50th Founding Anniversary

The Official Doctrine of the Church and the International Theological Commission

Abstract

In the first part of the paper, the authors present the basic principles and mission of the official and theological teaching of the Church, which are based on the reality of the one and unchangeable proclamation and truth issuing from the Holy Spirit. The Word of salvation needs to be brought to people of all backgrounds, cultures and times, and it needs to be expressed in new and comprehensible terminology. Therefore, the magisterial documents and theological studies are always a testimony of faith and an incentive to the religious life, as well as a kind of response to new, altered circumstances and questions that arise. The manner in which the Word of God — which is unchanging — is interpreted, and the testimony of the faith of teaching theology must take the form of a professional discussion, fraternal conversation and mutual cooperation. The second part of the work presents data on the establishment and mode of operation of the International Theological Commission (Commissio Theologica Internationalis, CTI), which has published 30 documents since it was founded in 1969. Current issues from various disciplines of systematic theology are explained in several ways in the form of theses and presentations. The paper puts forward the titles of documents and a review of their importance, open questions and incentives that have arisen as well as the documents themselves.