes with a summary of the findings.

Marrying Body and Theology: A Response to Thomas Finegan

In a recent article in this journal, Thomas Finegan replies to our earlier article in this journal, which proposes a theological and ethical argument for the Catholic church to recognize same-sex civil unions as a lower-case sacrament. His critique focuses on the theological significance of embodiment as a one flesh union taught by Jesus, defended throughout Catholic tradition, and justified philosophically. We respond that Finegan’s critique misrepresents our argument and is mistaken biblically, anthropologically, and sacramentally, and suffers from scotosis.

Changes in Religiosity as a Challenge to Family Catechesis: the Situation in Poland

The concept ‘catechesis’ has always been vital to pastoral mission in Roman Catholic Church and has been used officially with a basic fidelity to its etymological roots (an echoing of faith between believers and with fidelity to its context in the early Christian Church (systematic formation and participation in experiences within a faith community). However today, when official Roman Catholic Church documents recall family catechesis, at the practical level, family catechesis is still ambiguous. This article opens a new window on a very topical issue in contemporary catechesis: strengthening the family as an important agent of catechesis. The author (taking into consideration the changes of religiosity of Catholics) proposes different models in which the family can be supported to assume its primary function as an educator for the faith using the example of Poland.

Religious coping with contingency as a resource for democracy?

AbstractThis quantitative study empirically examines the mediating factors between Christian religiosity, political trust, and populist attitudes. As a novel approach, we ask whether religious coping with contingency reduces anxiety among religious citizens. Given that anxiety can reduce institutional trust and increase the appeal of populism, religiously reduced anxiety could support democratic attitudes. In addition, generalized social trust and acceptance of immigration are tested as further mediators between Christian religiosity and its political outcomes. Based on a recent representative sample of the German population (6th Membership Survey of the Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches in Germany), regression analyses find limited evidence for the coping thesis. Overall, religious coping, generalized social trust, and acceptance of immigration together explain to a large extent the higher prevalence of political trust and the lower prevalence of populist attitudes among liberal Christians in Germany.

Between Transcendental and National: Wooden Churches of Slovakia

ABSTRACT The Eastern Carpathian Mountain region is home to Slavic peoples, who celebrate the bringing of Christianity by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the ninth century. The mountainous region retains small village churches, some dating from the eighteenth century, each established within agrarian communities by Roman Catholic, Greek Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox denominations. Despite village subjugation under the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Nazi occupation, Russian “liberation” and Socialist-era suppression of non-Orthodox denominations, these exquisite vernacular structures have remained and illustrate the continuing transcendental experience for worshipers but also now shared with those who celebrate them as symbols of national resistance, as well as tourists who come to experience them as UNESCO World Heritage sites. Sharing a common church object, traditional typological and formal aesthetic approaches that have been established by researchers for these structures are contrasted against a phenomenologically rooted set of embodied modes for meaning across examples from extant structures within Slovakia. Embodied approaches provide, via modes of lived experience, a deep offering into what each church shares with their ecological landscape, village, and history; a holistic visceral tapestry key to their appreciation complimenting the typological and differently affirming their continuing value.

Russian Orthodoxy used by the Soviet, Moscow-Kremlin authorities to destroy Ukrainian religion and culture

The greatest tragedy for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church occurred under the totalitarian Stalinist regime. Using the nineteenth-century proven scenarios of the tsarist autocratic Orthodox authorities' massacres of Uniates and Roman Catholics, the Soviet authorities used this historical experience to abolish the Union of Brest, sever the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church's ties with the Vatican, and “reunite the Uniates” (Greek Catholics), as they said in Moscow at the time, “with their mother, the Russian Orthodox Church” (1946).

Panggilan dan Tugas Bapak-Ibu Baptis Dalam Gereja Katolik

The sacrament of Baptism is often referred to as the gateway to enter the community of believers in Jesus, especially in the Catholic Church, because it is the first sacrament received. Other sacraments can only be received after receiving the sacrament of Baptism. By receiving the sacrament of Baptism, a person can receive his rights and obligations as a Catholic. In the rite of receiving the sacrament of Baptism, one of the important parties to be considered is the godparents, or often also called the godfather or godmother. Its presence does not merely fulfil the requirements of formality, which is then recorded in the Baptismal Book or Liber Baptizatorum; but it has a certain role before and after the celebration of baptism.

Semangat Pelayanan Santa Teresa dari Calcutta Menjadi Inspirasi Bagi Katekis Masa Kini

St. Teresa of Calcutta was a Religious who had a strong faith and love for the poor. She is one of the figures in the Catholic Church who has been canonized a saint. The purpose of this writing is to study the life and charism of St. Teresa of Calcutta who lived her faith in God which was manifested in her service to the poor. The method used to explore this theme is a literature review. The authors have tried to explore matters related to St. Teresa and her service through reliable sources. Through this writing have findings were obtained about the life and work of St. Teresa's of Calcutta. The exemplary and attitude of St. Teresa's life are figures for catechists for their work and service. Catechists need to live the values ​​of Evangelical spirituality as lived by St. Teresa of Calcutta. This writing can inspire catechists to develop spiritual values ​​that are rooted in a strong faith in God that manifests itself in concrete actions. The implications of writing St. Teresa can be an inspiration and example for catechists to be closer to God, faithful in their duties and service.

UGCC's Mission in Ecumenical Dialogue: Relations with Eastern Catholic Churches

The article, based on a generalization of historical facts, examines the active status of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) in the system of Eastern Catholic Churches (ECC) by clarifying the specifics of their emergence and development, reveals the special role of the UGCC in ecumenical communication between the Eastern Catholic Churches, and outlines the prospects of this movement in the process of establishing and strengthening relations between Catholics and Orthodox in Ukraine and around the world. The authors propose to use the results of the study to correct the Ecumenical Concept of the UGCC, complementing the strategy of the UGCC in matters of interfaith communication with concrete steps in cooperation with the ECC.

Historical Development of the Rozhnyativ Deanery of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Greek Catholic Church (1907-1946)

The article examines the historical development of the Rozhnyativ deanery of the Lviv Archdiocese of the Greek Catholic Church. The structure and activities of the parish network during 1907-1946 are highlighted. The key role of the Church in the development of parish communities is revealed.

Chortkiv Deanery of the Stanislaviv Greek Catholic Eparchy in 1939-1946

The purpose of the article is an objective study of the historical development of the Chortkiv Deanery of the Stanislaviv Diocese of the Galician Metropolis of the Greek Catholic Church during the Second World War of 1939-1945 and the establishment of Soviet power in Galicia in 1945-1946, which led to the forced liquidation of the UGCC and its transformation into a “catacomb” church. Research methodology: the basic methods are microhistorical, biographical and prosopographic. The scientific novelty is that for the first time the peculiarities of the historical development of the Chortkiv Deanery of the Stanislaviv Eparchy of the UGCC during the Second World War and the “second Sovietization” of Galicia (1939-1946) are analyzed. Conclusions: The authors show the specifics of church-state relations, the mutual influence of political and ecclesiastical administrative-territorial divisions in the process of liquidation of the UGCC, and the role of individual priests in the events of this time.

Biographical Dictionary of the Clergy of the Stanislaviv (Ivano-Frankivsk) Diocese - Metropolitanate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (1885–2020). Part 3: Biograms for the letter "A", issue 3

The purpose of the article is to publish fragments of a biographical dictionary - biographies of priests with the letter "A". Research methodology: biographical and prosopographical methods are outlined as the main ones in the process of implementing this project. The scientific novelty is that the publication of the second part of the series of biographies (biographical notes) of representatives of the clergy of the Stanislaviv Diocese under the letter "A" has been carried out. This publication includes the biographies of such persons as Andriishyn Mykhailo (1876–1938) and Andriishyn Yakiv (1845–1918). Conclusions: The reconstruction of the biographies of Greek Catholic priests (on the letter "A"), based on a significant source base, proves their active activity not only in the church and religious, but also in the political, public, economic and cultural spheres of the life of the Ukrainian people.

The process of transition of the UGCC to the new calendar

Starting September 1, 2023, the Synod of Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church will eliminate the error of the old Julian calendar and church holidays will correspond to the astronomical calendar that our society lives by. For the past 123 years, we have been living according to a calendar that lagged behind the astronomical calendar by 13 days.

The Biblical Aspect of the Term “Immaculate” as the Basis for the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception

In this article, we considered the biblical basis of the Church's teaching on the Immaculate Conception. The Catholic Church proceeds from the biblical concept of «kekharitomen» (гр.), which formed the basis of the teaching about this glorious Marian dogma. In this work, the linguistic sources of this term were presented, which shed light on the actions of the Holy Spirit, Who, erring over all creation with the will of the Father through the Son, being their common personal Love, creates Mary as a new Creation. In Eph 1, 6 St. Paul speaks of our justification through the will of the Father by grace in His beloved Son Jesus Christ. The Apostle of the Nations uses the verb «kharito» (гр.), which means that the Mother of God was justified in advance thanks to the anticipatory action of the Holy Spirit with the will of the Son and the Father. God would not be omnipotent if He did not protect His Mother from the sin of the ancestors. That is why, thanks to the future Incarnation, He forbids the Most Pure One from original sin in an anticipatory way, so that through Her He may take the body and redeem the whole world on the Cross. This work should become a bridge between Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants, who should look at Christ in a new way through the prism of Mary's perfect holiness from the Conception.

If not belief in God, then what? Identifying factors that contribute to well-being among Polish nonbelievers

Recent estimates by the Pew Research Center show that Poland is one of the fastest secularizing countries in the world. Despite the growing role of such attitudes in Poland and other countries around the world, still little is known about the psychosocial functioning and mental health of nonbelievers. The present study aimed to fill in this knowledge gap by examining various factors that may contribute to nonbelievers’ well-being, including perceived social support, emotion regulation strategies, secular beliefs (humanism and belief in science), and clarity of self-beliefs. Five hundred Polish nonbelievers took part in this study, of whom 38% reported no nominal affiliation with any religious or secular group, 33% affiliated with Roman Catholics, and 22% identified as Atheists. Comparing these groups, we found that while Catholics and Atheists did not differ significantly in terms of their overall well-being, religious “nones” scored lower than Catholics on overall well-being (but not meaning in life or social support). In addition, it was found that—at the level of the whole sample—having greater clarity of self-beliefs, using functional emotion regulation strategies, as well as having greater perceived social support were all positively associated with the presence of meaning in life and well-being.

Diecezja żmudzka w 1830 roku w świetle schematyzmu na 1831 rok (1). Schematyzm – edycja źródła

The presented text is an edition of the schematism of the Samogitian diocese prepared for 1831. The information gathered in it allows one to learn about the state of the Catholic Church, especially its administrative structure in Samogitia before the outbreak of the November Uprising. The collapse of the independence uprising directed against the Russian invaders initiated repressions that significantly limited the Church’s pastoral activities. The material describing the Samogitian diocese at the end of 1830 was divided into three articles. The first includes a critical edition of the schema of the Samogitian diocese published for 1831, along with a discussion of the formation of the rules for preparing Samogitian schemas for printing from the first found catalog of 1787 until the outbreak of the November Uprising. The second will present the administrative structure of the Samogitian diocese and the history of the temples then existing in the Samogitian diocese. The last – third – article will publish data on the diocesan clergy working in the Samogitian diocese on the eve of the outbreak of the uprising, as well as biographies of the priests mentioned in the schema.