EVANGELII GAUDIUM - page 181

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grammes which best respond to the dignity of
each person and the common good. In doing
this, she proposes in a clear way the fundamental
values of human life and convictions which can
then find expression in political activity.
Dialogue between faith, reason and science
242. Dialogue between science and faith also
belongs to the work of evangelization at the
service of peace.189 Whereas positivism and sci-
entism “refuse to admit the validity of forms
of knowledge other than those of the positive
sciences”,190 the Church proposes another path,
which calls for a synthesis between the respon-
sible use of methods proper to the empirical
sciences and other areas of knowledge such as
philosophy, theology, as well as faith itself, which
elevates us to the mystery transcending nature
and human intelligence. Faith is not fearful of
reason; on the contrary, it seeks and trusts rea-
son, since “the light of reason and the light of
faith both come from God”191 and cannot con-
tradict each other. Evangelization is attentive to
scientific advances and wishes to shed on them
the light of faith and the natural law so that they
will remain respectful of the centrality and su-
189 Cf. Propositio 54.
190 J ohn P aul II, Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio (14
September 1998), 88: AAS 91 (1999), 74.
191 Saint Thomas Aquinas , Summa contra Gentiles, I, 7; cf.
JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Fides et Ratio (14 September
1998), 43: AAS 91 (1999), 39.