Retrieval of Roman Catholic Theological Heritage Beyond Contemporary Presentism

Valentine Ugochukwu Iheanacho

doi:10.25159/2412-4265/21375

Authors

Valentine Ugochukwu Iheanacho University of the Free State https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1996-8527

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.25159/2412-4265/21375

Keywords:

Roman Catholic Church, theology, scholasticism, Neo-Scholasticism, Franciscans, Dominicans

Abstract

On 13 September 2025, Pope Leo XIV addressed the Pontifical Academy of Theology, advocating for a renewed focus on “a theology of wisdom.” According to the pontiff, it was a model of theology that was “developed by the great Fathers and Masters of antiquity,” through which, in “docility to the Spirit,” they were able “to unite faith and reason, reflection, prayer, and practice.” Interestingly, Henri de Lubac, whose book Surnaturel (1946) is commonly regarded as one of the major works that typified theological resourcement, in the first half of the 20th century, advocated for a return to “the golden age of Medieval thought” to restore the climate of “mystery” that was a core characteristic of Patristic theology. Regrettably, Catholic theology after Vatican II, largely influenced by theological resourcement, seems to view some earlier theological systems as of little importance. This research upholds the view that the inability or reluctance of contemporary theological presentism to go beyond the conceptual boundaries of theological resourcement, for the most part through the binoculars of la nouvelle théologie, and a considerable accompanying disregard for scholastic theology impoverish the broad, complex, and rich heritage of Catholic theological tradition.

Author Biography

Valentine Ugochukwu Iheanacho, University of the Free State

Research Fellow Department of Historical and Constructive Theology Faculty of Theology, University of the Free State

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