Fifth Pathways of Truth Seminar: “Charity, a Light for Our Path: Virtue, Sacraments, Church”

From February 8 to 10, 2024, the Veritas Amoris Project held the Fifth International Seminar for the Formation of Professors, “Pathways of Truth,” in Rome. This year’s theme was “Charity, a Light for Our Way: Virtue, Sacraments, Church”.

The event was attended by close to 50 participants from many different countries, such as Italy, Spain, France, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and some even traveled from the United States, Mexico, and South Korea.

The three days were dedicated to the discussion of the relationship between 1) charity and morality, 2) charity and the sacraments, and 3) charity and the Church. Each day began with a programmatic intervention, followed by some shorter presentations and discussions of recent relevant literature. There was always ample time for extended dialogue.

The inspiration came from St. Augustine’s work De doctrina christiana – On Christian Doctrine. Here he stated that the whole doctrine of faith is contained in the twofold commandment of charity. Charity is thus the key to understanding the actions of the believer, the sacramental economy beginning with the Eucharist, and the architecture of the Church.

With regard to moral theology, Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández insisted on this aspect in an interview with Civiltà Cattolica. He called for “emphasizing the primacy of charity in moral theology, or, in other words, elaborating a moral theology intimately transfigured by charity.” With this in mind, the seminar discussed the role of charity in theology, trying to clarify what is meant by speaking about charity. To this end, it discussed the connection between charity and truth, and the way in which charity is connected to Christian action. It also reflected on the kind of charity that is given in the sacraments to build up the Church.

The Veritas Amoris Project hopes to be able to publish many of the excellent presentations in the Veritas Amoris Review in the coming weeks and months.