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truths valid only for that individual and not ca-
pable of being proposed to others in an effort
to serve the common good. But Truth itself, the
truth which would comprehensively explain our
life as individuals and in society, is regarded with
suspicion. Surely this kind of truth â we hear it
said â is what was claimed by the great totalitar-
ian movements of the last century, a truth that
imposed its own world view in order to crush the
actual lives of individuals. In the end, what we
are left with is relativism, in which the question
of universal truth â and ultimately this means
the question of God â is no longer relevant.
It would be logical, from this point of view, to
attempt to sever the bond between religion and
truth, because it seems to lie at the root of fanat-
icism, which proves oppressive for anyone who
does not share the same beliefs. In this regard,
though, we can speak of a massive amnesia in
our contemporary world. The question of truth
is really a question of memory, deep memory, for
it deals with something prior to ourselves and
can succeed in uniting us in a way that transcends
our petty and limited individual consciousness.
It is a question about the origin of all that is, in
whose light we can glimpse the goal and thus the
meaning of our common path.
Knowledge of the truth and love
26.âÂÂThis being the case, can Christian faith pro-
vide a service to the common good with regard
to the right way of understanding truth? To an-
