“Es necesaria una escucha recíproca de la fe y la razón pública, que evite dos extremos: el fundamentalismo y excluir la religión”
"It is necessary a reciprocal listening of faith and public reason, which avoids two extremes: fundamentalism and excluding religion."
Rodrigo Muñoz reminded the XXXII Theology Symposium of the University of Navarra that getting rid of religion "would mean a great cultural loss".
"There is a need for a reciprocal listening of faith and public reason, which avoids two extremes: the privatization of religion, which consists of excluding it; and its pathological presence, fundamentalism". This was the opinion of Rodrigo Muñoz, president of committee , organizer of the 32nd Theology Symposium of the University of Navarra, which is being attended by about 150 people from the five continents.
The professor of the School of Theology recalled the"cultural contributions" of religion. "There are many who, from outside the faith, see in the churches communities of reflection in which a patrimony of humanity has matured over time, which deserves to be taken into account even if one does not fully identify with it," he said.
In this sense, he expressed that this happens in the internship: "Believers of other religions or non-believers show willingness to work for a greater respect for the dignity of the person and his fundamental rights, for the conservation of the environment, for honesty in commercial relations, etc.".
Consensus that founds coexistence.
"Religion can thus have a place in the public sphere as a non-political interlocutor of politics," he said, "as do so many aspects of life that are of general interest but do not belong to the political system, such as sports, the arts or the sciences.
Finally, he expressed that religion "must contribute to the consensus that founds coexistence as one speech among others, whose contribution is not strictly political, but of an ethical order, of meaning, of motivation for action, etc. In this field, to detach oneself from religion would mean a great cultural loss.
The 32nd Theology Symposium, held October 19-21, explored the influence of the social on the historical experience of the faith and the possible contributions of Christianity to society. Among the speakers were Msgr. Barthélemy Adoukonou, secretary of the committee Pontifical Council for Culture; Msgr. Livio Melina, president of the Pontifical Institute Giovanni Paolo II per studi su matrimonio e famiglia; David Martin, of the London School of Economics and Political Science; and Ernesto Galli della Loggia, of the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane.