Dialog Teologic XII/24 (2009)

Dialog Teologic  XII/24 (2009)
Rezistența anticomunistă prin valori spirituale. Modele și fapte (I), 152 p., 17×24, ISSN 1453-8075, 9 lei.

Dialog Teologic XII/23 (2009)

Dialog Teologic XII/23 (2009)
Conferințele Institutului Teologic Romano-Catolic din Iași (II), 232 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Iosif Enăşoae
Suferinţa umană în lumina învăţăturii Papei Ioan Paul al II-lea
The existential reality of the human suffering arouses a continuous and a dramatically question: “why?” which traverses the millenary itinerary of the human history. Pope John Paul the II-nd, in the Apostolic letter Salvifici doloris, tries to give a satisfying answer to this tormenting question, still removing the centre of the problem from “why?” to “what for?”. The article of Iosif Enăşoae aims to expose this teaching of Pope John Paul the II-nd about the human suffering, keeping a methodology of approaching from a general viewpoint to a specific one: the human suffering – existential reality, suffering – an obvious, universal and deeply human reality; in front of this panorama of paint the Lord was not unresponsive. Thanks his saving passions and his glorious resurrection, the human suffering can represent now the bridge between “human weakness” and “God’s power”. This duality in unity explains the mysterious sense of suffering which dwells on the mystery of the Christ who has lightened the enigma of suffering and of dyeing.

Alois Hîrja
„Religia” în şcoală: o perspectivă hermeneutică
The possibility of studying religion in the state schools is a victory of the freedom will and of the revolution against communism, but also represents a presence required by the educational process itself. But, because today, at 20 years after this revolution, the religion’s presence in schools has caused many harsh critics and hostilities, Alois Hîrja, using the data of “the new hermeneutics”, especially the one of H.G. Gadamer, plans in this article to underline the irreplaceable role of religion in the curriculum of the Romanian schools. In this research, the author exposes the arguments which justify this presence, the identity of “religion” as subject in school and its role in pupil’s human maturation. All these aspects are presented in a hermeneutical viewpoint, considering also the exigencies of the integral humanism which has in centre the anthropological aspect more than the epistemological one: non scholae sed vitae discimus.

Iosif Iacob
Credinţa în sacramentul Căsătoriei
The union between man and woman through the relation of marriage is deeply rooted in the event of creation and received its sacred dimension from the union between Christ and Church. But, because today this sacred religious dimension of marriage is often ignored or denied, Iosif Iosub intends to present Church’s teaching about the sacrament of marriage and the canonical determinations which devolve from this teaching. In this theological-canonical research, the author considers thoroughly the theology of the documents of The Second Ecumenical Sacred Council of the Vatican, of the document of the International Theological Commission on this subject, promulgated in 1977, the theology of the Apostolic Letter Familiaris consortio of John Paul the II-nd, and indicates then the implication of this theology in Church’s legislation from The Code of Canon Law (1983). In the conclusion of these considerations, the author affirms the fundamental role of faith in the preparation for marriage of young people and in their life together as husband and wife.

Roca Felix
Pastoraţia tinerilor şi orientarea vocaţională
We live in a period when, at the ecclesiastic level, there is very obvious the attention paid on young people and on their vocational orientation. Joining this favourable context, the article of Felix Roca exposes briefly the documents of Church’s Magisterium which considered the youth’s vocational orientation, and – following the example promoted by these documents – underlines in the same time that young people have to be considered in the light of hope and of future, as resources, not as problems. Just sustaining this viewpoint we can realize a good priestly work which can save the young people from the mirage of the contemporary temptations.

Pr. Dr. Ştefan Lupu
Chiesa, Sposa e Madre. Ecclesiologia di Henri de Lubac nelle opere Cattolicismo. Aspetti sociali del dogma e Meditazione sulla Chiesa.(II)
This article completes the considerations made by Stefan Lupu on Henri de Lubac’s ecclesiology from his fundamental studies Catholicism. Social aspects of dogma and Meditation on Church, in the previous number of our review, Theological Dialogue.
Continuing these ideas, the author presents the vision of the French theologian on the relation that Church has to establish with our word. In this step, the Church is regarded as “Mother of unity and of life”, because it is the communion’s sacrament between people and God, and the Mediator of the divine life. In the second part, the author directs our attention to the finality of the Church and to its relation with God’s Kingdom and, finally, presents the model of the Holly Virgin Mary as icon and figure of the maternity and sponsality of the Church. This theology has a great influence on the contemporary theology, thanks its recognition through the Second Council of Vatican and its answers and position in front of nowadays challenges.

Eduard Soare
L’analisi testuale ed estetico-modale delle antifone „hodie” dell’Ufficio Divino
The last part of this study proposes the analysis of the repertory of antiphons hodie. Textual forms are analyzed here with their variations in different liturgical traditions and forms. In the end are offered some melodic refunds made following the manuscripts, with the analysis of the sources. The study demonstrates the paleographical importance of oral tradition and attempts to set the vocal performance on the parchment, the evolution of Gregorian writing and the need to understand and transcribe the Gregorian Chant notation from the manuscripts. A comparative study of the antiphons and their esthetic and modal analysis concludes this work centered on a repertoire that belongs to the great events of the liturgical year.

Ştefan Lupu
Discuţia modernă despre conceptul de persoană în Dumnezeu
The article presents the modern discussion about the concept of person in God. It starts showing some alternative propositions for the concept of person, presenting the opinions of Karl Barth and Karl Rahner about this problem. The second part of the article presents the social model of the Trinity, the fact that the three persons in God can realize each other trough their reciprocal love. This part is centered on the thinking of J. Moltmann, who in one of his books build his theology of Trinity on the communion of persons. The third point presents the self awareness of the holy persons. This point begins with the thinking of B. Lonergan who spoke about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit like three subjects who have their own awareness, but also the awareness of the others who report on.

Dialog Teologic XI/22 (2008)

Dialog Teologic XI/22 (2008)
Conferințele Institutului Teologic Romano-Catolic din Iași (I), 274 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Dialog Teologic XI/21 (2008)

Dialog Teologic XI/21 (2008)
Omul, viața și piața. Elemente de doctrină socială a Bisericii, 250 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Dialog Teologic X/ 20 (2007)

Dialog Teologic X/ 20 (2007)
Quo vadis caritas? Principiul carității creștine în dialogul religios contemporan, 195 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Wilhelm Dancă
Formarea permanentă: Când şi pentru cine?
The permanent formation is a necessity every time and for every people, taking into account the axiological confusions and the misleading changes which are influencing the contemporary society. Starting from this point, the author of the editorial which introduces the theme of the 20th number of the theological magazine Dialog Teologic, considering thoroughly the doctrine of the Council Vatican II, the recent teaching of the Catholic Church, and the decisions of the Synod of Iaşi, underlining the importance of the permanent Christian formation of both of lay persons, whose mission is to sanctify the temporary realities, and of priests, called to be ministers of Christ in this changing world and servant of the holy sacraments. The permanent formation is a right, but also a duty and has to get an integral and unifying dimension that is why it remains an urgent exigency both for priests and for lay persons.

COMUNICĂRI

Vladimir Petercă
Sursa nedreptăţilor şi a dezordinii din lume: nebunia. Comentariu la Ps 14
At the end of the XIXth century, the whole world was stirred up by the words of Nietzsche: “God is dead. We have killed him!” The nihilism expressed in this way has very old roots, reaching the time of the Ancient Testament. The author of this study, starting both from the Ps 14, and from the wider context of the Ancient Testament, explains the valences and the causes of these words. The Ps 14, in programmatic and common terms identifies two categories of people: on one hand, the man of justice, the poor and oppressed one, whose Defender is God, and, on the other hand, the sinner and “mad”, whose life mirrors the practical atheism. The message of this study, addressed to the contemporary people, is the one of Ps 14, which, at his turn, represents the synthesis of the Ancient Testament theology: the true God triumphs through goodness and justice, because the “mad’s” happiness is just apparent and deceptive.

Michel Cagin
Génèvieve Fondane. O viaţă închinată misterului lui Israel
Israel had one of the most troubling history. The XXth century represents for this people and for the whole humanity a painful remembrance. This article presents the Gènèvieve Fondane’s biography converted to Christian faith, as it results from the correspondence maintained with J. Maritain and his wife Raissa Maritain. Wife of the Jewish thinker Benjamin Fondane, during his detention at Auschwitz and after his death, Gènèvieve felt the power of God’s grace and, after many demands, asked to enter the order of the nuns Notre Dame of Sion. The present biography has a challenging message for nowadays people, representing both a reproach to anti-Semitism and a precious bridge in the dialogue between Jewish people and Christians.

Vittorio Possenti
Misterul lui Israel. J. Maritain şi Conciliul al II-lea din Vatican
At the elaboration of the documents of the second Council of Vatican worked together biblists, liturgists, theologians and philosophers. Among the philosophers, J. Maritain contributed through his vision about the Jewish people as God’s chosen people. Both through his participation to the Council and through his book “Mystery of Israel”, J. Maritain identified and denounced every form of anti-Semitism, religious, social, economical and political. “The spiritual essence of anti-Semitism is finally a christo-phobia phenomenon”. In the present article, V. Possenti illustrates the connotations of Israel’s mystery for the whole world, taking back the orientation of the French philosopher J. Maritain: in the interreligious dialog is necessary to discover the connections between the new chosen people and Israel, between the new God’s people and the people of the Synagogue.

Virgil Nemoianu
Două aspecte ale catolicismului american
In the last decades there have appeared many statistical studies about the situation of the Catholicism in the West of Europe, which cast a shadow of pessimism on its future. A different image proposes the article of Virgil Nemoianu, about the history, evolution, current situation and future perspectives of the American Catholicism. Even if a minority and constituted of immigrants, the Catholic Church in America maintained its vigour, presenting itself as a vivid and active community. The author exposes shortly but realistic the specific features of this Church speaking about: the situation of the clergy and of lay persons, the American intellectuals, theologians, politicians and mass-media. Finally, he extends his vision about Church, expressing his hope that dialog between orthodox Christian and Catholics in America will bring rich fruits for both Churches.

Ermis Segatti
Tendinţe în reînnoirea teologică din India. Despre Dumnezeu. Premise şi precursori
In the last decades, Europeans manifested in their religious seeking a grow attraction for the Asiatic religions, especially for Hinduism and Buddhism. This study exposes actually the points of contact and of dialog which can be established between Christians and Indian Hindu theology, which manifests an obvious inclination of getting autonomy, thanks to its sticking root in a very rich tradition recognized by history. This tradition was valued by the modern Hindu theologians: Standley Samartha, Vivekananda, Upadhyaya, Neakantha Gorec, Richard of Smet, who suggested in their books the deepness of the old Hindu thinking, and the relations which can be developed between the Hindu theology and the Christian doctrine, between Upanishads and the Christ. Thanks to its orientations favourable to the interreligious dialog, the study offers a generous opening to the approaching between Christians and non-Christians in the context of a globalized world.

Emil Dumea
Cultură, cult şi interculturalitate: repere istorice şi ideologice europene contemporane
At the beginning of 2007, Romania joined UE, belonging in this way to the great intercultural family of the European states. This social-political context, which has also religious implications, explains the appearance of this essay. The author exposes the plenty of signification of the term culture applying it in the present times, bringing out into bold relief the relation with cult: culture without cult is cold and empty; cult without culture is the unjustified limitation of the human person. In the context of the European community the inter-cultural dialog is both a duty and an occasion of reciprocal knowledge and of communicating values. This dialog is able to eliminate tensions and schisms caused by the ignoring of the other partner, remaining in this way a permanent and reciprocal requirement.

Claudiu Dumea
Diavolul şi exorcismele
The contemporary society feels the Evil’s existence as presence and action, but avoids often attributing it the name “Devil”, this subject belonging to the category of taboos. The study surpasses these clichés and tries to underline the different form of Devil’s presence and to expose the main arms we have against him: exorcisms, as it results from the new Ritual of exorcism. The author indicates the exorcist’s qualities, the manifestations of the exorcised person before, during and after exorcism, the content of exorcisms’ prayers, and finally highlights that Devil’s existence is not a reality which depends on the opinion of the majority, but a hostile force which can influence the decisions and actions of nowadays people.

Wilhelm Dancă
Benedict al XVI-lea şi iubirea. Eros, agape şi philia în enciclica Deus caritas est
Saint John gave God an excellent definition: God is love. But, what can expressed these words today, when “love is one of the most used and abused word”? The author of this study, following closed the biography and the first encyclical letter of Benedict XVI, dispels the shadow of contempt which glided on the term eros, showing that there is a God’s eros, eros benevolentiae (different from eros concupiscentiae), which is in the same time agape. These two forms can not be separated they both setting up the nature of the true love. Philia (friendship) harmonises whit eros (the ascendant love) and agape (the descendent love), being the fulfilment of the communion both with God and with people. In the conclusion of this theological approach, the author gives the man’s mission a dynamic note: agape is the fundamental law of his life, and this love is not a conquered state but a permanent increase.

Dialog Teologic X/19 (2007)

Dialog Teologic X/19 (2007)
Identitatea creștină și valorile Europei de astăzi, 162 p, 17×24, 9 RON.

Jean-Claude PERISSET
Mesaj
Christianity is an essential element of the European identity, but unfortunately this aspect was not admitted in the project for the European Constitution. This refusal gave birth to many polemic discussions and to diverse interpretations. In his message, the Apostolic Nuncio Jean-Claude Périsset transmits a cordial and fraternal salute, proposing also to consider thoroughly the valences of this Christian identity, which has to brink “flowers and fruits” also in the contemporary Europe

COMUNICĂRI

Abelardo LOBATO
De Europa condenda. Amintire şi profeţie
There is a strong relation between memory and identity, because losing memory means the fission of the subject. Starting from this conviction, the author of the study points out the great importance of the vestiges from the past, this is seen as a solid basis for the future projects. Firstly, Abelardo Lobato shows the three interpretations that he could follow in his speech: the one of the poet Vergilius, of Ortega y Gasset, or the one of the Christian humanism, the fundamental element of the European identity. Then the author identifies the four constitutive elements of the European identity: the Greek logos, the Latin jus, God who reveals himself in Jesus Christ and the pathway of science and technology. These precious values were inherited by modernity, but it did not know to appreciate them as such, that is why where are present at the European identity crisis. Quid faciendum? Finally, the author declares that Europe should assume its millenary tradition, founded on the everlasting and life giving truth of the Gospel.

Ottorino PASQUATO
I laici nella Chiesa antica: identità e ruoli. Individuazione di aree di laicità
Even if the religious experience of the lay persons existed in every moment of history, the systematic reflection about laity has intensified especial in the last time. Assuming the teaching of the second Council of Vatican from the documents Lumen gentium and Gaudium et spes, Ottorino Pasquato illustrates the identity of the lay person and his part both in the ancient Church and in society, both in West and in East. The author describes the area of laity in the apologetics writings, and the relation between Christians and public institutions, between the biblical poverty and exigencies of social life, between monarchism and the matrimonial life. Then the study focused on the figure of John Crizostom, who spoke about the main part of family, “the little Church”, in children’s education and catechetical forming, in social charity, even in the pastoral mission. These prophetical intuitions can offer solutions the questions of nowadays Christian family and Europe.

Hermann SCHUSTER
Responsabilitatea creştinilor laici în societatea pluralistă a Europei
The medieval Europe was described as an univesitas Christiana. But today it is more adequate to speak about a pluralistic Europe whose Christian roots are disputed because of the post modern laicization. Starting with this general framework, this study aims to outline the part of the lay persons in the pluralistic society of Europe, which always changes. The European Constitution even if does not refer explicitly to God, permits and stimulates the social involvement of the lay Christian, trough its foundation on the basis of the Christian values: the human dignity, equality in front of God, the religious freedom, the social involvement. The article ends in an optimistic note, expressing the author’s conviction that Europe has still “a Christian soul and a spiritual dimension”, which last thanks to the common effort of all Christian European denominations.

Mariano FAZIO
Modernità e secolarizzazione da una prospettiva cristiana
n every historical period, good has existed always with evil. That is why we can not emit absolute affirmations: the medieval society was completely a Christian one, and the one of modernity was a secularized society. Starting from this general introduction, this presents modernity as an ambivalent reality: on the one hand, more “Christian” than Middle Age, because it is more aware of the relation between the natural order and the divine one, but, on the other hand, modernity is a reality reserved to transcendence, which leads gradually to nihilism. From the roots of modernity, Enlightened and Romanticism, which affirmed the humans’ autonomy, founded on reason and respectively on sentiment, raised the totalitarian ideologies and, eventually, nihilism with its two sides: God’s death and relativism. Contrasting with this sad evolution, the author presents shortly the recent positive initiatives (personalism, spiritualism, neo-thomism), which are reasons of hoping for nowadays people because they express implicitly the generous opening to transcendence.

Ignazio SANNA
Identitatà aperta e la persona nell’era della globalizzazione
In the last century appeared a lot of studies about identity which illustrate a bigger and bigger detachment between the Christian view about humans and the one of liberal scientism. These studies also identified two phenomena which conditioned in our era the identity process: globalization and the biotechnological revolution. This article starts by presenting synthetically these two recent phenomena and their consequences concerning humans’ life and thinking. In front of these recent challenges the Christian has to present his faith in humans, as God’s image, as master of an indelible dignity. The Christian’s speech has winning chances even today because also the post-modern people are thirsting for transcendence, a need which biologically can not be stopped or explained, and because of the transcendence’s reflex in the human persons, which has an universal valence, even if it is not codified as such by the recent national constitution and international conventions. Convinced of the existence of these anthropological foundations, the author can end his article with positive words, because every time and everywhere “the universality of humans’ rights is superior to non human”.

Aurel PERCĂ
Identitatea creştină într-un context social relativist
In the teachings of the last Popes, especially in the ones of Pope Benedict the XVIth, we meet often warnings concerning relativism, described as an ideological dictatorship which does not admit anything as definitive and considers the subject the supreme moral judge. This article treats on the same theme, underlining especially the effects of relativism on the human moral identity. The gnoseological, ethic and juridical relativism are caused by the absolutization of human, which took the place of the divine Absolute. In this complex but confused context, Church has to point out strongly, despite the severe critics, that God can not be excluded from the people’s life, because “the creature without Creator disappears”. Church, especially nowadays Church, has to become the voice of the Christ, who exposed his universal mission an identity in this way: “I am the Light of the world.”

Alois GHERGUŢ
Libertatea de a avea versus înţelepciunea de a crede în noua Europă postmodernistă
Religion is a human phenomenon met in every culture, where spiritual beings are thought to be the causes of life, of the appearance of universe and of many natural changes. But why do people believe all these things? This article presents shortly the answers given to this fundamental question: religion is a social product; faith exists thanks to our psychic stock liable to believe or could be a consequence of the cultural indoctrination. The author refers to Mircea Eliade which succeeded in reconciling sacred with profane, underlining the ontological complementarity that unifies them. But the author does not stop at the theoretic aspects; he also suggests the necessity of a personal and faithful answer in front of the challenge of confessing clearly and of defending the contents of our faith.

Mihai MAGA
Marsilio din Padova şi provocările modernităţii
Nowadays political systems rely on the separation of the powers in State and on a civil society owner of the right of political decision. But these fundamental elements for the contemporary politics were theoretically anticipated and prepared by the classic political philosophy. This study illustrates briefly the general ideas of the classic political philosophy: the Aristotelian view about humans, the awareness of the human limits of thinking and acting. The author of this study does not stop to the general aspects, but gives a great importance to the political philosopher Marsilio of Padova (1275/1280–1342/1343) and to his work Defensor Pacis. In this treatise, Marsilio introduces the reason’s regime in politics and enlightens the great part of peace in humans’ happiness. These intuitions of the philosopher became concrete reality in the contemporary political systems, even in the structure of UE.

Radu CARP
Pierre Manent şi tradiţia gândirii europene despre religie şi politică
In the French political thinking in the second part of the XXth century, especially under the influence of structuralism and Marxism, often religion was repudiated. After 1980, there are some authors who opposed this general tendency; one of them is Pierre Manent, who succeeded in avoiding the ideology of the left-wing and who kept an important place for religion in his thinking. This study presents the principal books of the French political thinker and, finally, exposes the main ideas of these books: secularization is not an irreversible process in Europe; politics and religion are not completely separated; after the fission of the strong notions of State, revolution, Marxism, the state organizations need true reference points, and one of them could be religion. This last solution has an intense and strong resonance in the contemporary Romanian context.

Wilhelm DANCĂ
Dumnezeu, Europa şi religiile. Identitatea creştină şi pluralismul religios 
On the background of the religious and cultural pluralism, nowadays Europe is registering the marginalization of Church, of the religious element and of the Christian values. This sad reality makes us speak about a new Europe, a new European with a new identity. Starting from this general view, the article brings out into bold relief the importance of Christianity and of its structures in building the first Europe, on the one hand, and on the other one, the actual European refusal of admitting Christian roots, that is the apostasy of Europe, caused by the secularized, materialist, relativist and pragmatist tendencies. But the main point of view of the author is that we assist also to the renewal of the spiritual life, to the appearance of the new and firm Christian consciences and to the reappraisal of the ethic Christian values in the public space. After this passing from past to present, the article proposes a Christian project for the future: Church needs a qualified Christian community, active and adaptable to the social cultural changes, able to inspire the behaviour of the non declared Christian people. This project seems to have winning chances because it had been already realized by Saint Benedict, for instance. But to do that the people of Europe must have more faith in God and more trust in the human being.

Dialog Teologic IX/ 18 (2006)

Dialog Teologic IX/ 18 (2006)
Seminarul Diecezan „Sfântul Iosif” din Iași la ceas aniversar: 50 de ani de la redeschidere, 120 de ani de la înființare, 176 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

COMUNICĂRI

Alois Moraru
Seminarul diecezan „Sfântul Iosif” din Iaşi de la înfiinţare până în anul 1948
The Seminary’s foundation and life were depending on a lot church legislative, economical, social and political factors. Starting from this fact, the study of Alois Moraru opens through a succinct presentation of the magisterial norms concerning the clergy forming, from the Pope Anaclet to the Pope Benedict the XVIth, from the Council of Niceea until the second Council of Vatican. After this introductory framework, the author exposes the most important initiatives of the missionary Fathers, Jesuits, Franciscans, and of the Bishops from Moldova concerning the foundation of a seminary. These initiatives anticipated the foundation of the Seminary from Iaşi, at 29 September 1886, by the Bishop Nicolae Iosif Camilli. Further, the author points out, in an animated and coloured way, the main aspects of the beginning history of the Seminary, such as the rules of the seminary, the events which marked the first decades, the difficulties of the first years, the interventions of the bishops in supporting the Seminary. Through the Law for Reform of the education in Romania from 3 august 1948, the Seminary was forced to interrupt its activity. The article does not stick on this sad event from the life of the Seminary, but reminds of the reopening of the Seminary and its activity until today.

Anton Despinescu
50 de ani de la redeschiderea Seminarului diecezan
The 120 years history of the Seminary from Iaşi includes both a lot of jubilees, holidays and sad events, whose witness and host was our seminary. The study of Anton Despinescu about the 50 years jubilee from the reopening of the Seminary opens with the evocation of another jubilee: the 10 years celebration from the opening of the Seminary (29 September 1896). Contrasting with the first part of the article, further the author reminds of the sad events which preceded the temporary closing of the Seminary, of the repression activity of the communist regime. Only the Seminary from Alba-Iulia obtained the approval from the communist Government. The author reminds of the „exile” years at Alba-Iulia, underlinig then the important part of Msgr. Petru Pleşca in reobtaining the seminary building from Iaşi and in its reopening. Eventually, the author brings thankfull a hymne to God , for the “the Seminary of the providence” – this is the name given to the Seminary from Iaşi – which, in spite of all the difficulties and hostilities of the time, continued and continues in offering the Church and the world new messengers of the peace.

PS Aurel Percă
Teologia morală între vechi şi nou
From the beginning of the second half of the XXth century, the situation of the moral theology is characterized by the gradual giving up of the casuistry, which rose in the posttridentin period, which had dominated for more than three centuries and which now can not deal with the conceptual and social changes which appeared in this period. The Church needed a reform and achieved it through the second Council of Vatican, which in Gaudium et spes, Lumen Gentium, and Dei Verbum initiates a new model of moral theology. The study of Msgr. Aurel Percă points out the necessity of passing from old to new, the deficiencies of the old model of moral theology, the new breathing brought by the second Council of Vatican, the moral theology during the second Council of Vatican and its further development, the specific aspects of the new model of moral theology, and, finally, the situation of teaching and receiving the two models of moral theology. Now, at 40 years after the second Council of Vatican, the author remarks the steps made by the moral theology, able to answer the questions of the contemporary people.

Andrei Brezianu
De la Alba-Iulia la Iaşi – o rememorare – 1956
After an interdiction of 4 years, the Department of Cults authorised in 1952 the reopening of a catholic Seminary at Alba-Iulia. The seminarists of the Diocese of Iaşi continued their studies in this seminary, until they returned to Iaşi. In his confession, Andrei Brezianu reminds, full of affection and longing, however with accuracy and historical credit, of the faces of his mates and his superiors in that hard years under communism, the hospitable atmosphere in the seminary from Alba –Iulia, an the joy of returning to the Seminary from Iaşi, Alma Mater for many generations of priests, the hard conditions of the beginning, the contributions of the rectors, professors and students for the rebirth of the Seminary. The conviction which opens, crosses and finishes the article of Andrei Brezianu is that the time of difficulties was for the Seminary from Iaşi a blessed time, and only thank to the sacrifices from the past can be explained the later existence and the image of the Seminary, how we can see today.

Anton Despinescu
Nicolae Iosif Camilli şi Mihai Robu
The life of the diocese and of the seminary from Iaşi was marked by the faith model and fertile activity of the Bishops who led them. The study of Anton Despinescu makes an historical incursion in the biography of the Bishops Nicolae Iosif Camili and of Mihai Robu. Nicolae Iosif Camilli (1884-1894; 1904-1915), the first Bishop of the Diocese of Iaşi, through his pastoral activity and his writings – Acta Camilliana, contributed to the spiritual edification of the people entrusted to him in the hard time of the beginning of our diocese. Mihai Robu was the first indigenous Bishop (1925-1944) of the Diocese of Iaşi. The people who knew Msgr. Mihai Robu characterized him as a saint, poor, popular and gentle pastor. The Diocese of Iaşi has a deep esteem for these illustrious Bishops, opener of the ways and faith examples for the ones who succeeded on the Bishop’s chair from Iaşi.

Dănuţ Doboş
Marcu Glaser şi Rafael Friedrich
The history of the Seminary from Iaşi is the result of many personalities’ work. The study of dr. Dănuţ Doboş stops upon the illustrious figures of the Bishop Marcu Glaser and of Rafael Friedrich, choice justified by their statute of martyrs of the Catholic Church from Moldova. Sketching the two biographies, the author underlines the aspects which turn the two personalities into models of affection to the Catholic faith and to the Holy See, in the hard period of the first decades under communism: the fruitful activity of the two martyrs, their courage and determination in front of the communist oppression, their martyrdom which crowned a life with the Christ. These two personalities remain in the history of the Catholicism from Moldova and of the Seminary from Iaşi as models of integrity and courage in front of the communist oppression.

Wilhelm Dancă
Francisc Xaveriu Habeni şi Anton Trifaş
The anniversary of 120 years from the opening of the Seminary from Iaşi and of 50 years from its reopening was not complete without paying homage to the rectors who were in function in those moments, Francisc Xaveriu Habeni, rector at 29 September 1886, and Anton Trifaş, rector at 26 November 1956. The study of pr. Wilhelm Dancă, the present rector of the Seminary, points out the church and social context in which grew up the two emblematic personalities, the problems they confronted and their zeal in contributing at the opening of the seminary, both their good practical and pedagogical orientation, their care for the moral and spiritual profile of the candidates for the Priesthood. These two exemplary rectors anticipated and animated through their model a series of rectors, worthy of their precursors.

Emil Dumea
Clădirile Seminarului „Sfântul Iosif” din Iaşi
The Seminary from Iaşi as institution, group of people and building has lived the influence of the time when it developed, time which determined its evolution until today. The article of Emil Dumea “The buildings of the seminary Saint Joseph from Iaşi” exposes succinct the evolution of the spaces and of the architecture of the Seminary after its reopening in 1956, the opposition of the communist regime, the building renovation, which appeared more and more necessary, the contribution of the rectors Petru Gherghel, Eduard Sechel, Eduard Ferenţ, Ioan Robu, Alois Fechet, Aurel Percă, Alois Bulai, Wilhelm Dancă to the building and renovation of the seminary in the latest decades, the generosity of the benefactors, the importance given to the seminary, the heart of the diocese. This assembly of factors made possible this anniversary time in the new and beautiful building of the Seminary Saint Joseph from Iaşi.

FILE DE ARHIVĂ

Ştefan LUPU
Seminarul Diecezan din Iaşi: Continuitate în tradiţie şi înnoire creatoare
The 120 years history of the seminary from Iaşi incorporates partially or totally the history of people who remained near it, both professors and students, the life of rectors and bishops who led it, the existence and the evolution of the formative, educational and spiritual program, which directed its graduates. Proposing this general view, the study of Ştefan Lupu presents with maximum of accuracy and meticulousness the names of all the students and professors who were in the Seminary from Iaşi, the evolution of the analytical program of philosophical-theological forming, the changes which appeared in the structure of the pastoral-spiritual forming system, the aspects of the human-cultural curriculum of the seminarians, the relations between Seminary and State and, finally, some perspective for the future. Even if this study has an obvious scientific-historical characteristic, it presents a concrete opening towards the present time, that is described as the inheritor of a rich and living tradition, the real support for the future perspectives.

Dialog Teologic IX/17 (2006)

Dialog Teologic IX/17 (2006)
Moștenirea Conciliului al II-lea din Vatican. II. Cuvântul și lumea, 292 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Dei Verbum, în dialog cu pr. Ignace DE LA POTTERIE
The present dialogue underlines the importance of God’s Word in the Church’s life. The liturgical life, the theological declamation, the faith and the charity deeds base on it. For the Christian tradition, the Holy Bible contents the truth which God wanted to communicate, the truth for our salvation. Father Ignace shows that in the entirely of the Second Vatican Council documents this Constitution has a special place. It is the synthesis of the discussions about Revelation, about Tradition and about the Holy Bible and it answers to the natural questions regarding the God’s Word, the relation between Tradition and Holy Bible and the notion of inspiration. The interview concentrates on the major problems debated in this dogmatic Constitution and impels to a more profound acceptance of the horizons that it reveals.

Ştefan LUPU
Decretul despre apostolatul laicilor Apostolicam
Until the Second Vatican Council the lay Christian people had a rather passive role in the Church. The Council Fathers underlined the richness of the values that are to be found in the conscience of the lay Christian people, also the help that they can offer to the Church especially in the education, charity and missionary domain, a help that is irreplaceable. The Council proposed it self to make the lay Christian people aware about the fact that day are living limbs of the mystical body and that they must contribute lively to the Church’s life. This article presents the Decree about the lay people apostolate from the point of view of its implications in the structures of the other Council documents regarding the Church’s members.

Apostolicam actuositatem, în dialog cu d-l Guzmán CARRIQUIRY
Decretul Apostolicam actuositatem răspunde la o necesitate esenţială în Biserică, şi anume aceea de a preciza rolul şi locul pe care laicii îl ocupă în Biserică. Ei nu sunt nişte elemente statistice, lipsite de personalitate, ci sunt membre vii ale trupului mistic al lui Cristos care este Biserica. Printr-o colaborare activă şi constantă cu ierarhia şi clerul, ei pot să realizeze opere frumoase de apostolat. Interviul scoate în evidenţă acest deziderat al decretului şi oferă o interpretare obiectivă a realităţii concrete în care trăiesc creştinii laici şi în care pot să răspândească evanghelia, mai ales, prin exemplul personal.

Ştefan LUPU
Declaraţia privind libertatea religioasă Dignitatis humanae
Until the Second Vatican Council the lay Christian people had a rather passive role in the Church. The Council Fathers underlined the richness of the values that are to be found in the conscience of the lay Christian people, also the help that they can offer to the Church especially in the education, charity and missionary domain, a help that is irreplaceable. The Council proposed it self to make the lay Christian people aware about the fact that day are living limbs of the mystical body and that they must contribute lively to the Church’s life. This article presents the Decree about the lay people apostolate from the point of view of its implications in the structures of the other Council documents regarding the Church’s members.

Dignitatis humanae, în dialog cu P.S. Clemente RIVA
One of the fundamental aspects for mankind is the religious experience. The religious dimension is not something added to the man but it is an inherent gift. This is why it must never be constrained by the social-cultural factors. The dialogue shows that the Council Fathers, being aware of the religious freedom’s defection problems, voted the Declaration about religious freedom Dignitatis humanae, which is a major contribution to a greater cohabitation of men, not only as a response to the signs of our time, but also as an explaining of the Evangels principles. The Declaration Dignitatis humanae responds to the contemporary challenges: religious freedom, tolerance, the Church-State report, practical atheism, Evangels and the modern man.

Ştefan LUPU
Decretul privind activitatea misionară a Bisericii Ad gentes
The missionary activity has been a base characteristic of the Church and has remained the main way to spread the Evangels. The Decree about the Church’s missionary activity Ad Gentes has opened a new road for the missionary reflection and activity, been the fruit of many discussions and writings. This article presents the structure of the document and its insertion in the Church’s life.

Ad gentes, în dialog cu pr. Jesus LOPEZ GAY
Even from the time of foundation the Church has been sent by Christ to proclaim to the World the Gospel. Being aware of this mission of the Church and of the new problems with which the missionaries confronted, the participants to the Council have elaborated the Decree about the Church’s missionary activity Ad Gentes. This dialogue presents the steps in elaborating this document, the content and its structure, but also the novelty that this decree brings into the mission domain. The missionary dimension of Church, considered as an essential component of the Church, is now explained in the light of the Trinity relation.

Lucian FARCAŞ
Constituţia pastorală privind Biserica în lumea contemporană Gaudium et spes
One of the main goals of the Second Vatican Council was to show who is the Church and what is the message it wants to deliver to the today’s humanity. The crisis of the contemporary values, the technological and informational explosion, the changing of the moral values system have been some aspects that the Council Fathers had in mind when they elaborated the pastoral Constitution Gaudium et spes. The elaboration of this essential document has been followed by many criticisms regarding especially by the means of the dialogue with the world and by the Church’s receiving from the society’s behalf. This article develops a three-way presentation: the process of making the Constitution, the analysis of the document and of the echoes it generated and the new interpretations regarding the changing of some social and moral values.

Gaudium et spes, în dialog cu Mons. Lorenzo CHIARINELLI
Gaudium et spes has been a much waited document that generated some fierce controversy. For the elaboration of this document a group of Council Fathers, that rehashed the famous 13th Scheme, have worked intensively. Among these ones has been the Archbishop of Krakow, Karol Woityla. This interview presents the Council’s intention regarding this document, also how the document’s elaboration process took place and how can it be read today taking into account the signs of the present time, after 40 years from its promulgation.

Mihai PATRAŞCU
Decretul privind mijloacele de comunicare socială Inter mirifica
The communication is a specific activity of man and it is indispensable to the civilized structures. To communicate means to inform, to spread an informative content that contributes to the development of the other. The Church realized the power of mass-media, the services that these ones can bring for the Evangels spreading. The Second Vatican Council promulgated the Decree Inter mirifica through which points out the live nature of Church’s reality and the necessity to communicate it to the public opinion. The present article analyzes the historical context in which the document was published, its long term applicability and the enormous possibilities that the correct utilization of the mass-media offers.

Inter mirifica, în dialog cu pr. Mariano FAZIO
The Church has been always preoccupied by the communicative phenomenon. The changes made by the mass-media in the 20th century have determined the Council Fathers to elaborate the Decree about the mass-media Inter mirifica. In this interview there are underlined the problems that lead to the elaboration of this document, the way in which it is structured in the new concept of the Church regarding the mass-media. The technological development that took place in the social communication area is considered by the Church as a manifestation of the man’s participation to the creative power of God. The importance of this document is demonstrated by the way in which it was applied by Pope Paul the VI and by its successor Pope John Paul the II.

Mihai PATRAŞCU
Decretul privind reînnoirea vieţii călugăreşti Perfectae caritatis
The history of the Church has known a special spiritual flowering after the apparition of the consecrated life institutes. These ones have their own charisma and contribute to the spread of the Gospel by living the evangelic precepts in the world. The Council Fathers wanted to renew the monastic life in the spirit of closer listening towards the whispers of the Holy Ghost and towards the nowadays requirements of the society. This article points out the pastoral character and the fundamental norms of the consecrated life renewal.

Perfectae caritatis, în dialog cu pr. Arnaldo PIGNA
The interview treats about the necessity of the spiritual life renewal and about the tentative made by the Church in the favor of this renewal. Pigna underlines the fact that the Church has responded to the problems of man of every century. Through the Perfectae caritatis Decree the Church calls out to a spiritual renewal both the clergy and the believers regarding a unity and harmony based on charity. The Council offers precise indications to be putted into action: the fight against formality, the follow of Christ, the return to Gospel. After the Council, the popes along with the bishops have re-attested this necessity, advising to a life style based on charity activity.

Mihai PATRAŞCU
Declaraţia privind educaţia religioasă Gravissimum educationis
During its existence the Church took the initiative of numerous charity, cultural and civilization works that contributed to the human kind progress. In this way she fulfilled the mission of spiritual Mother of humanity. The declaration Gravissimum educationis sets the basis of real new and opened attitude of the Church in front of the education problems in the modern world. This attitude and also the consequences that evolved from this analysis make the object the present article.

Gravissimum educationis, în dialog cu P.S. José SARAIVA MARTINS
Catholic education has known an impressive development along the history. It has always been in the focus of the Church, mainly during the Second Vatican Council when it was discussed the necessity of reforming the spirit of education departing from the Gospel based Tradition. The interview points out these discussions and shows primarily the communitarian concept of the educational process in which the teacher-student empathy is essential for the formation both of the one that is educated and of the one that is educating.

Ariel Álvares VALDÉS
De ce evanghelistul Ioan nu descrie exorcismele lui Isus?
The author of this article shows that exorcisms have always been shrouded in mystery, in which fantasy and curiosity have led to all sorts of fictions, mostly far away from the truth. But exorcisms are not parades, shows or sensations. They are a reality that must lead us to reflection to an objective regard about the forces of Evil. The synoptic Evangels presents six cases of exorcises but the Gospel of saint John keeps absolute quiet. John did not wish to make public the exorcisms of Jesus because these ones made him a lot of trouble. Jesus was seen mostly as healer, as a magician because during his time many Jews were practicing Egyptian magical exorcising rituals. In the end the article underlines the facts that saint John didn’t want to present exorcisms of Jesus in the Evangels he wrote, because he didn’t want Jesus to appear as magician but as a teacher and redeemer of the world.

Vittorio POSSENTI
Fondamenti religiosi e laici della democrazia
Analyzing the phenomenon of democracy, Vittorio Possenti exposes the religious and laical fundaments of democracy. A true democracy that wishes to open the borders of a civilized world must maintain the feeling of affiliation to the humanity. The author thinks that democracy must stay away from the temptation of fundamentalism, that must promote the person and not the forms of selfishness. The democracy needs religion if it wants an undiluted man (one can not deny to a man the religious dimension). The rights of man should be the main program of a democracy. The author underlines some of the democracy principles: treating the person as a purpose and not as a mean (the man is in the world but it not belongs to the world), forming a nation in which there are to be respected both natural low and positive low, responsible freedom, an ethics that encourages the common good, the participation to the public life. The article pleads for an equilibrated democracy that has in its center the person.

Nils GYONS
Misiunea în America Latină
South America is one of the poorest continents on the globe. Having a population of 500 million inhabitants this area confronts with severe social problems such as drugs dealing, dictators, civil wars, guerilla fights, nutrition diseases, etc. In this article it is showed, that in spite of some contradictory aspects, the Catholic Church is very well represented because most of the population is Catholic. The reality of the South America is very tough but the Church has in this area a very efficacious missionary activity and the calls to the apostolate life are numerous. This continent that is very much alive and diversified in its mentality, culture or adaptation to the requirements of the contemporary life represents an interest and hope ambit for the Church.

Alois BIŞOC
Misiunea Bisericii în lumea contemporană
The Church is a complex reality that always tried to come in the reception of society’s needs. Living in a new era of human history the Church cannot remain disinterested in front of the impulses that receive from the society. Without disowning its identity and Tradition, it proposed to the world, through the works of the Second Vatican Council a new image of the homo Ecclesiae. The article points out the problems of the nowadays world and the actual relation between it and the Church, both during the Council but also in the period after.

Mario GIRARDI
„L’amore carattere proprio del cristiano”: le origini della spiritualità identitaria di s. Basilio
Monastic fraternities appeared as a consequence of the fact of being aware of the fundamental role that the Gospel must play in the life of every Christian. The author of this article shows that love must be the characteristics of truly Christian life, and among those that understood this there are two initiators of community life: saint Basil the Great and saint Benedict of whose rules represented a richness for the spiritual life of Church. The present article underlines that love is the peculiar characteristic of Christians and that saint Basil the Great fundaments this teaching on the Holy Bible, especially on the writings of the apostle Paul.

Dialog Teologic VIII/16 (2005)

Dialog Teologic VIII/16 (2005),
Moștenirea Conciliului al II-lea din Vatican. I. Liturgia și Biserica, 250 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Sacrosanctum Concilium, în dialog cu pr. Anscar J. CHUPUNGCO, o.s.b
The first discussed and sanctioned by the 2nd Council of Vatican document was the Constitution about Sacra Liturgia or Sacrosanctum Concilium. Following the promulgation of this constitution there were registered various reactions. The counciliar reform in some people aroused sentiments of gratitude or an exaggerated euphoria, in the others, unable to distinguish between the counciliar principles and their concretization, gave birth to a deep deception. However, a lot of local Churches rejoiced thanks to the fruits of the reform. Using the people’s language, the splendour of the rites, the active interest and involving the lays are gifts of the Council which are gladdening for us, today, and which interpellate every person, clergyman or lay.

P.S. Petru Gherghel
Decretul privind misiunea pastorală a episcopilor în Biserică Christus Dominus
The image of the bishop, like the legitimate successor of the apostles and the shepherd of the Christ’s herd, was the center of the discussions of the 2nd Council of Vatican. These discussions materialized at 28 October 1965 when the counciliar Fathers voted the text of the decree about the pastoral mission of the bishop Christus Dominus. The article presents the premises that led to the elaboration of this document and offers a practical view about it.

Cristus Dominus, în dialog cu P.S. Jorge M. MEJIA
The decree Christus Dominus forms a decisive stage in establishing the bishops’ mission, in outlining the true identity of the dioceses and of their shepherds. On the one hand it is presented the way that the bishop have to respect in practicing their service, and on the other hand it is expressed a clear legislative will, without omitting the indication of the way that has to be observed in revising the Code. This article underlines the double size, involved by the relationship between the bishop and the Church: with the universal Church and with the local Church that he leads. In this world, dominated by secularization, the bishop has to remain the principle of unity, who announce with authority God’s word, who celebrate the sacraments, assisted by the Holy Spirit. The decree, which has theological-pastoral content, wants to make aware the bishops about their mission and the dioceses about the dignity they are called to reach: to be part in the Church of the Christ.

P.S. Aurel PERCĂ
Decretul privind formarea preoţească Optatam totius
Starting with the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the Church showed a great attention to the formation of the future priests. During the years, the popes gave a lot of indications to improve the modalities of formation, conforming to the pastoral milieu and the social conditions of the candidates. In 1965, at 28 October, the counciliar Fathers voted the decree Optatam totius. This document continues harmoniously the traditional principles of the seminarian formation, through the natural opening toward the legitimate exigency of this new time. In this article is presented the content of this decree which renovated the life in the seminaries and all the formation’s areas.

Optatam totius, în dialog cu P.S. José SARAIVA MARTINS
The decree Optatam totius occupies a special place between the documents of the 2nd Council of Vatican. This document, whose purpose is the priestly formation’s renovation conforming to the renovated image of the priest, is very close to Presbyterorum Ordinis, Lumen Gentium and to other documents, which discuss about the human, intellectual and pastoral formation of the future priests. The apostolic exhortation Pastores dabo vobis constitutes a survey of the fruits of Optatam totius and the reassertation of the programme which was suggested by the Council concerning the priestly formation.

P.S. Aurel PERCĂ
Decretul privind slujirea şi viaţa preoţească Presbyterorum ordinis
One of the most important documents of the 2nd Council of Vatican was the decree about the priestly ministry and life Presbyterorum ordinis, promulgated at 7 December 1965. This text is the result of four schemes and even from the beginning shows the christological structure of the priestly figure. The priest is sent to the people of his time to speak about the Christ, co-operating with the bishop of the diocese; the aim of his life is to extol the Father in the Christ. The document insists on the importance that has to have the sacraments in the priestly life; without the sacraments his mission is bankrupt and harms to the Mystical Body. This article develops, in three parts, the radiography of the „counciliar” priest, and the author tries to show the applicability of the document in the daily priestly life.

Presbyterorum ordinis, în dialog cu Eminenţa Sa, Cardinalul Dario CASTRILLON HOYOS
Desired by the 2nd Vatican Council, the renewal work in the Church is in a peculiar way the outcome of priests’ efforts. This is why the Synod Fathers have considered that is more convenient to treat about the priesthood in a separate document. After presenting the nature of priesthood, the decree speaks about the priest’s role in the Church, about the priest’s ministry and about the life of priests. This dialogue wishes to offer a general view upon the Presbyterorum ordinis decree and the way in which the document must be read and interpreted.

P.S. Aurel PERCĂ
Episcopul – păstor al Bisericii locale şi păstrător al credinţei universale: tradiţie şi reînnoire a unei carisme fundamentale
In this article it is built a portrait of the attributions that a bishop has in the virtue of his ministry as shepherd of Christ’s flock. The bishop receives the sacrament of Priesthood in its plenitude and that is why he is called to exercise his ministry mission with a greater abnegation. The bishop has to be for his diocese a centre of communion, a criterion for brotherhood: the image of Jesus the Good Shepherd must be reflected in him. This is why, along with the people entrusted to him, he must continue the calling of Christ to be the salt of the land and the light of the world.

Wilhelm DANCĂ
Constituţia dogmatică despre Biserică Lumen gentium
The Church is an institution desired and created by Jesus Christ, who is the Word of God the Father embodied for the salvation of man. It is an alive and extensive reality that has its own structure and a history which interpenetrates with the history of humanity. The 2nd Vatican Council tried to propose to the contemporary world different images of the Church, which remains the mystical body of Christ. The Church, being a creation of Christ and being permanently animated by the Holy Ghost, cannot be destroyed neither by the humans, nor by the powers of darkness. The dogmatic constitution about the Church Lumen gentium is the outcome of many discussions that took place many years before the Council, discussions that were perpetuated until the emergence of this extensive document. This article is a detailed presentation of this document that represents the identity card of the Church, summoned to come upon the real needs of today man.

Lumen Gentium, în dialog cu mons. Marcello SEMERARO
Among the Council’s documents the Constitution Lumen gentium takes a central place. It represents the best key to read the Council’s documents and it is also the main axis that stood at the base of those documents foundation. The Constitution reveals a new image of the Church: the Church is presented as the people of God and those who are a part of the hierarchical structure are considered as the ministers of Church. The Church is seen as a communion in whom all the members of God’s people participate at the triple minister of Christ: priestly, prophetical and royal.

Wilhelm DANCĂ
Decretul despre Bisericile Orientale catolice Orientalium ecclesiarum
The Council Fathers proposed to discuss about the role and the place that the Church has in today’s world and it was natural also to talk about the different utterances of the Church’s Catholicism. One of these form of utterance is represented by the Oriental Catholic Churches, of which reminds us the decree Orientalium ecclesiarum. There is one such Oriental Church in Romania: the Greek-Catholic Church. What role has this decree in the Church’s life? Did it bring something new in the tradition of the Catholic Churches with Oriental rites? This article wishes to answer to these questions.

Orientalium ecclesiarum, în dialog cu pr. Edward G. FARRUGIA, s.j.
The decree, structured in six chapters, underlines the dignity of the Oriental Churches. The Christian Orient holds many authentic riches that must be preserved. The existence of these Oriental Churches, different from the Latin Catholic Church does not endanger the Church’s unity. The maintenance in the Orient of the Patriarchate structure doesn’t affect the hierarchical structure’s functioning of the Church. The promotion of these Churches has shed a better light upon the non-Catholic Oriental Churches. In the same time, this document brings a novelty: the Catholic Church is not just the Latin Church; Orient and Occident (East and West) are like the two lungs through which the Church breathes.

Wilhelm DANCĂ
Decretul despre ecumenism Unitatis redintegratio
The ecumenism represents the sum of all ways, initiatives and instruments that took place for the accomplishment of Church’s unity. The scissions of the unity of the Church, apparently irredeemable, have been discussed by the Council Fathers who have elaborated the decree about ecumenism Unitatis redintegratio. This article presents the structure of the document and its application in the ecclesial context of Iassy Diocese and of Romania.

Unitatis redintegratio, în dialog cu mons. Eleuterio F. FORTINO
Rebuilding Christian unity has been one of the main purposes of the 2nd Vatican Council. This document has been the official adhesion of the Catholic Church to the ecumenical movement. The accomplishment of Church’s unity is a commitment of the whole Church and not a private initiative of one person. After it speaks about ecumenism and the relations between the Catholic Church and the separated brothers, the Council wishes to offer to all the members of the Catholic Church all the help, the ways and the means to re-establish unity. The practical methods which this document offers are the prayer and the direct dialogue with the other Christians. The approval of this document has lead to the apparition of the Secretariat for the Unity of Christians and to elaboration of some documents that refer to the remaking of the Church’s unity.

Wilhelm DANCĂ
Declaraţia despre relaţiile Bisericii cu religiile necreştine Nostra aetate
The non-Christian religions have always been a trial mark for Christ’s Church. History is impregnated with numerous conflicts between the Church and the other religions. The 2nd Vatican Council affirms the liberty of a person to adhere to a religion and the fact that this liberty has to be respected and guaranteed. Also, religions must work together to the common good and to the progress of the society. The present article underlines these features of the Council’s document and brings them up-to-date through the exemplification of concrete actions made in the favor of inter-religious dialogue.

Nostrae aetate, în dialog cu Eminenţa Sa, cardinalul Francis ARINZE
The non-Christian religions become more and more present in our daily life. The expansions of non-Christian religions and of religious movements that come from these religions represent a real challenge for the Catholic Christians. The Christians from every country and region need to be well informed about the religions that exist in their territory. The fact that we live in a time in which have flourished very much the partnerships between nations has determined the Catholic Church to re-examine its relations with the non-Christian Churches and to propose a new way of dialogue.

Dialog Teologic VIII/15 (2005)

Dialog Teologic VIII/15 (2005),
Adevăr și moralitate în spațiul public, 269 p., 17×24, 9 RON.

Wilhlem DANCĂ
Ce facem cu adevărul în spaţiul public?
Every man is searching to find out the truth. But in the public life the truth has turned into a relative conception and can be interpreted in every way one wishes, whether is for the advantage of some or for the disadvantage of others. In a world in which, among other things, it is pursued to have an ethics without truth, a metaphysics without fundaments, a Christianity without Christ, a sincerity without truth, a holiness without God and a politics without principles, peoples are still searching for the truth. There are many people wondering between the quick-sands of scepticism finding satisfaction only in the partially and casually truths. But there are also those who, willing to authentically and adequately study the truth, are helping the society to open itself towards philosophy and to philosophize and also, are supporting the Church in its mission of beeing in the service of the Truth. The returning to the recta ratio, to the normal, dialogical, opened towards the others and the Other rationality is possible and the participants to the International Congres „Truth and morality in public life” have been trying to point out this fact.

COMUNICĂRI

Î.P.S. Dr. Ioan ROBU
Biserica Catolică în Europa, astăzi
What is really the New Europe and what Christian values is still accommodating? What advantages and disadvantages presents a Europe who gives the felling that the man is able to manage without God? In today’s Europe a breakdown is revealed between the technical possibilities and moral strength: moral strength has not been developed along with the scientific development. If it is necessary that from the New Europe the respect of the human dignity and the respect of what is sacred for the other to be present, in the same way is necessary that in the united Europe to be developed a profound and clear dialogue with the other religions, dialogue that has to reflect and show to everyone the true nature of the Church.

Î.P.S. Dr. Daniel CIOBOTEA
Biserica Ortodoxă în Europa, astăzi
Romania joining European Union will be the biggest country with the Orthodox majority member of the European Union. The Orthodox Christians are watching the European Union either full of fear, either full of hope. Beyond these shared opinions, the Christian Churches from Romania together with the Judaic religion have expressed their support for Romania’s adhesion to the European Union. This adhesion is wanted with the hope that, next to what she will to receive, Romania will contribute to the enrichment of the spiritual and cultural European patrimony. The development work of the united Europe is seen as a new chance and challenge to express the fidelity to the Gospel, and in this way the Churches have to be together, have to be united.

P.S. Petru GHERGHEL
Omul de lângă noi, omul între bine şi rău
The man is capable to make real miracles of life and of history, but also a lot of disasters. What is man: an angel or devil? What is the role of man in the society and what is his purpose? The man carries in his soul, in his all being God’s image, becoming in this way the masterpiece and the crown of all creation. Regarding the nature of man, Bishop Petru Gherghel is referring to the affirmation of the Fathers of Church: Irineu from Lyon, Leon the Great and Thomas Aquinas. The morality of the human acts depends of the chosen object, of the followed purpose and in the circumstances of his action. The true value of the man of nowadays stays in his moral conscience. The Church must give all his riches of values and teachings for perfection of the man next to us.

Wilhelm DANCĂ
Morala comunicării adevărului. Dialogul dintre filozofie, teologie şi ştiinţă
The world where we live in suffers because of moral inertness which has at its basis at least the following crisis: the tragedy of atheist humanism, the dispute on universality and stability of moral laws and the separation between science and metaphysics. This world has to develop a dialogue between philosophers, theologians, science mans, and thanks to this dialogue every domain remains what is called to be: science – science, religion – religion. Globalization, the new scientific discoveries, the neutrality of science, the dangers of agnosticism and relativism are only some of the motivations which sustain the necessity of such dialogue. Communicating the truth is depending on the every human person’s basic exigencies. In this sense the article sustains the need for new ways of communicating the truth and the urgency of recovering the dialogue between philosophy, theology and science.

Edward McLEAN
Adevăr şi moralitate. Adevărul este cheia integrităţii
According to father McLean we are all, in our own way, seekers of truth. There are many pathways to truth. Science, philosophy, theology take us only so far on the search for that Truth which touches the heart and changes the lives of everyone. The words of the Master are not to be understood, but to be listened. The basic truth for our world today is that we are all children of the One God. The fact that we belong to the same family is the key to Morality, Integrity and Right Conduct within the family of God.

Yuriy PIDLISNYY
Adevăr, valoare şi proliferarea drepturilor
Francis Fukuyama said that rights spring directly from an understanding of what man is. The birth of proliferation of rights transformed political process and the notion of political life. It seems there is no more place reserved for the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong. Making good and evil, right and wrong equal in rights makes those who practice good and evil equally correct. Not only history accounts for man’s identity, but also his search for truth, authentic and good. If society legalizes all lifestyles, behaviors and practices, it abolishes distinction between good and evil, automatically introduces the only possible good: its own will. Today, for many, the question of truth is nothing but a question of taste.

Osman BILEN
Etica ecologică şi relaţia sa cu adevărul
The desire to live in a more healthy and peaceful world is part of this growing consciousness of environmental problems we face today. The concept of truth must meet the demands of moral choices we make regarding the environment. The human environment means both natural and social world we live in. In Koran we find that nature is the only place we live in, but its also a theater of moral life. Nature is created to receive the good results of moral activities of man and to aid man in its efforts to moral perfection.

Abelardo LOBATO
Antropologie şi acţiune politică. Preambul etic la politica justă
Is it possible the existence of a „true” politics which serve the man’s good and the society outside the ethic? Or, otherwise, can we talk about a politic deprived by ethics? The present conference tries to underline the report which must exist between ethic and politic: they must not be confused, neither completed separated, but they must be seen as distinct and complementary. Over this line of thinking, started by Aristotle and continued by Thomas Aquinas, must be placed the thinking and the political action of our days. It is necessary that every person in his political-ethical action must spotlight the pre-eminence of the ethic in the political activity. The man, individual human and the subject and the object of politic, must find his horizon, in which he is placed, for saving him from death: because after the death of God has been declared also the death of man. For saving him self, the human being must use his absolute liberty and all his other rights.

George McLEAN
Adevăr, bine şi moralitate
In the past morality has been seen as a set of prohibitions. In order to pursue real goods in a real manner it is essential that we judge things as they are in themselves. Truth is the essence of justice and justice is the essential context of the good, the sign of peace in social life. According to Kant, with regard to morality, it is a breakthrough to begin to appreciate the role and the responsibility of the human not only for responding to reality, but for shaping it also. Like a pair of glasses values do not create the object, but focus attention upon certain goods rather upon others. According to Aristotle, in order to make sense of the practical dimension of our life, it is necessary to identify the good or the value toward which one directs one’s life. The moral truth is the reason regarding whether the act makes the person and society good, meaning to fulfill, in an authentic way, the individual or the society. Moral freedom consists in the ability to follow our own conscience.

Gabriela BLEBEA NICOLAE
O viaţă adevărată sau o propoziţie adevărată
The present conference does not undertake to contradict the conjunction (mediated by «and») between a true sentence and a true life. It only seeks to see to what extent a true life is absolutely dependent on veracity. In other words, this paper’s aim is to find out whether or not truth-telling (i.e., sincerity) is the condition for leading a true life (evidently, a true life actually refers to a good, morally valid life). This question may seem naive or simplistic but it actually stems from the dramatism surrounding the fact that communist experience imposed denunciation as a norm for practical action. If the denunciation means giving true information, could the telling of truth be morally acceptable even when the life of an innocent person is endangered? I am going to carry this question over into an analysis of St. Augustine’s De mendacio. By analyzing through this text the distinction between betrayal and heroism, I hope to make it clear how the telling of truth under the circumstances of the communist kind of regime might either land us in the sinful area of betrayal or under the sign of courage, in the space of virtue.

Zbigniew WENDLAND
Problema obiectivităţii valorilor într-o lume pluralistă şi dialogală
The crisis of the present-day world is in its very essence a crisis of reason. The fall of reason is treated as the most important symptom and, simultaneously, the cause of the downfall of the whole Western civilization. It has come a time when we must look for another kind of rationality than metaphysical rationality or instrumental rationality which could better correspond to existing challenges of mankind. The professor’s proposal is to label this new kind rationality with the term dialogical rationality. Present-day philosophers arrive at the common conclusion that one will not succeed to reach something like the correspondence with the Absolute or with the reality like it is in itself. This does not mean that people will live, and should live, without any concept of objectivity, that is to say, without objectively grounded values.

Anton CARPINSCHI
Cultura recunoaşterii şi orizonturile adevărului
After presenting truth’s horizons and after demonstrating the need of comprehension, the conference underlines that the path towards the truth of self-recognition and recognition of another presupposes the permanent meeting of reason and faith. We find out that at the base of comprehensive truths’ configuration stands the profound connection between comprehension and recognition. The third part of the conference remains over the fallible man, over the hypostasis of human and the comprehensive truth, showing that the variety is the key of human nature, a plastic and malleable. Eventually our attention is drawn upon a culture of confession, being underlined again the importance of the connection between truth and comprehension. Of all this the culture of confession appears as a cultural synthesis of a mature humanity.

Valerius M. CIUCĂ / Paul TIBULEAC
De unde ar trebui să preia dreptul definiţia vieţii umane: din religie, morală ori din filozofia ştiinţei?
Thanks to the apparition of new phenomena and thanks to the fact that the yesterday unimaginable has become possible the juridical definition of human life is now imposed. But who is the most adequate to offer this definition: the priest, the philosopher or the scientist? Or in other words: religion, morality or the philosophy of science will offer the real definition of human life? The entire conference suggests, on an optimistic-realistic tone, the necessity of everyone’s collaboration since the answer falls on them in equal measure: there has to be a fruitful collaboration between the priest, philosopher, jurist and science man. Through their collaboration human life will have to receive its true definition.

Lucian FARCAŞ
Evaziunea morală. Omul între etică şi factologie
In the first part of this study, with a marked theoretical character, it is analyzed the condition of man called to live together with his neighbors. The quality of common life is offered by people’s fidelity given to truth, which, thus, becomes the foundation of communion between people. Further on, it is noticed the danger which threatens truth avowal in the social life, the gravest situation being the neighbor’s discrediting and, trough this, jeopardizing the common life. Understanding and avowing truth must cont of biblical exigencies concerning truth. This exigencies refer both to itself truth and to the importance of its avowing, to person’s and community good. Than it is analyzed what is not and what is lie and this is denounced like a grave form of destroying a culture which has to promote an authentic human pro-existence. The second part of the study, more practical, has in view the delicate situation in which the man can be forced at deceiving by necessity. There are not forgotten the conditions in which social-political mechanism practices an oppression of truth, and, trough this, a systematic destruction of man and of society. It is mentioned the importance of truth in publicity and in propaganda actual forms, emphasizing the good and the bad they could do. Finally, there are shown the special situations in which the professional secret and the persons who detain it must be protected.

Isidor CHINEZ
Tentaţia neîntreruptă a minciunii şi foamea de adevăr
Any moral value has its foundation in truth because good is the manifestation of good. The problem of truth and lie has been considered as having great importance in man’s life of all times. Man is measured by truth. The first lie is the simulation of truth by man himself. Man is tempted by lie and accepts the temptation of denying his ontological truth. Since the man is endowed with freedom, he is self-possession, trusted to him and disposing of him, but he did not offered by him this self-possession, instead he owns it to another. God puts his own infinite freedom in relation with the finite freedom of man. With his sinful presumption of wanting to be like God man has denied the truth of his being. For the modern man, his person has become the trustful point of reality. Lie knows today a collective and public dimension which amplified thanks to the social communications.

Alois BIŞOC
Misiunea Bisericii în lumea contemporană
In order to better involve in the life of nowadays world the Church must know this world and must take into account in its pastoral work of the social-cultural pluralism. A very complex phenomenon that characterizes the contemporary world is the secularization, an ambivalent phenomenon that has a global influence over Christianity. There aren’t few those who, thanks to the secularization process have ended to oppose the human primacy as an alternative to the primacy of God. Within a context in which the main problem is the report between the man’s primacy and admitting God’s existence, the Church must remain the one who shows man the plan of God with humankind, the meaning of man’s life and the purpose of its role in the world. Even if the post-modern world considers itself sometimes post-Christian, the Church remains capable to give man the most adequate answers.

MASĂ ROTUNDĂ I
Omul între adevărul credinţei şi adevărul raţiunii
The discussions have focused, in the beginning, over the elite: can we adumbrate a portrait of the elite, of a man who has truth as base and moral treasure as light? Continuing the discussion on this idea, the following problem came up: how much is supposed a leader, a personality to open up? It has to be open to anything and to anyone or it is too much in the present day? Another theme of the discussions has been the report that has to exist between the elite and the institutions. The report person-institution is important since without institutions, without structures, the elite, a personality may disappear. But, in the same time, we must keep in mind that not all the elites prefer the shadow of the institutions and therewith not all the institutions promote elite.

MASĂ ROTUNDĂ II
Omul între legea politică şi legea morală
The direction of this debate has been set by father Dancă through the following questions: How are able to dialogize the civil society and the Church, the State (political law) and the Church (revealed law)? What does the dialogue with others, with us, with God mean? Which are the dialogue’s conditions between the public and the private sphere? The discussions concentrated over the self-preservation perspective, over the task of philosophers, over the meaning of understanding the other, over the fact that nowadays man has lost the moral sense of good and evil, over the dialogue between the Church and the civil society on the line of truth, over the elegant way in which persons and institutions must dialogize. An interesting idea is the underlining of the three conditions: of space, of time and opening towards another, that are necessary for the meeting between those who are having a dialogue to have place.