On 24 November, members of the International Theological Commission met Pope Francis and the Holy Father asked theologians that catechists always teach “solid doctrine, not eventual novelties.”
The Pope advised theologians to have “creative fidelity to Tradition”, to deepen the “inculturation of the Gospel” and to seek “collegiality” to do theology “in a synodal way”.
“Theologians must go further, try to go further” and explained the distinction between theologians and catechists made by Saint Ignatius of Loyola.
“The catechist must give the correct doctrine, the solid doctrine; not the eventual novelties -of which some are good- but what is solid; the catechist transmits the solid doctrine ”, indicated the Pope.
While the Holy Father added that “the theologian ventures to go further, and it is the magisterium that stops him. But the vocation of the theologian is always to venture to go further, because he tries, and he tries to make theology more explicit.
“ But never give catechism to children and to people with new doctrines that are not certain ”, the Pope requested.
Finally, Pope Francis thanked the “invaluable service” carried out by the International Theological Commission and advised that more women be part of this Commission.
“I think that perhaps it would be important to increase the number of women, not because they are ‘fashionable’, but because they think differently from men and make theology something deeper and also ‘with more flavor’”, the Pope concluded.