Editor’s note: This is Part 3 of a multi-part series addressing the decline in the number of Catholic priests and seminarians worldwide. Click here to read Part 1, and here to read Part 2.
(LifeSiteNews) — In the section of Optatam totius on “the revision of ecclesiastical studies,” the humanities are mentioned first of all. The Latin expression “humanistica institutio” refers to human literature, which is distinguished from the “divine literature” of Sacred Scripture. It is about classical and modern culture, and in the past this was generally cultivated in the minor seminary, which was considered a kind of specialized bachelor’s program. How do we even begin to compensate for the ignorance of literature, art, music, and science when prior education has failed to teach them? This part of priestly formation has been neglected to the extreme, mainly due to a populist pastoralism.
Vatican II aspired for priests to be cultivated people; it specifically refers to humanistic, scientific, and linguistic formation. It occurs to me that, beyond what can be implemented in the curriculum, it would not be difficult to spark interest in the marvelous collection of wisdom and beauty gathered by humanity and the Church throughout the centuries. And not just an interest and curiosity, but even a love and passion.
A note of caution: a cultivated person is not the same as a “cultured person,” someone who displays the superficiality of a dilettante. Perhaps it would be best to encourage development by emphasizing personal or group interests, in which case it would be appropriate to diversify the requirements. Even the simplest of young men in formation can become cultivated people, who have developed with effort and humility the gifts they have received to offer the Church a pastoral service open to everyone, without prejudice and inspired by charity.
Hatred of Latin
At this juncture it is fitting to say something about the hatred of Latin, which has its roots in the pretexts of “renewal” exhibited in the 1960s, as well as the inclination to despise what is ignored. Latin – so important for writing and speaking well in Spanish, for thinking logically – is a difficult language to acquire if one does not put in the necessary time.
Unfortunately there is a persistent effort to reduce the curricular hours of Latin where its study happens to be preserved. The pretexts – more so prejudices – are always the same. In this way seminarians are denied direct access to Latin culture and the possibility of reading and enjoying the Holy Fathers of the West in their original language.
With regard to liturgical use, it is unclear why a priest should not be able to celebrate Mass in Latin, or at least use it in the parts of the Ordinary that the faithful can recite or chant. But now this has become impossible. The same is true for Eucharistic hymns such as the Pange lingua and the Tantum ergo, which were once highly popular but have been arbitrarily banished, only because of a repudiation of Tradition. Postconciliar documents of the Holy See recommended the establishment of schola cantorum and polyphonic choirs in seminaries because they could preserve and transmit the treasures of liturgical music. But they were tyrannically suppressed wherever they existed.
The cultural decadence of Argentina has penetrated the Church, and the clearest proof of this can be seen in the universal reign of the guitar – mistreated more than played – and in the pitiful canticles that have been imposed to replace, for example, the Psalms and other excellent compositions once used with nary an issue. Something similar can be said of the organ. The fundamental issue is respect for liturgical and sacred music and the Tradition contained within it.
To these outrages we must add the arbitrariness of forbidding the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy versus Dominum (ad orientem) and the reluctance to grant authorization for the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite according to the Missal of John XXIII (1962). Benedict XVI’s motu proprio Summorum Pontificum has been fiercely criticized and circumvented in practice wherever possible. Unfortunately the current Pope, clinging to progressive prejudices, has changed the traditional and ecumenical initiative of his illustrious predecessor with another motu proprio, Traditiones custodes, and tries to define what it means to follow Tradition.
One fears then that liturgical devastation will worsen (if this is still possible!). The direction of the current pontificate makes social action more important than the worship of God. In any case it is undeniable how the younger generations in particular are revaluing Tradition. The more celebrations of the “Mass of the Ages,” the harder it is fought against.
Philosophical studies
Vatican II affirms that the purpose of studying philosophy is “to acquire a solid and coherent knowledge of man, the world, and of God, relying on a philosophical patrimony which is perennially valid” (Optatam totius, 15). Although St. Thomas Aquinas is cited as a master of theological studies, the expression “philosophical patrimony which is perennially valid” mainly refers to Thomism, without forcing the meaning of this textual reference. Allow me to insert here some personal recollections. One of my teachers, Father Julio Meinvielle, instilled in me that St. Thomas must be studied directly from his texts, not from manuals.
Optatum totius does not omit reference to modern and contemporary philosophy, which have left a profound mark on Western culture. One can only hope to try synthesizing the thought of their principal authors in a seminary curriculum, but this could be done by including a decent selection of their texts. From these beginnings the most interested students can tackle, with the teacher’s guidance, complete readings of some particularly significant texts. I am thinking, for example, of works by Henri Bergson, such as Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness or Laughter: An Essay On The Meaning Of The Comic. Or going back to the 19th century, The Concept of Anxiety, Either/Or, and the Works of Love by Søren Kierkegaard. The purpose of these studies is to “[stir] up in the students a love of rigorously searching for the truth and of maintaining and demonstrating it, together with an honest recognition of the limits of human knowledge” (Optatam totius, 15).
The problem of truth is more serious today than it was 60 years ago due to the widespread diffusion and cultural contagion of relativism and constructivism. The truth? Put simply, it is either considered unattainable because it does not exist, or everyone has his own, or it is constructed by “opinion formers” or “influencers.” If the future priest is trapped in this opinionated circle, he will compromise his preaching and his ability to guide the faithful through the fog that creates confusion even in ecclesial circles.
When properly assimilated, Thomistic philosophy bears the fruit of a well-equipped mind that is both free and curious about the totality of knowledge, with the possibility of objectively recognizing what is of value in contemporary authors while also judging their errors.
Theological studies
Vatican II recognizes Sacred Scripture as the soul of all theology (“universae theologiae veluti anima esse“), and there is no lack of references to the patristic tradition of the “two lungs” of the Church, East and West, with their rich diversity. The aim of dogmatic theology is to illustrate the mysteries of the faith as fully as possible, to deepen them and to discover their connection through speculation and Sancto Thoma Magistro – thus the Council said that the master of theological studies must be St. Thomas Aquinas.
From the 1960s onward the “theologies of…” have multiplied: of creation, of the world, of work, of liberation, of the people (Latin American or Argentinean), of the environment, etc. There is a pressing need to dedicate ourselves to the theology of God with greater depth and relevance. This is precisely what the word “theology” means: discourse about God.
In more than a few theological universities today there are professors who claim that “St. Thomas is no more” and try to discredit his work, that of his commentators, and that of the scholars who take Aquinas as a reference, as if the philosophical tradition of Thomism had not contributed anything new and did not have something to tell us today through those inspired by it. It is not a question of repeating what St. Thomas said; Thomism is not “the same.” It is enough to cite the work of Cornelio Fabro in philosophy and that of Jean-Hervé Nicolas and so many others in theology. In such negative judgments one can only see ignorance, misunderstanding, and partisanship.
After dealing with dogmatic theology, Optatum totius quickly mentions the other disciplines of the curriculum: moral theology, canon law, and ecclesiastical history. The rejection of Humanae vitae triggered a merciless criticism of the foundations of moral theology and the dissemination of texts that deviated from the judgment of several generations of priests. St. John Paul II’s Veritatis splendor should be carefully studied in seminaries.