a free translation from the italian traditional blog 'cordialiter'
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2013
Teilhard de Chardin, between myth and heresy
Years ago I bought from a dealer in antique books a booklet entitled
"Teilhard de Chardin, between myth and heresy," written by P.
Hyacinth Scaltriti OP and published with ecclesiastical imprimatur
in the early '60s.In the book, the learned Dominican priest's
thesis refuted some of the famous Jesuit theologian's
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin's thesis, considered one of the greatest
exponents of the "new theology."
Some will say that what Fr Scaltriti thought about it matters little, because
what really matters is what the Holy See says. Well, the Supreme
Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office, at the time under the
leadership of the heroic Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, published
a "Monitum" signed by Bishop Sebastiano Masala, to warn the bishops,
superiors of religious institutes, rectors of seminaries and
Directors of the University, about the dangers of the works of P.
Theilard de Chardin, because (and I quote) "in the field of philosophy
and theology is clearly seen that the works mentioned contain such
ambiguities and even errors so serious, that offend Catholic doctrine."
On the same day in which the Monitum was published (30 June 1962),
"L'Osservatore Romano" published an article in which was refuted
some theses teilhardiane. Here are some: "[...] the dangerous
ambiguities and errors that occur in certain expressions of Teilhard
about the traditional Catholic concept of creation (move back to
the Fourth Lateran Councils and Vatican I). [...] In his conception
of the relationship between God and the Cosmos, Teilhard de Chardin
has weaknesses that can not be passed over in silence. He, it is true,
explicitly states and over the necessity and transcendent personality
of God, however, in the logic of his thought Teilhardian divine
transcendence is not expressed in a sufficient way.God is portrayed
as supreme unity that somehow is incorporated in the universe,
so the divine unity in some way becomes a participant of the cosmic
multiplicity and God in a sense is made a more perfect assimilation
of the Cosmos. [...] In the essay already quoted, "The Christique,"
reads even - and says "en vrai sens" - a "troisième nature" of Christ,
not human, not divine, but "cosmic"! We do not want to take the letter
and "en vrai sens" as Teilhard writes at this point, otherwise it would
be pure heresy. [...] We also know that Teilhard did not infrequently
make statements not entirely consistent, if not sometimes contrary
or contradictory, and we want to concede that the thought
of Teilhard remained in a phase of distress. However, his writings
in many places are always more or less mixed with Catholic doctrine.
[...] Truly our century has a great need of authentic witnesses to Christ,
but we hope that they do not have to inspire the "system"
scientific-religious Teilhard. We felt it necessary to express our criticism
of the thought, not the person - repeat - to warn scholars, and
especially the young, against the errors and ambiguities contained
in the writings of Teilhard. And making our reflections, we believe we have
acted in the mind of Monitum, which is published today in our newspaper. "
2 comments:
Teilhard de Chardin is a great scientist and priest and the article is misleading. Rather than quote a single book from an obscure priest, let's look at what Popes, Cardinals and leading theologians of the last 50 years have said about Teilhard de Chardin:
“We need not concern ourselves with a number of detractors of Teilhard, in whom emotion has blunted intelligence” -Cardinal Henri de Lubac
“By now, no one would dream of saying that [Teilhard] is a heterodox author who shouldn’t be studied” - Fr. Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman
“It must be regarded as an important service of Teilhard de Chardin’s that he rethought these ideas from the angle of the modern view of the world ” -- Pope Benedict XVI
"What our contemporaries will undoubtedly remember, beyond the difficulties of conception and deficiencies of expression in this audacious attempt to reach a synthesis, is the testimomy of the coherent life of a man possessed by Christ in the depths of his soul. He was concerned with honoring both faith and reason, and anticipated the response to John Paul II's appeal: 'Be not afraid, open, open wide to Christ the doors of the immense domains of culture, civilization, and progress. -- Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, writing on behalf of Pope John Paul II
“In a sense, creation is history. Against the background of the modern evolutionary world view, Teilhard de Chardin depicted the cosmos as a process of ascent, a series of unions. From very simple beginnings the path leads to ever greater and more complex unities, in which multiplicity is not abolished but merged into a growing synthesis, leading to the “Noosphere”, in which spirit and its understanding embrace the whole and are blended into a kind of living organism. Invoking the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians, Teilhard looks on Christ as the energy that strives toward the Noosphere and finally incorporates everything in its “fullness’. From here Teilhard went on to give a new meaning to Christian worship: the transubstantiated Host is the anticipation of the transformation and divinization of matter in the christological “fullness”. In his view, the Eucharist provides the movement of the cosmos with its direction; it anticipates its goal and at the same time urges it on.” -- Pope Benedict XVI
"Hardly anyone else has tried to bring together the knowledge of Christ and the idea of evolution as the scientist (paleontologist) and theologian Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J., has done. ... His fascinating vision . . . has represented a great hope, the hope that faith in Christ and a scientific approach to the world can be brought together. ... These brief references to Teilhard cannot do justice to his efforts. The fascination which Teilhard de Chardin exercised for an entire generation stemmed from his radical manner of looking at science and Christian faith together." -- Cardinal Christoph Schönborn
WARNING REGARDING THE WRITINGS OF FATHER TEILHARD DE CHARDIN
Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office
On June 30, 1962, the Holy Office issued a monitum (warning) regarding the writings of Father Teilhard de Chardin. In 1981 the Holy See reiterated this warning against rumors that it no longer applied. Following is the text of both the monitum and the 1981 statement:
Admonition
"Several works of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, some of which were posthumously published, are being edited and are gaining a good deal of success.
"Prescinding from a judgement about those points that concern the positive sciences, it is sufficiently clear that the above-mentioned works abound in such ambiguities and indeed even serious errors, as to offend Catholic doctrine.
"For this reason, the most eminent and most revered Fathers of the Holy Office exhort all Ordinaries as well as the superiors of Religious institutes, rectors of seminaries and presidents of universities, effectively to protect the minds, particularly of the youth, against the dangers presented by the works of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin and of his followers.
"Given at Rome, from the palace of the Holy Office, on the thirtieth day of June, 1962.
Sebastianus Masala, Notarius"
Communiqué of the Press Office of the Holy See (appearing in the English edition of L'Osservatore Romano, July 20, 1981)
"The letter sent by the Cardinal Secretary of State to His Excellency Mons. Poupard on the occasion of the centenary of the birth of Fr. Teilhard de Chardin has been interpreted in a certain section of the press as a revision of previous stands taken by the Holy See in regard to this author, and in particular of the Monitum of the Holy Office of 30 June 1962, which pointed out that the work of the author contained ambiguities and grave doctrinal errors.
"The question has been asked whether such an interpretation is well founded.
"After having consulted the Cardinal Secretary of State and the Cardinal Prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which, by order of the Holy Father, had been duly consulted beforehand, about the letter in question, we are in a position to reply in the negative. Far from being a revision of the previous stands of the Holy See, Cardinal Casaroli's letter expresses reservation in various passages—and these reservations have been passed over in silence by certain newspapers—reservations which refer precisely to the judgement given in the Monitum of June 1962, even though this document is not explicitly mentioned."
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