PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR CULTURE

In 1982 Pope john paul ii created the Pontifical Council for Culture and with a sense of symbolism signed the letter on the feast of the Ascension. This new body was to serve at the crossroads between faith and lived realities, as an organization of encounter and of research; it was to deepen "the relations of the Holy See with every manifestation of culture." Similar to other Vatican dicasteries involved with dialogue, this council was intended to communicate ad extra, and especially with those places where the meanings and values of humanity are being formed. Its very existence was to witness to the desire of the Church to collaborate with people of culture everywhere.

Three principal factors lay behind this papal initiative. At the Second Vatican Council, Gaudium et spes devoted a substantial chapter to the topic of culture, noting that the concept had widened from an older meaning of conscious development and creativity to include various ways of life in society. Second, the pastoral relevance of different cultural contexts came to the fore during the seventies, especially through the 1975 call of Pope Paul VI for an in-depth "evangelization of cultures" (Evangelii nutiandi ). Third, Pope John Paul II had shown a personal interest in the whole field of culture and had often spoken of it as the key to what makes us human and as a crucial dimension for the very future of humanity, most notably visiting UNESCO on June 2, 1980.

In the letter of foundation the pope expressed his vision thus: "The synthesis between culture and faith is not just a demand of culture but also of faith. A faith that does not become culture is a faith which has not been fully received, not thoroughly thought through, not faithfully lived out." Gradually the Pontifical Council entered into collaboration with international organizations and cultural institutions throughout the world. It organized many international conferences, such as a symposium on "Christianity and Culture in Europe" to prepare for the 1991 Synod of Bishops. It worked, in cooperation with other Vatican organizations, on a document on the presence of the Church in university culture. It is actively involved with Catholic Cultural Centers in many countries, seeking to be a channel of contact and communication between them.

In 1993 Pope John Paul II issued the motu proprio titled Inde a Pontificatus, which merged the previous pontifical councils for culture and for dialogue with nonbelievers under the title of Pontifical Council for Culture. With this refoundation the aims of the Council are further clarified. It has two sections: (1) faith and culture and (2) dialogue with cultures. Its aims are fourfold: to foster meeting places between the gospel and contemporary cultures; to help toward evangelizing cultures and inculturating the Gospel; to build up contacts with cultural institutions at the local level and to further intercultural dialogue; and to promote dialogue with unbelievers and reflection on this issue.

The council's publications include books arising from the various congresses organized over the years, and a quarterly review titled Cultures and Faith. Since its inception it has had only one president, Paul Cardinal Poupard.

[m. p. gallagher]