THEOLOGY TODAY: PERSPECTIVES, PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA

International Theological Commission

29 November 2011

Theology, in simple words, is talking about God. Since there are different religions and cultures,
the presence of various theologies is inevitably in existence. Nonetheless, Catholic theologians
from different contexts made a collaborative work to come up with criteria in qualifying Catholic
(universal) theology:

1. Catholic theology recognizes the primacy of the Word of God.

2. Catholic theology takes faith, the response to God’s revelation, as its source, context and
norm.
3. Catholic theology is faith seeking understanding (fides quaerens intellectum).
4. Catholic theology considers the Scriptures as the soul of theology.
5. Catholic theology is faithful to Apostolic Tradition.
6. Catholic theology pays attention to the Church’s sense of faith as awhole (sensus
fidelium)
7. Catholic theology adheres to the official teaching of the Church magisterium.
8. Catholic theology collaborates with other theologians in communion with the Church.
9. Catholic theology is in constant dialogue in the world.
10. Catholic theology gives rational arguments on truths about Christian faith.
11. Catholic theology has unity of theology in plurality of methods and disciplines.
12. Catholic theology strives towards holiness.