The ecclesiology of Pope Francis : a critical analysis of the metaphor of the Church as polyhedron

Tanjić, Željko (author), Turza, Zoran (author)

Pope Francis focuses on essential topics for the Church and society in his pontificate. To describe the relationships between different social subjects, he often uses the metaphor of the polyhedron to highlight the importance of each individual and each social group for the equitable development of the entire society. Nowhere does it systematically describe this metaphor, but it uses it in different contexts: societal, ecclesial, ecumenical, and theological. The literature also lacks papers that systematically and critically question this metaphor, presenting possible consequences for the Church’s life, i.e., pastoral care, liturgical practices, morality, doctrine, etc. This paper aims to describe this metaphor of the Church as a polyhedron. The metaphor of the polyhedron that he uses in his documents will be described first. Then, the key features, advantages, and disadvantages of the metaphor of the Church as a polyhedron will be brought out. According to this metaphor, the Church can be understood through her main characteristics: as synodal Church, unity in diversity, missionary Church, and charity.

• Language: English
• Keywords: Church, metaphor of the polyhedron, synodality, charity
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: TEOF - Theological Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Publication date: 01.01.2023
• Year: 2023
• Number of pages: Str. 659-671
• Numbering: Letn. 83, [št.] 3
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-164210
• UDC: 27-1-732.3
• ISSN on article: 0006-5722
• DOI: 10.34291/BV2023/03/Tanjic
• COBISS.SI-ID: 179272195
• Publication date in RUL: 17.10.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Bogoslovni vestnik
• Shortened title: Bogosl. vestn.
• Publisher: Bogoslovna akademija, Bogoslovna akademija, Teološka fakulteta v Ljubljani, Teološka fakulteta Univerze v Ljubljani, Založba Univerze v Ljubljani
• ISSN: 0006-5722
• COBISS.SI-ID: 8745472

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Title: Ekleziologija papeža Frančiška : kritična analiza metafore Cerkve kot poliedra

Abstract

Papež Frančišek se v svojem pontifikatu osredotoča na teme, ki so bistvene za Cerkev in družbo. Za opis odnosov med različnimi družbenimi subjekti pogosto uporablja prispodobo poliedra, z namenom poudarjanja pomena vsakega posameznika in vsake družbene skupine za pravičen razvoj celotne družbe. Metafora nikjer ni opisana sistematično, temveč je uporabljena v različnih kontekstih: družbenem, cerkvenem, ekumenskem in teološkem. V literaturi prav tako manjkajo prispevki, ki bi sistematično in kritično preizpraševali to metaforo ter predstavili možne posledice za življenje Cerkve, tj. za pastoralo, liturgične prakse, moralo, doktrino itd. Namen tega prispevka je opisati metaforo Cerkve kot poliedra. Najprej bo opisana metafora poliedra, ki jo papež uporablja v svojih dokumentih. Nato bodo izpostavljene ključne značilnosti, prednosti in pomanjkljivosti metafore Cerkve kot poliedra. V skladu s to prispodobo lahko Cerkev razumemo skozi njene glavne značilnosti: kot sinodalna Cerkev, edinost v različnosti, misijonarska Cerkev in dobrodelnost.

• Keywords: Cerkev, metafora poliedra, sinodalnost, dobrodelnost