Posted on 10/23/2006 4:08:59 PM PDT by Cicero
Rev. has beard to thank for relation with pope By Jennifer Brannock
Saturday, September 30, 2006
The Rev. Joseph Fessio has a rebellious beard to thank for his close, personal relationship with Pope Benedict XVI.
The seemingly strait-laced, clean-shaven provost of Ave Maria University laughs when he recalls the strange series of events that led to his association with the former professor.
As a seminary student in California in the 1960s, a tough professor classified Fessio as a rebel because of his slightly unruly beard. Feeling the student needed more discipline, the professor recommended Fessio train for his theology degree in Europe under future pope Joseph Ratzinger.
By 1972, Fessio, now 65, had become one of Ratzinger's favorite students. To this day, he attends annual seminars with Ratzinger and about 45 of his favored students to discuss important religious topics.
"It's amazing what has happened to me just because I had a beard," Fessio said with a laugh.
This year, Fessio traveled to the pope's summer palace near Rome from Sept. 1 to 3 to discuss evolution and intelligent design as they relate to the Catholic church.
"Prior to the meeting, there was a lot of media attention, because people thought the pope had gathered his students to make a statement on evolution," Fessio said. "But it was just a seminar for us to discuss our thoughts and feelings."
Pope Benedict XVI has had a prominent role in Fessio's life for many years. As a young man, Professor Ratzinger guided Fessio's education and faith.
As an adult, the pope directed Fessio to Ave Maria, after speaking with university founder Tom Monaghan.
The pope "is the reason I'm here," Fessio said. "He's been a great supporter of the university.
"In fact, the first words he said to me as pope were: 'How's Ave Maria doing?'"
News of the pope's interest excited Ave Maria students, many of whom attended a presentation given at the university by Fessio after his visit overseas.
"I feel glad that the Holy Father, of all people, is happy to see what we're doing down here," student Ryan Hawkes, 19, said. "I'm sure he supports other Catholic universities equally, but still, it's a great grace to have the Holy Father support our university."
During his long weekend at the papal summer palace, Fessio kept busy with a packed schedule. Saturday's activities included:
• 9 a.m.-noon: seminars and discussion
• noon-2 p.m.: lunch and discussion with the pope in the palace gardens
• 4:15-6:30 p.m.: more presentations
• 6:30 p.m.-on: discussions with the pope
The group listened to four renowned speakers who gave conflicting presentations on evolution and intelligent design.
Austrian molecular biologist Peter Schuster spoke emphatically in support of the theory of evolution. Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna talked about the controversial op-ed article he wrote for The New York Times questioning evolution.
Other speakers included University of Munich Professor Robert Spaemann, a German philosopher who has criticized evolution, and the Rev. Paul Elbrich, a Jesuit priest and scientist from Germany whose work weighs how chance factors into evolution.
"I thought Father Elbrich gave the most stimulating presentation of all," Fessio said. The discussions, he said, were all very spiritual and illuminating.
Past topics that the group has discussed include the Eastern Orthodox church and Islamic thoughts on God.
On Sunday, the pope took time to address his students together. He urged them to publish some of the notes from their Saturday discussions.
"There won't really be anything new that comes out in the publishing," Fessio said. "The positions we discussed are the same as those that have been taken by the Holy Father and the church over time anyway."
Pope Benedict XVI believes the Earth is about 4 billion years old, and that its inhabitants, including humans, have evolved.
Fessio received a special treat Sunday: a private audience with the pope. Though he would not divulge what specific information he shared with the pope, Fessio said he brought up some issues with the church, and the pope addressed them.
"He has a great gift of listening and absorbing and drawing the best out of everybody," Fessio said. "He's always been a very transparent person. He's the only pope in modern history to talk without using notes."
Fessio said no matter what, he will attend next year's seminar with the pope.
The pope's students "will hold off all other engagements to be there," Fessio said. "We're so proud that he's pope, because he's such a good person.
"He believes in maintaining human relationships, and that's why we're all still with him."
© 2006 Naples Daily News and NDN Productions. Published in Naples, Florida, USA by the E.W. Scripps Co.
Maybe his beard miraculously set him on a different track from almost all of his fellow Jesuits of that era.
Ping
Somebody tell me this is a joke.
Indeed, Catholicism does not mandate a particular reading of the Scripture regarding the age of the earth or the duration of the Creation. It does not require complete rejection of evolution either, as long as it is understood that God is the Creators of all, and sets the evolutionary process in motion.
On the other hand, Fr. Fessio did not say that the Holy Father believes in evolution from species to species, but merely that the human race has evolved since its creation. This is not by itself a controversial belief, as it is compatible with observation.
Maybe his beard miraculously set him on a different track from almost all of his fellow Jesuits of that era. >>
It sure did. Our Lord works in mysterious ways.
Fr. Fessio published most of Cardinal Ratzinger's books through Ignatius Press, before he became Pope Benedict.
http://www.ignatius.com/index.aspx
As a result, his press can pride itself as the Pope's publisher:
The Church teaches that the Scripture should be read with the intention and the cultural limitations of the human writer in mind. We know that the order of creation, from dead matter and simple animals to man is significant, creation of man from mud and of woman from man is significant, the stages of creation followed by rest are significant -- because elements of our faith refer to these scriptural facts.
We cannot attach the same significance to the chronological duration of the stages of creation, or to the genealogies of the Old Testament (the genealogy of Jesus, of course, is important, but it does not go to Adam).
The notion of some evolution -- but not inter-species evolution -- is quite compatible with the Scripture. For example, man is said to be made from mud or dust, and man goes through distince stages it his spiritual development.
Atheistic evolution, -- the notion that dead matter became live matter through a series of accidents, and then live matter evolved into animals and then to man through random mutations, -- is, of course, incompativble with the Christian worldview. It is also, come to think of it, an absurd theory, whioch the evolutionists themselves cannot defend other than through the courts.
It's some CHICK from Naples, Fl. writing that.....BS.
St. Augustine wrote 1600 years ago that the creation narrative in Genesis should not be understood as literal history, and that it was written the way it was written as a divine condescension to our limited ability to understand what really happened.
Considerable change among the human species has occurred just in our lifetimes. The Japanese are having to re-engineer everything because the current generation averages nearly a foot taller than their grandparents. New combinations of racial types, with different physical and mental characteristics, are continually appearing, especially as global travel becomes more prevalent.
Regardless of one's evaluation of the time-frame (I'm on the young-earth side), we have to agree that humanity has diverged from a created pair (and then again from the survivors of the Flood) into a wide variety of physical types. We can see it.
There is a timeline from Adam to Christ, it is inexact because of overlapping time periods. I am not sure what part Augustine meant was literal or not (or if he even had any divine knowledge of what he was talking about). I know God has the ability to create the universe and the ability to make it appear to be as old as He desires. This would not be so as to be deceptive, but it would allow us th enjoy the different and wonderful galaxies light years away.
limited evolution yes, inter-special evolution (from monkey to man) no. If anything our potential degrades with time. With good nutrition many pockets of peoples improve, but that potential was there centuries ago.
I agree. I was just pointing out that genetic divergence, whether it's of human sub-types or dog breeds, doesn't take long.
Genesis is not science. It is truth, of course, but it is not science.
We Catholics are required to believe in Adam and Eve and Original Sin etc, but, outside of that, we are free to take either a literal or non-literal view of Genesis.
I would heartily recommend reading the following collection of what the Church Fathers had to say about the Genesis day, just to give you an idea of the problems that commentators faced with the text in ancient times (i.e. before their interpretation could be influenced by modern science)
Hey Lady!
I need some help. What do you use as a Science Curriculm that touches on evolution but really leans towared ID?
We're using Switched on Schoolhouse and it is totally creationism. (middle of 5th grade). I need something more in line of what B16 and I both believe. Any suggestions? We need something lively or Net's attention problem will come out.
We had Rod and Staff science books for a while. They're full of good information about birds, animals, fungi, etc., and don't even bother to discuss details about origins. Just "This is what there is."
You might also check on what the Seton Home Study School has for sale.
Thanks!
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