Bălan Adina
Mary Ward’s Embodiment of the Ignatian Meditation on the Two Standards
Mary Ward (1585-1645) and the Ignatian Principle and Foundation. Historical Impact and Contemporary Implications
Grigore Ilie-Cătălin
The mechanisms of religion assimilated into the political-economic culture of modernity
Giurgiu Daniel
Fates of Roman Catholic Priests of the Diocese of Satu Mare Under the Survaillance of the Securitate
Roman Catholic Priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare Surveilled and Arrested During the Communist Period
Fede e bene comune. C’è spazio per la ragione? Analisi del capitolo IV dell’enciclica Lumen Fidei di Papa Francesco
The article proposes an analysis of Chapter VI of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Lumen fidei, focusing on the common good based on faith and attempting to answer whether there is room for reason in the construction of the common good.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/IWZG3510
Quando le parole diventano Credo
The presentation proposes a philosophical-theological reflection on the importance of language in general and theological language in particular as it emerges from the Nicene Creed. Starting from a series of considerations on the importance of words and language from a philosophical point of view (Plato, Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Humboldt, Paul Ricoeur, Umberto Eco), we will then proceed to concretize these considerations by choosing three concepts: the concept of birth/génitum; substance-consubstantial and de begotten/procédi. The effort and genius of the holy fathers in creating theological concepts and language will thus be highlighted. We will conclude with a reflection on current language in theology.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/DLSF9952
Roman Catholic Priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare Surveilled and Arrested During the Communist Period
At the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, out of the 71 priests in the Diocese of Satu Mare, 19 were imprisoned, and Bishop Scheffler János died in prison. This study aims to outline the destiny of one of the priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare, Fischer Pál, a remarkable example of intransigence, consistency, and fidelity to his religious convictions. The communist authorities did not recognize the clandestine ordinaries, which led to the promotion of a parallel diocesan leadership loyal to the regime. Refusing to acknowledge this authority, between 1951 and 1953, Father Fischer fought vehemently against the newly created situation. Labeled as “a fanatical religious element, defiant against the regime, who does not recognize the Diocese of Alba Iulia as a superior authority”, he was arrested on July 7, 1953, and convicted of “public incitement”. After his release, he was placed under strict surveillance by the Securitate (the secret police), during which time, according to his personal file, Father Fischer “sought to hinder the political and social work of local authorities”, forced youth to attend religion classes, through which “he instilled mysticism and hostile sentiments toward the country’s people’s democratic regime”. Since the first conviction failed to reeducate him, on February 26, 1959, he was re-arrested for “conspiracy against social order” and sentenced to 9 years in correctional prison. Released on July 31, 1964, he settled in his native village, living off financial aid from his sister. No longer permitted to serve as a priest, he remained under the political police’s surveillance.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/UZTU6656
Dialog Teologic XXVIII/56 (2025)
Dialog Teologic XXVIII/56 (2025)
162 p., 17×24, ISSN 1453-8075, 25 lei.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/QWPY9274
Cumpără online de la Librăria Sapientia
Vizualizează online Dialog Teologic 56
Daniel GIURGIU
Roman Catholic Priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare Surveilled and Arrested During the Communist Period
At the end of the 1940s and the beginning of the 1950s, out of the 71 priests in the Diocese of Satu Mare, 19 were imprisoned, and Bishop Scheffler János died in prison. This study aims to outline the destiny of one of the priests from the Diocese of Satu Mare, Fischer Pál, a remarkable example of intransigence, consistency, and fidelity to his religious convictions. The communist authorities did not recognize the clandestine ordinaries, which led to the promotion of a parallel diocesan leadership loyal to the regime. Refusing to acknowledge this authority, between 1951 and 1953, Father Fischer fought vehemently against the newly created situation. Labeled as “a fanatical religious element, defiant against the regime, who does not recognize the Diocese of Alba Iulia as a superior authority”, he was arrested on July 7, 1953, and convicted of “public incitement”. After his release, he was placed under strict surveillance by the Securitate (the secret police), during which time, according to his personal file, Father Fischer “sought to hinder the political and social work of local authorities”, forced youth to attend religion classes, through which “he instilled mysticism and hostile sentiments toward the country’s people’s democratic regime”. Since the first conviction failed to reeducate him, on February 26, 1959, he was re-arrested for “conspiracy against social order” and sentenced to 9 years in correctional prison. Released on July 31, 1964, he settled in his native village, living off financial aid from his sister. No longer permitted to serve as a priest, he remained under the political police’s surveillance.
Fabian Pitreti
Quando le parole diventano Credo
The presentation proposes a philosophical-theological reflection on the importance of language in general and theological language in particular as it emerges from the Nicene Creed. Starting from a series of considerations on the importance of words and language from a philosophical point of view (Plato, Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Humboldt, Paul Ricoeur, Umberto Eco), we will then proceed to concretize these considerations by choosing three concepts: the concept of birth/génitum; substance-consubstantial and de begotten/procédi. The effort and genius of the holy fathers in creating theological concepts and language will thus be highlighted. We will conclude with a reflection on current language in theology.
Petru Ciobanu
Fede e bene comune. C’è spazio per la ragione? Analisi del capitolo IV dell’enciclica Lumen Fidei di Papa Francesco
The article proposes an analysis of Chapter VI of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Lumen fidei, focusing on the common good based on faith and attempting to answer whether there is room for reason in the construction of the common good.
Adina Bălan
Mary Ward’s Embodiment of the Ignatian Meditation on the Two Standards
This article explores the link between the meditation known as the Two Standards from the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) and its embodiment in Mary Ward’s (1585-1645) spiritual life. The Two Standards is meant to help retreatants to understand that their life is under the influence of the forces of both good and evil and that their decisions always have a spiritual dimension. Focusing on the Ignatian concept found in the Two Standards of spiritual battle between the standards of Christ and those of Lucifer, the paper explores key moments in Mary Ward’s spiritual life through the lens of the integration of Christ’s call to poverty, humiliation and freedom, the grace asked by the retreatant in this meditation. This finds full expression in Mary Ward’s prayer life and actions and in her growth in spiritual life.
Iulian Budău
Les amis du Ressuscité dans le siècle des menaces et de la solitude
In a global context marked by the pervasive threats of armed conflict, pandemics, and environmental depletion, the proclamation of Jesus’s resurrection demands linguistic and conceptual frameworks capable of rendering its message both audible and theologically resonant. This study proposes an interpretation of the Resurrection beginning from the premise that the disciples’ encounter with the Risen Christ was shaped, in part, by the relational intimacy cultivated during their shared experience of friendship with Jesus in his public ministry. The Gospels’ resurrection narratives reflect traces of this personal proximity, suggesting a continuity between historical companionship and post-resurrection revelation. By engaging these narratives through the hermeneutical lens of friendship – augmented by speculative theological insights – this article seeks to delineate conditions under which contemporary individuals might approximate an experiential encounter with the Risen One. Such a theological approach offers renewed possibilities for engaging Christ relationally in a world beset by alienation and solitude. The spiritual appropriation of this relational dynamic is posited as a potential response to the existential afflictions of fear, disorientation, discouragement, and defeatism endemic to modernity.
Cristian Barta
Fraternità e umanità nel rapporto tra vescovo e sacerdoti
The Synod on Synodality (2021–2024), through its deepening of the concepts of communion, participation, and mission, has generated reflections and debates concerning the revision of relationships within the Church. Naturally, the synodal process could not overlook an analysis of the relationship between bishops and priests, viewed within a horizon of fraternity and humanity.
The relationship between bishops and priests constitutes a fundamental aspect of the Church’s structure and life, being essential for ecclesial communion and the effectiveness of pastoral mission. However, the significance and implications of this relationship, so crucial in practical terms, are not exhausted by canonical and administrative regulations, as they are rooted in Revelation and in the very being of the Church, as well as in the humanity created by God and sanctified by grace.
This is precisely the theme of our article, which seeks to explore a theological and spiritual perspective specific to the priesthood. The structure of the article will include a brief reflection on the development of this theme in Catholic theology, followed by an exposition of the theological foundations of fraternity between bishops and priests and an emphasis on the importance of human values in the concrete experience of this fraternity.
Sorin Benescu
Being and Nonbeing: The Structure of the Absolute Transcendent, a Kabbalistic Perspective
This article examines the Kabbalistic view of God (the Absolute) as a dynamic interplay between Nonbeing (Ein Sof, the infinite abyss) and Being (the Sefirot, divine attributes). Using René Guénon’s metaphysics and Emmanuel Lévinas’s ethics, it argues this structure isn’t just abstract. Instead, the transcendent is experienced immanently through the ethical responsibility to other people. The divine is ultimately found in our ethical encounters.
Ilie-Cătălin Grigore
Catholic religious writings in the Pavlichean dialect existing at the time of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Bucharest
Charlton Laird’s assertion that “dialectal peculiarities […] can be used to describe how languages became what they are and which peoples went on to build what communities” suggests a deeper significance than the mere linguist’s fascination with the revelations of a semantic study. Indeed, he suggests that an archeology of language can prove extremely useful in conveying certain testimonies about a community that historical sources may have omitted. This aspect becomes even more evident when religious writings and communities are under discussion.
Although the official establishment of the Archdiocese of Bucharest occurred at the late 19th century, in 1883, it is appropriate to consider that this process had its origins in the early years of that century, when Bishop Francisco Ferreri, in collaboration with a substantial number of Bulgarian Pavlichean Catholics, founded the village of Cioplea. Despite its modest size, the locality soon became the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Nicopole, thereby paving the way for jurisdictional autonomy.
One of the pastoral urgencies of the clergy of foreign origin who served this community was to familiarise themselves with the dialect spoken by these believers and to fix it in written form. Consequently, this dialect became a prevalent medium for religious texts, including prayer books, catechisms, and brochures disseminated within the community. The Pavlichean dialect – associated with what were considered Illyrian language – was distinguished by its affiliation to the Slavic language, yet it is written using the Latin alphabet. Beyond the mystery that still surrounds, in some cases, their authors or the degree of accuracy with which the written forms reflected the spoken language, their analysis will reveal that the Pavlichean dialect constituted a lexical infrastructure capable of supporting a substantial Catholic theology. If we consider the phenomenon of inculturation – of which Catholic missionary work during the Counter-Reformation made use and proposed as a means of evangelisation – which sometimes raised questions about the orthodoxy of the teaching transmitted within new cultures and through new languages, the present study will attempt to demonstrate that the Pavlichean dialect – part of a minor culture – did not encounter such a problem.
Finally, the legacy of religious written sources in circulation at the time of the establishment of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, which has hitherto been overlooked by researchers, constitutes a veritable antitypos of the universal character of Catholicism, as will be explored in depth in the future Second Vatican Council.
Gabriel-Iulian Robu
La teologia dionisiana in Tommaso d’Aquino e Jean-Luc Marion
In this article, we examine the influence of negative theology on the thought of Thomas Aquinas and Jean-Luc Marion. We will analyze the question of the similarity or difference between apophatic theology and deconstructionism, drawing synchronic comparisons between Dionysian theology, Thomistic thought, and the deconstructionist challenge. These topics bring the discussion to the boundaries between philosophy and theology; therefore, we will see whether Marion’s thought is philosophical or theological, and by what right phenomenology can address the theme of revelation in general, and of the Name of God in particular. Marion focuses on a historical-genetic investigation of the term “negative theology.” The conclusions of his study show that neither the Alexandrians nor the Cappadocian Fathers, nor even Irenaeus or Augustine – as well as Bernard, Bonaventure, or Thomas Aquinas – although they employ negations when naming God and adopt an apophatic approach in their theology, none of them actually use the expression negative theology.
Lucian Păuleţ
The Evolution of Yves Congar’s Thought Regarding the Church’s Catholicity and its Implications
This article studies the evolution of Yves Congar’s thought regarding the catholicity of the Church over the period of two decades (1937-1959). According to his understanding, catholicity is not a quantitative dimension of the Church (which is present in all parts of the world), but rather a qualitative dimension. However, even as such, he defines catholicity in two ways: first, catholicity is understood as a qualitative universality of the Church in which all humanity is assimilated and taken up to God. This understanding is present mainly in the early writings of Congar. Second, catholicity is presented as a differentiated unity animated by the Holy Spirit, and is found preponderantly in the late works of Congar. This study aims to show the implications of this evolution: different understandings of catholicity point to different models of the Church. It means that Congar moves from a Christological model of the Church (based on the Incarnation) in which diversity can be assumed by the church towards a pneumatological (and therefore, trinitarian) model in which diversity is stimulated by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, the relation between the economic missions of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is understood clearer and more nuanced. This study presents also some of the theological reasons and historical conditions that contributed to the development of Congar’s thought regarding the catholicity of the Church: ecumenism, eschatology, pneumatology, and the relationship between the world and the Kingdom of God.
Dialog Teologic XXVIII/55 (2025)
Dialog Teologic XXVIII/55 (2025)
186 p., 17×24, ISSN 1453-8075, 25 lei.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.53438/IETF5509
Cumpără online de la Librăria Sapientia
Vizualizează online Dialog Teologic 55
Daniel GIURGIU
Fates of Roman Catholic Priests of the Diocese of Satu Mare Under the Survaillance of the Securitate
During the communist regime, the Securitate services paid special attention to the clergy of the Diocese of Satu Mare. Labeled as “enemies of the regime” or “hostile vipers of the regime”, they were closely monitored in the files named “the Roman Catholic issue”, “tax evasion issue” or “the Hungarian national irredentist issue (Roman Catholic)”. This study aims to present the fate of two priests, Galambos Ferenc and Fehér István, who were closely surveilled by the Securitate at different times and for different reasons. Galambos Ferenc came to the attention of the Securitate starting in 1946 when he was the parish vicar in Petrești. After 1948, he was closely monitored by the Securitate both for his loyalty to the diocesan leadership and for his pastoral activities, as he refused to accept a nationalized Roman Catholic Church. Especially in the 1980s, the increasing contacts between the clergy and the Western world became a sensitive point for the Securitate. Most of the parish priests came under surveillance due to their “suspicious relationships with foreign countries”. These relationships were nothing more than their efforts, either to manage their parishes (securing funds from charitable organizations) or to ensure the smooth running of their pastoral lives (risking the acquisition of religious literature). One such case was that of Father Fángli Eduárd, the parish priest in Rătești, who was monitored for more than a decade until his premature death at the age of 38.
Ilie-Cătălin Grigore
The mechanisms of religion assimilated into the political-economic culture of modernity
Can we axiomatically define that the Christian’s Sisyphean striving for reconciliation with the world is part of divine oikonomia, as the Fourth Gospel, that of St John, explicitly states? Or can we view the development of human history as a divine pedagogy of social cohesion, as some Pauline or Acts of Apostles readings might suggest? In order to avoid simplistic interpretations, the answer can only be nuanced, or even susceptible to a certain duplicity, if formulated within the paradigm of a superhuman understanding beyond the power of understanding.
It is not uncommon for secular researchers who have studied Council Vatican II to equate the change in attitude towards the world with a kind of theology of compromise. Aggiornamento, a neologism that would be adopted by almost every language on this occasion, appeared to denote an adaptation of the Church to the contents of the world, as E. Voegelin termed them. However, a more thorough investigation into the origins of modernity reveals a process that mirrors the developments of the latter half of the 20th century, albeit in the opposite direction. This earlier period can be characterised as a subversive appropriation of a series of cultural and symbolic elements that were specific to a world order based on a religious vision.
The present study will focus on investigating those elements in the economic field, which are considered to be among the innovative elements of modernity. The advent of the Industrial Revolution, concomitant with the rise of liberalism, signifies the initial phase in the genesis of the new economy. Consequently, both the centralized economy and autarchy, despite their inherent challenges to liberalism, will become avatars of the new economy. The concept of an intramundane ecclesia is proposed as a theoretical framework underpinning various proposals for reordering the world on new foundations, including the invisible hand, catallaxy, historical determinism, or variants of political-economic Gnosticism, and will constitute veritabile epiphanies of it.
Nevertheless, when considered within the overarching framework of the Economy of Redemption – a framework that is often overlooked – the newly proposed economic systems will expose their inherent limitations rather than demonstrating their efficacy.
Fabian Pitreti
La reciprocità come principio costitutivo della volontà: la prospettiva fenomenologica dell’opera Il volontario e l’involontario di Paul Ricoeur
The approach with which Marion approaches Thomas’s Aquinas theology at the beginning of his phenomenological journey bears the imprint of Heidegger’s critique of onto-theology, but also of his personal hostility to the conceptual idolatry and atheism manifested in Nietzsche’s philosophy. What Marion contrasts with the conceptual idol is the icon and iconic thought. If the idol comes from looking at it, the icon looks at us, calls forth the vision, letting the visible become saturated with the Invisible. According to Marion, conceptual idolatry still seems a dangerous temptation in our times. Metaphysical categories, concepts can function as idols if they are generated by thought as objects appropriate to ‘God’ on the basis of its divine founding function.
Luca Buzziol
Le Comunità Gerachiche “abituali”
At a time when the Italian Church is suffering from a drastic decline in the number of priests, when for decades the pastoral care of parish Units has been tried, when pastoral conversion is necessary to develop existing ministries and create new ones so as to witness a concrete synodality and active co-responsibility, this study on Hierarchical Communities fits in. Conceived by Prof. Valdrini, Hierarchical Communities, habitual and intermediate, become valuable tools for a structural organization of dioceses. Moreover, a characteristic feature of them is that they consider not only the territorial aspect, but also the theological aspect of Communities gathered around the Risen One. They help to set up an organization in “concentric circles” so as to make visible both the hierarchical and the co-responsible and synodal aspects. What the study attempts to do, besides reaffirming the substantial importance of dioceses and parishes, is to give a universal norm to Pastoral Zones, Foranies and Pastoral Units. This becomes, thus, a practical solution, not only for the decline in priests, but for a rethinking of Church as a Community of believers.
Petru Ciobanu
Il Figlio è «homooúsios del Padre» e «nato dal Padre». Analisi di alcuni testi biblici che esprimono questa realtà dogmatica in altri termini
Is Jesus Christ God or not? This is the great dilemma that has kept many people’s minds and hearts burning in the centuries that followed the appearance of Arius’ teaching in the 4th century. This article aims to analyse some biblical texts that support and express in other terms the truth proclaimed by the Council of Nicaea in 325 that the Son is homooúsios with the Father and is born of the Father, but not before briefly presenting the teachings of Arius.
Pallai Béla
Hungarian Greek Catholics During the Bishopric of the Blessed Alexandru Rusu
This study examines the episcopate of Blessed Alexandru Rusu from the perspective of the Hungarian Greek Catholic communities, focusing on the ecclesiastical and identity transformations of the interwar period. Between 1930 and 1948, Bishop Rusu led the Eparchy of Maramureș in a political and social environment where the Romanian national ideal and state centralization posed challenges to minority communities. The situation of Hungarian Greek Catholics was shaped by the bishop’s personal connections, ecclesiastical diplomacy in Rome and Bucharest, and the evolution of Hungarian-Romanian relations. Sources reveal that Bishop Rusu sought to balance loyalty to the Romanian state with the preservation of the Greek Catholic Church’s multilingual and multiethnic character, while the participation and representation of Hungarian faithful gradually diminished. The analysis offers new perspectives for the study of the 20th-century history and identity formation of Hungarian Greek Catholics in Romania.
Adina Bălan
Mary Ward (1585-1645) and the Ignatian Principle and Foundation. Historical Impact and Contemporary Implications
This article explores the formative influence of the Ignatian Principle and Foundation in the spiritual life of Mary Ward (1585–1645) and in the founding of her Institute and it evaluates its wider significance on contemporary spirituality. Drawing on primary sources and recent contributions, the study highlights how Mary Ward’s internalization of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises not only shaped her vision for an apostolic religious life for women but also offers invaluable resources on discernment, resilience, and capacity for action in the areas of spiritual formation and pastoral care today.
Davide Fiocco
Albino Luciani e Il Concilio Vaticano II. Padre conciliare, divulgatore, custode
Albino Luciani, the future Pope John Paul I, attended all four sessions of the Second Vatican Council. He had only one intervention, on episcopal collegiality, but he followed the proceedings with great attention and interest and shared the experience with the diocese through articles in the diocesan bulletin and letters sent to various groups. After the Council, he took care to implement in the diocese of Vittorio Veneto, moderately and gradually, the conciliar directives.
Iulian Budău
L’amitié avec Jésus dans les Évangiles. Une interprétation
This article offers a theological and exegetical examination of the relational dynamics between Jesus, his disciples, and the broader public, through the conceptual framework of friendship. Integrating a close reading of scriptural texts with speculative theological reflection, it contends that Jesus – fully human and fully divine – formed authentic friendships and remains open to friendship with every person. Central to this inquiry is the polyvalent Greek term „philos”, which conveys both “friend” and “beloved,” revealing deeper dimensions of relationality within Christology. This exploration posits that perceiving Jesus through the lens of friendship enriches the spiritual life of the believer and strengthens both personal and communal communion with God. On a psychological level, such a friendship can serve as a source of consolation, hope, and healing amid experiences of fear, alienation or loneliness. Ultimately, the article proposes that cultivating a lived friendship with Christ provides a meaningful pathway into the mystery of the Resurrection and an experiential entry into divine life.
Sorin Benescu
The Divine Attribute of Transcendence in Schopenhauer’s Work
This article undertakes an extensive examination of the concept of transcendence within the philosophical framework of Arthur Schopenhauer. While Schopenhauer is renowned for his immanent metaphysics, which posits the world as the self-objectification of a blind, striving Will, this paper argues that his system contains a unique and profound form of “immanent transcendence”. The analysis begins by establishing Schopenhauer’s explicit and trenchant critique of traditional, theistic notions of a transcendent Creator-God, which he dismisses as “popular metaphysics” incompatible with his Kantian- inspired epistemology. The core of the article then pivots to explore the three primary pathways through which Schopenhauer offers an escape, or a transcendence, from the suffering inherent in the phenomenal world governed by the Will and the principium individuationis. These pathways are: (1) aesthetic contemplation, where the subject becomes a “pure, will-less subject of knowledge,” momentarily transcending individuality to grasp the eternal Platonic Ideas; (2) ethical action rooted in compassion (Mitleid), which pierces the “veil of Maya” to recognize the shared suffering and fundamental unity of all beings; and (3) asceticism, the ultimate denial of the Will-to-live, which represents the final and most complete form of self-transcendence, leading to a state of nothingness or Nirvana. By analyzing these avenues, the article demonstrates that Schopenhauer does not merely negate transcendence but rather re-conceptualizes it, shifting its locus from an external, divine realm to an internal, experiential liberation from the deterministic chains of the Will. This secularized soteriology provides a powerful, albeit pessimistic, response to the fundamental human need to find meaning and relief from the existential condition.