THE INTELLECTUAL MISSION OF THE ORDER
(ACG Bogota 2007)
PROLOGUE
99. Study should be an intrinsic part of the life of each member of the Dominican Family. We do
not study just so as to have something to say, but because the Word of God transforms our
understanding of God, the world and each other. Metanoia is a new understanding. A lawyer asked
Jesus who was his neighbour. Jesus’ reply, the parable of the Good Samaritan, invited him to ask
another question: ‘Who was neighbour to
the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ (Luke 10.36). If our preaching does not transform
people’s minds as well as their hearts, it will fall into either moralism or sentimentality.
100. Study is part of our pilgrimage towards the contemplation of the One in whom we shall find
our beatitude. The prologue to the chapter on the intellectual mission of the Order in the Acts of the
General Chapter of Providence, Misericordia Veritatis (cf.ACG 2001, 104 – 135), offers a profound
exploration of how the whole of our Dominican life, our preaching, our contemplation and the
pursuit of justice, is grounded in our life of study. This document should remain a reference point
for the Order’s understanding of its mission. Its insights do not need to be repeated here.
101. Our preaching is therefore inseparable from a passion for the truth, especially in a world in
which, as Pope John Paul II demonstrates in Veritatis Splendor, the very possibility of arriving at
the truth is questioned. The General Chapter of Krakow, in De Vita Intellectuali et Praedicatione
(cf. ACG 2004, 128-131) has offered the Order a penetrating analysis of this challenge. We are
faced with “the double-challenge posed by relativism (radical pluralism and the ‘post-modern’
distrust of reason) and fundamentalism. The former contests human reason’s capacity to attain
absolute, definitive and universal truths. The latter treats practical truths as absolute and denies
reason the natural exercise of its critical powers.” (ACG 2004,128)
102. This double challenge marks our contemporary world: the retreat from facing fundamental
questions about human existence in the West, and the spread of violence born of religious
fundamentalism throughout the world. It is as men and women of dialogue that we can transcend
the twin temptations of relativism and fundamentalism. The dialogue with other religions and
especially with Islam must remain a fundamental priority for the Order, as underlined by the
Commission for Dialogue (Inter-religious) established by the
Master of the Order.
103. Our witness to the fullness of truth in Jesus Christ means that we have confidence in the
revelation that we have received in the Word of God. We must also have the humility to accept the
truth wherever it is to be found, even among those who have another faith or none, since all truth is
of Christ. We are the heirs to a rich intellectual tradition especially that of St Thomas Aquinas,
which is to be studied, loved and transmitted. But we will be truly the heirs of St Thomas if we have
a passion for the truth that drives beyond the security of received answers; that is why we strive to
draw near to the mystery of God’s truth which is beyond all words. We must therefore dare to
engage in debate with all those who seek wisdom and understanding. We must have the courage to
be drawn out of our depth so that, like St Thomas, we need to beg God for insight. Dominic wished
us to be an Order of beggars, not just for our bread but for wisdom.
104. This passion for the truth marks our role in the heart of the Church too. We are the sons and
daughters of St Dominic in medio ecclesiae. Our commitment to the unity of the truth in Christ is
mirrored in our care for the unity of the Order and of the Church. The charism of the Order of
Preachers requires that we remain one, preaching ‘one body and one Spirit, just as you were all
called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and
Father of us all, who is above all through all and in all.’ (Eph 4.5)
105. St Catherine of Siena offers us an enduring witness to a Dominican care for the unity of the
Church. It is especially our prophetic task today, in a Church which is often marked by ideological
divisions. This prophetic task is grounded in our confidence in the unity of truth in Christ. The
Master of the Order named the Commission ‘Truth in Love’ to help the Order face the theological
tensions which may enrich as well as
wound our lives.
106. But this convergence of all truth in Christ lies beyond the grasp of any theology. The Church’s
continued pilgrimage towards the one who is the truth has always included moments of tension,
from the clash between Peter and Paul at Antioch until today, as we struggle to understand how we
may reconcile the tradition with new insights. Sometimes this has led our brethren into tensions
with the highest authorities of the Church. Theological exploration may initially look like disloyalty
to the tradition. We are loyal to our role within the Church by encouraging our brothers and sisters
in their pursuit of truth, being unafraid both to offer them our support and encouragement and also
fraternal criticism. The Order should be a model of responsible, critical and fraternal debate for the
Church.
107. If we are to fulfil this mission within the Church, then the Order needs a life of study which is
vigorous. As every Chapter has repeated for years, we need to form young brethren to the highest
degree in every intellectual discipline. The repeated exhortations of Chapters have been largely
ineffective. There are multiple pressures on Provinces to respond to other needs, although the
intellectual life is fundamental to all of our mission. Provinces have often proved reluctant to
respond to the Master of the Order’s requests for brethren to teach in the institutions directly under
his jurisdiction. The Order looks to these institutions to become centres of excellence without
providing the necessary support, especially the Angelicum. The repetition of words which have no
effect undermines the value of the words we speak. (Relatio MO 163)
108. How are we therefore to move forward? This General Chapter, as the supreme authority of the
Order, proposes that the time has come to move to more practical measures if our mission is to be
sustained. The Order needs to have a strategy for its intellectual mission, which will help it respond
to the priorities of our time, articulate the relationship between the institutions under the jurisdiction
of the Master and Provincial institutions of study and research, and see that our intellectual life is
sustained and developed in every region of the Order.
110. This is a moment of hope in the life of the Order. Many of the divisions of previous years have
been largely left behind. We have the grace to have vocations in most entities of the Order. We
must seize this moment with courage.