Dear brothers and sisters,

I would like to begin by greeting His Excellency Bishop Francisco Javier Pistilli Scorzara, P. Sch., Grand Chancellor of the Catholic University of Our Lady of the Assumption, and all the organisers and participants in this international conference, which seeks to analyse the role and significance of Christian philosophical thought in shaping the culture of the continent, with a view to shedding light on contemporary challenges from the perspective of faith.

The conference aims to be a space for “encounter, diagnosis, dialogue and projection”. Seeking encounter is a laudable goal, which opposes the temptation of those who have seen rational reflection—given that it arose in a pagan environment—as a threat that could “contaminate” the purity of the Christian faith. Pius XII, in his encyclical Humani generis, warned against the attitude of those who, pretending to exalt the Word of God, ended up demeaning the value of human reason (no. 4). This distrust of philosophy is also evident in some modern authors, such as the Reformed theologian Karl Barth. In response to this, Saint Augustine reminded us: “Whosoever thinks that all philosophy is to be avoided wishes nothing else than that we do not love wisdom” (De ordine, I, 11, 32). Therefore, believers should not distance themselves from what the various philosophical schools propose, but rather enter into dialogue with them from the perspective of Sacred Scripture.

In this way, philosophical thought is a privileged space in which to encounter those who do not share the gift of faith. I know from experience that unbelief is often linked to a number of historical, philosophical and other prejudices. Without reducing philosophy to a mere apologetic tool, the good that a believing philosopher can achieve through his or her witness of life and through what the Apostle Peter encourages us to do is immense: “In your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defence to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet 3:15).

The second purpose, diagnosis, enables us to unmask the claim that transcendant knowledge can be attained through mere rational analysis, to the point of confusing the goods proper to a life “according to reason” with those that can only come to us through divine grace. In ancient times, the monk Pelagius maintained that human will was sufficient to fulfil the commandments without the indispensable aid of grace, a thesis to which Saint Augustine responded in a manner as complete as it was profound. In modern times, G. W. F. Hegel, with his speculation on the “absolute spirit”, ended up subordinating faith to the rational unfolding of the spirit. The same illusion is found in various thinkers, namely, the belief that reason and will alone will suffice to attain the truth.

We must not forget that philosophy, as an arduous task of human intelligence, can scale heights that enlighten and ennoble, but it can also descend into dark abysses of pessimism, misanthropy, and relativism, where reason, closed to the light of faith, becomes a shadow of itself. Not everything that bears the name “rational” or “philosophical” has, in itself, the same value: its fruitfulness is measured by its conformity to the truth of being and by its openness to the grace that enlightens all intelligence. With genuine empathy towards everyone, we must offer our contribution so that the noble task of philosophizing may reveal more and better the dignity of man created in the image of God, the clear distinction between good and evil, and the fascinating structure of reality that leads to the Creator and Redeemer.

The next step is essential: dialogue. It has proven extraordinarily fruitful for the great Christian thinkers, theologians and philosophers. They have shown how human reason is a gift expressly willed by the Creator, and how the deepest search of our intelligence tends towards wisdom, which is manifested in creation and reaches its culmination in the encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ, who reveals the Father to us. From this perspective, already recognizable in the second century in Saint Justin, philosopher and martyr, and later continued by such eminent figures as Saint Bonaventure and Saint Thomas Aquinas, it is shown that faith and reason are not only not opposed, but support and complement each other in an admirable way. As my predecessor, Saint John Paul II, said: “The intimate bond between theological and philosophical wisdom is one of the Christian tradition’s most distinctive treasures in the exploration of revealed truth” (Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio, 105).

The Christian thinker is called to be a living reminder of the authentic philosophical vocation as an honest and persevering search for Wisdom. In times when so many things, and even people themselves, are seen as disposable, and when the multiplication of technological advances seems to overshadow the most transcendent problems, philosophy has much to question and much to offer in the dialogue between faith and reason and between the Church and the world.

Finally, projection is proposed to us as a task in the field of intersection between philosophy and faith. Undoubtedly, philosophy, more for its questions than for its answers, allows us to investigate the core of the values and defects present in each population. In this line, the work of believing philosophers cannot be limited to proclaiming, even in elaborate language, the exclusivity of their own culture. Culture in this sense cannot be the end. Saint Augustine affirms that one should not love the truth because it was known by this or that sage or philosopher, “but because, even though none of these philosophers had known it, it is the truth” (Letter to Dioscorus, no. 118, IV, 26). On the contrary, without losing sight of cultural riches, these thinkers must help us to situate them within the context of the great traditions of thought. In this way, their contribution will be magnificent, and if, in addition, this knowledge is imparted to the bishops, priests and missionaries who are called to bring the Good News, the message of salvation will be transmitted in a language that is more comprehensible and pertinent to all.

As I entrust the fruit of your labours to the Lord, I invoke upon you all the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom, and I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of abundant heavenly gifts.

Vatican, 3 October 2025

LEO PP. XIV

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Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 11 October 2025