Albert the Great: No Contrast Between Faith and Science
Vatican City: March 24, 2010, (PCTV
Newsdesk)
In today's general audience, celebrated in St. Peter's Square, the Pope turned
his attention to St. Albert the Great, whom he described as "one of the greatest
masters of scholastic theology".
The saint, who was born
in Germany at the beginning of the
thirteenth century, "studied what were known as the 'liberal arts': grammar,
rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy and music; in other words,
general culture, and he diplayed that typical interest for the natural sciences
which would soon become his chosen field of
specialisation".He entered the Order of
Preachers and, following his ordination as a priest, had the opportunity to
complete his theological studies at the most famous university of his age,
Paris. From
there he went to Cologne, taking Thomas Aquinas with him, his
own "outstanding student". Pope Alexander IV made use of Albert's theological
counsel, and subsequently appointed him as bishop of Regensburg.
Albert, recalled the
Holy Father, "contributed to the 1274 Council of Lyon, called by Pope Gregory X
to favour the unification of the Latin and Greek Churches following their separation in the
great Eastern Schism of 1054. He clarified the ideas of Thomas Aquinas, who had
been the subject of entirely unjustified objections and even
condemnations".The German saint died
in Cologne in the year 1280, and was canonised and proclaimed a Doctor of the
Church by Pope Pius XI in 1931, "undoubtedly an appropriate recognition for this
great man of God" who was also "an outstanding scholar, not only of the truth of
faith but in many other fields of knowledge". For this reason too, "Pope Pius
XII named him as patron of the natural sciences, also giving him the title of
'Doctor universalis' because of the vastness of his interests and
knowledge".
"Above all, St. Albert shows that
there is no opposition between faith and science. ... He reminds us that there
is friendship between science and faith, and that scientists can, through their
vocation to study nature, follow an authentic and absorbing path of sanctity",
said the Holy Father."St. Albert the Great
opened the door to the complete acceptance of the thought of Aristotle into the
philosophy and theology of the Middle Ages, an acceptance that was later
definitively elaborated by St. Thomas Aquinas. This acceptance of what we may
call pagan or pre-Christian philosophy was an authentic cultural revolution for
the time. Yet many Christian thinkers feared Aristotle's philosophy", especially
as it had been interpreted in such a was as to appear "entire irreconcilable
with Christian faith. Thus a dilemma arose: are faith and reason in contrast
with one another or not?
"Here lies one of the
great merits of St. Albert: he rigorously studied the works of Aristotle,
convinced that anything that is truly reasonable is compatible with faith as
revealed in Sacred Scripture", the Pope added."St. Albert was able to
communicate these concepts in a simple and understandable way. A true son of St.
Dominic, he readily preached to the people of God who were won over by his words
and the example of his life".
The Pope concluded his
catechesis by asking God "that the holy Church may never lack learned, pious and
wise theologians like St. Albert the Great, and that He may help each of us to
accept the 'formula for sanctity' which Albert followed in his own life:
'Wanting everything I want for the glory of God just as, for His glory, God
wants everything He wants'. In other words, we must always conform ourselves to
the will of God in order to want and do everything always and only for His
glory".
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