Tradition-Bound or Tradition-Shattering? An Effort at Reimagining Catholic Theology in Europe through Young Voices
(2026) Being Young – Being Catholic – Being European — ISBN: [978-3-643-96899-9], 5-26, published
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- Abstract
- (en) This introductory chapter frames the volume’s central ambition: to rethink Catholic theology in Europe by foregrounding the questions, perspectives, and methodological intuitions of young and emerging scholars. Rather than offering definitive answers, the chapter specifically argues for the importance of raising questions itself. Drawing on the insights of Charles Taylor and Thomas Kuhn, as well as the ongoing global synodal process (2021–2028), it highlights the need for the Catholic Church to adopt a more open dialogue, one that avoids pre-packaged solutions and instead addresses the lived experiences and potentially disruptive questions that arise in contemporary contexts. The chapter will first examine the three key terms structuring the volume, namely Europe, Catholic, and being young, and show the complexity and contestation inherent in each. This brief exploration illustrates what is at stake in the contributions that follow. Secondly, the philosophical insights of Thomas Kuhn will be used to help clarify how paradigms operate and why the perspectives of junior scholars are essential for reimagining contemporary Catholic theology. Kuhn’s framework offers both a productive analytical lens and a precise vocabulary for uncovering several of the questions that the subsequent chapters seek to address.
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Van Rompaey, J. (2026). Tradition-Bound or Tradition-Shattering? An Effort at Reimagining Catholic Theology in Europe through Young Voices. In M. Quisinsky, F. Ryan, J. Van Rompaey, J (ed.), Being Young – Being Catholic – Being European (pp. 5-26). LIT Verlag. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/279601