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4. Inculturation in Moral Theology-JULIAN SALDANHA

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4. Inculturation in Moral Theology-JULIAN SALDANHA Julian Saldanha, SJ Inculturation in moral theology Fr. Julian Saldanha, SJ ([email protected]) other branches of theology, moral theology holds a Doctorate in Missiology. He lectures has been very tardy in undertaking at St. Pius College, Mumbai and in several inculturation. Furthermore, even twenty years theological Institutes in India. He serves on after Vatican II, moral theology in India had the editorial board of "Mission Today" and remained tied to canonical and philosophical- "Mission Documentation". He was President ethical ways of thinking.1 It was found "to be of the ecumenical "Fellowship of Indian weighed down, among other things, by Missiologists" and continues to be active in paternalism, legalism and individualism". 2 the field of inter-religious dialogue. He wrote One reason for the general tardiness may be the Basic Text for the First Asian Mission that inculturation in this field is very Congress (2006) held in Thailand and helped challenging and difficult; it can also prove as a resource person there. In this article he quite controversial. All the same, it is argues forcefully for inculturation in moral incumbent on moral theologians to render this theology. service to the local church. It is much easier to purvey/impose on the young churches a 1. A Necessary Task readymade moral theology elaborated in a The task of inculturation in moral theology Western context. Questions and problems is part of the inculturation of theology in arising from the 'Third Church' of the general. It is a task which was laid on the Southern hemisphere hardly figured in the 'young churches' by Vatican II. From the media in the run up to and during the Synod customs and traditions of their people, from on the family in Rome in October 2015. It their wisdom and their learning, from their arts indicates that the Church has not entirely and sciences, these churches are to borrow all shaken off its Eurocentric bias. Communion those things which can contribute to "the for the divorced and (civilly) remarried revelation of the Saviour's grace, or the proper hogged the limelight, but not the problems arrangement of Christian life" (AG 22). To involved in inter-faith marriages which have this end, "theological investigation must been on the rise in Asia. Moral theology in necessarily be stirred up in each major socio- India must confront the questions and cultural area". In this way, "a better view will problems which our people face here. be gained of how their customs, outlook on What contributes to the challenge of life, and social order can be reconciled with inculturating moral theology is not only the the manner of living taught by divine great cultural diversity involved but also the revelation. As a result, avenues will be opened large role which reason must play in this field. for a more profound adaptation in the whole area of Christian life" (AG 22). This mandate 2. The Challenge of Cultural Diversity was repeated by Pope John Paul II in 1998 in This challenge arises from the need to take his encyclical Fides et Ratio, with explicit seriously the multiplicity of cultures, when reference to India. After referring to India's developing an ethics and orienting it in the rich religious and philosophical traditions of light of Christian faith. The diverse ethical great antiquity, he declared: "In India systems and behaviour patterns (laws, customs) particularly, it is the duty of Christians now to are historically and culturally conditioned. draw from this rich heritage the elements Besides, every people organizes its values in a compatible with their faith, in order to enrich certain hierarchical order. Thus if the Greek Christian thought" (AG 72). Yet, compared to polis gave priority to justice and prudence, 23 Confucius gives priority to benevolence and "Are the marriages valid in communities in gentleness. 3 Furthermore, as V. McNamara which child marriage, or marriage arranged by puts it: "Judgments are not made in a vacuum. the parents is the norm?" They are made by people who see the world in Vatican II indeed enjoined upon the young a particular way because they are particular Churches the task of introducing the faith sorts of people". 4 And as the anthropologist "into the upright institutions and local customs Kraft points out,5 ethical judgments are a form through appropriate canonical legislation" of interpretation, based on world-view (AG 19). No progress has been made in this assumptions. The 'household codes' of ethics direction. which appear frequently in the Pauline Polygamy for example is a vexed issue, not epistles6 and early Christian literature7 derive only in Africa but also among some tribes in from Hellenism or Hellenistic Judaism. E. India.11 Kraft explains12 why discarding of Hillman points out8 that the ethical teaching wives is considered extremely irresponsible in of the early Church followed in general that of these cultures. Polygamous unions are the teachers of other schools: Platonism, preceded by careful financial negotiations; Stoicism, Roman Law, Aristotelianism. The they provide women with security and men post-Constantinian theory of the just war was with help at home. Bujo explains how borrowed from pagan antiquity, in contrast to polygamy safeguards stability and family the earlier positions of Justin, Origen, Cyprian, bonds. He enters a plea for a transitional Athenagoras and others. For centuries Western tolerance of polygamy, before monogamy can Christians lived with slavery, crusades, become the rule. 13 In India there are also burning of heretics and witches. Missionaries issues arising from caste structures and the have imposed Western individualistic moral joint family. In tackling these and other moral and legal codes on people of other cultures. issues, we should beware of "speaking more How much of what was imposed proceeded about law than about grace, more about the from Christian faith and how much from Church than about Christ, more about the Western culture? J.T. Noonan illustrates the Pope than about God's word" (Evangelii point: "What was forbidden became lawful Gaudium, N. 38). To do so would be to place (the cases of usury and dissolution of the 'cart before the horse'. The foundation for marriage); what was permissible became this sense of proportion is the fact that the first unlawful (the case of slavery); and what was and principal proclamation (kerygma) is that, required became forbidden (the persecution of "Jesus Christ loves you; he gave his life to heretics)".9 save you. And now he is living at your side The problem is expressed in the pointed every day to enlighten, strengthen and free questions which Fuchs asks, from a you... Nothing is more solid, profound, secure, missionary context10 : meaningful and wisdom-filled than that initial "How far are Christian ethics and Canon proclamation" (Nn. 164-65). From this faith Law conditioned by cultural principles of the proceeds the conviction that "God's saving Jews, Greeks, Romans and Germans? love precedes any moral and religious "Is every paragraph in Canon Law of divine obligation on our part." Already St. Thomas right, or are some regulations taken over from Aquinas had stressed, that "mercy is the the civil law of the western nations? Should greatest of the virtues" and that the precepts they be imposed on the Christians of the which Christ and the apostles gave to the whole world? Should there not be a plurality people of God 'are very few'.14 Nida expresses of law codes, as we have a Canon Law for the the unease of many missionaries: Latin ... and Eastern Churches? "More and more missionaries are coming to "What is the missionary to do in countries feel that in many instances disservice has been where the customs of pre-marital sex done to the cause of the gospel by spending so behaviour and of wooing differ from Christian much effort setting up a new marriage code ethics...? rather than proclaiming a new way of life."15 24 The issue surfaced starkly during the Synod Commandments) which are dictated by on the Family, held in Rome in October 2015. reason". 19 C. Curran summarizes the In his Discourse at the close of the Synod, subsequent tradition: "Catholic scholars Pope Francis summarised his observations: generally have understood natural law as "what seems normal for a bishop on one based solely on human reason". 20 Hence continent, is considered strange and almost moral theologians have to demonstrate the scandalous for a bishop from another; what is reasonableness of the moral precepts they considered a violation of a right in one society uphold; it does not suffice to appeal to Church is an evident and inviolable rule in another. teaching. Reason will therefore have the lion's What for some is freedom of conscience is for share in evaluating moral injunctions. others simply confusion”. He drew the The Magisterium can only propose for faith conclusion: "Cultures are in fact quite diverse, what has been revealed. 21 Now particular and each general principle needs to be applications of the general principles of the inculturated, if it is to be respected and moral law have not been revealed. applied".16 This is not tantamount to absolute Nevertheless divine Revelation teaches a relativism. For certain values are in fact certain view of humans and the world which acknowledged as fixed reference points. 17 can lead to practical conclusions regarding However, the way they are expressed may moral behaviour. For this reason, the differ from one culture to another. Besides, Magisterium can provide authoritative every ethical system needs to be subjected to a guidance to Catholics in moral matters (GS 50; critique by reason and divine revelation. As DH 14). We see this in the case of Paul, who Pope Paul VI said: it is a question "of when laying down certain precepts, is careful affecting and as it were upsetting, through the to distinguish that it is "I and not the Lord" power of the Gospel, humankind's criteria of (1Cor 7:12,25) who does so.
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