On Friday, February 7, the San Isidoro Faculty of Theology of Seville held the VII Philosophy Day, organized by the Department of Philosophy. On this occasion, we had the distinguished presence of His Excellency Monsignor Marcel Madila Basanguka, Archbishop Emeritus of Kananga (Democratic Republic of Congo), who gave a masterly lecture entitled “Image and Experience of Faith. Poetic Faith and Modernity”.
After the opening of the conference by Dr. Pablo Díez Herrera, Vice-Dean of the San Isidoro Faculty of Theology of Seville, and the subsequent presentation of the speaker by Dr. Miguel Ángel Núñez Aguilera, Director of the Department of Philosophy of the same, the lecture began. Monsignor Madila focused on the relationship between faith and reason in the context of modernity, addressing the role of imagination in the experience of faith. Inspired by the thought of great theologians and philosophers such as Paul Tillich and Paul Ricoeur, the speaker explored how faith, far from being opposed to reason, can be understood as a form of reflective and profound knowledge.
Taking into account these problems, our reflection is above all a response to the desire expressed by St. John Paul II in his Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratiowhen he invited theologians and philosophers, guided by the sole authority of truth, “to elaborate a philosophy in affinity with the Word of God”, which would constitute “the meeting point between cultures and the Christian faith, the place of agreement between believers and non-believers”, but also “a help for Christians to be more intimately convinced that the depth and authenticity of faith are fostered when it is linked to a thought and does not renounce it”.
The conference was structured in three main parts. First, some aspects of the crisis of modern Western society were analyzed, highlighting the importance of not renouncing religion as an axis of resonance capable of responding to the challenges of modernity. In the light of this analysis, secondly, the dialogue between faith and reason was addressed, with the paradox of a faith in which doubt is not absent and which modestly affirms a real relationship, without “control” over God. Finally, in the third point, Monsignor Madila made a plea in favor of “poetic faith” as a way of salvation and an alternative to the crisis of late Western modernity.
The event, held in the Aula de Cátedras of the Faculty, brought together professors, students and members of the academic community, generating a space of profound philosophical and theological dialogue. The Archbishop Emeritus’ presentation was followed by a session of questions and reflections in which attendees were able to discuss the challenges of faith in modernity.
