Vatican City, Jul 27, 2018 / 08:32 am
On moral, theological issues, conversion of heart – in Greek, metanoia – should take place before the development of pastoral and political solutions, Pope Francis said in a message to Catholic theologians Friday.
Pointing to challenges in mankind's relationships, including between different nations, the pope said a concern for migrants and refugees "provokes a metanoia that can foster ethical and theological reflection, even before inspiring suitable pastoral attitudes and responsible and carefully planned political policies."
The pope's message, signed July 11, was delivered to around 500 moral theologians and others, gathered in Sarejevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina for an international conference of "Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church."
Francis noted the conference's focus on the environment and on migrants and refugees: "You have given a central place to the ecological challenge," he said. "This challenge – as it emerges from the encyclical Laudato si' – is not simply one of many, but the broader backdrop for an understanding of both ecological ethics and social ethics."