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Skriven 2007-04-19 01:15:08 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service (Press Release)
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                               VIS-Press releases

CLEMENT: KNOWING THE TRUTH THROUGH FAITH AND VIRTUE

VATICAN CITY, APR 18, 2007 (VIS) - In the general audience, held this morning
in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI returned to his series of catecheses on the
Fathers of the Church, focussing on the figure of St. Clement of Alexandria.

The Pope indicated that Clement was born in the mid second century, probably in
Athens, whence "the great interest for philosophy which would make him one of
the flag-bearers of dialogue between faith and reason in Christian tradition."
He later moved to Alexandria, but abandoned the city during the persecution of
202-203 and died in Cappadocia in 215.

His most important work is a trilogy that has provided "effective accompaniment
to the spiritual maturation of Christians," said the Pope. The first part is
"an exhortation addressed to those beginning the journey of faith" in which
"the Logos Jesus Christ exhorts mankind to start decisively down the road of
Truth." In the second part of the trilogy "Jesus Christ becomes a pedagogue, in
other words educator of those who, by virtue of Baptism, have already become
children of God." In the third part, Christ is "the Master Who presents the
most profound teachings."

In this way "the Clementine catechesis provides a step-by-step accompaniment to
the progress of catechumens and of baptized so that, with the two 'wings' of
faith and reason, they may attain an intimate knowledge of the Truth that is
Jesus Christ. ... Only this knowledge of the Person Who is truth, is 'true
gnosis.' "

"Clement returns to the doctrine which holds that man's ultimate goal is to
become like God. This is possible thanks to the connatural similarity with Him
that man received at the moment of the creation, and by which he is already ...
the image of God. This connatural similarity makes it possible to know the
divine realities, to which man adheres primarily through faith." Then, "through
the practice of virtue, he can develop to the point of contemplating God."

"Two virtues adorn the heart of the 'true gnostic,' ... freedom from the
passions," and love "which ensures intimate union with God." Thus "the ethical
ideal of ancient philosophy, in other words freedom from the passions, is
redefined by Clement and conjugated with love in the constant process of
assimilation to God ".

In this way Clement "creates the second great opportunity for dialogue between
the Christian message and Greek philosophy. ... For him, the Greek
philosophical tradition, almost like the Law for the Jews, is an area of
'revelation', both being paths leading to the Logos."

This Father of the Church, the Pope concluded, "can serve as an example to
Christians, to catechists and to theologians of our time" whom John Paul II
urged in his Encyclical "Fides et Ratio" to " recover and express to the full
the metaphysical dimension of truth in order to enter into a demanding critical
dialogue with (...) contemporary philosophical thought".
AG/CLEMENT ALEXANDRIA/...VIS 070418 (530)

SUMMARY

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