Schuelerkreis

In one sense the attention being given to Pope Benedict XVI's upcoming Schuelerkreis is a great thing.  Media attention to theological matters can help underscore for people the importance of theology in reflecting on the Big Questions. The subject of evolution and creation is a high yield stock right now, so let's have some coverage of it.

And yet. 1. Much of the media gets it wrong when it comes to religion.  And really wrong when it comes to evolution and religion. See my blogservations below. 2.  Thus far, we have plenty of evidence the MSM will botch this story as it has so many others on the subject.

This meeting is not an official Vatican function. The participants are former theology students of Joseph Ratzinger who are interested in this topic but who are, for the most part, by no means experts on the subject, certainly not on the scientific details of it.  Nor do they represent themselves as experts. Their expertise is theology.

To be sure, the organizers of the Schuelerkreis have asked some experts on evolution and philosophy to participate. But their participation seems aimed at helping the theologians present to discuss the subject matter with greater scientific and philosophical precision. There is no indication of a forthcoming formal agreement by theologians and scientists or formal statement on the subject once the discussion ends.

Will the Schuelerkreis meeting wind up a sort of Papal Braintrust regarding evolution and creation? Not likely. Benedict XVI surely values his former students' opinions and ideas.  And many, if not all of the participants, have first-rate theological minds. But if the Holy Father wanted to get the best theological minds on the subject into a Braintrust, surely he would have included some folks who won't be attending.

In the end, it seems that the best way to describe the Schuelerkreis meeting is as a gathering of former Ratzinger students to discuss a theological topic of interest to the group and about which some measure of scientific expertise from outside the group would be beneficial. No less but no more. The participants will, no doubt, benefit from the meeting. The rest of the Church, to the extent the participants are influential, may receive some indirect benefit.  Perhaps certain ideas will be clarified in the Holy Father's mind, although he seems to be up on the main points of the topic so no clarification may be needed. Whether any direct, immediate benefit will result for the rest of us because of the meeting remains to be seen.  We have no reason to think so, regardless of what the MSM is apt to claim.

Comments

[John Farrell]

Excellent post. Of course, this probably won't stop some breathless reporters from hounding the Pope's former students, once they leave...

[Ed Peters]

Very good comments.

[Mark Brumley]

Apparently, Time magazine's Jeff Israely is among those breathless reporters.

[Mark Brumley]

I am happy to say that some of the weekend reporting on the Schuelerkreis meeting has been pretty good. Father Fessio and Father Horn seem to have helped reports make some important distinctions.