Education is increasingly viewed only in terms of career outcomes, which undervalues the humanities according to Dr Fáinche Ryan, President of the European Society of Catholic Theology, and based in Trinity College Dublin. “Education has become very orientated towards jobs. So, in that we lose our vision of what education might be – and of course we have to consider jobs – but I think theology can have a very important role amongst the other humanities in trying to help people to think, and to think critically.
She added: “If we’re going to educate people theologically at third level, while not all of them will want to go into jobs in which theology is involved – as people doing arts degrees often don’t use all their subjects – theology still equips them to think.”
Asked about St John Henry Newman, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo in July, Dr Ryan said he is a great role model: “He did a lot of work on co-responsibility of laypeople. And I think he’s got a lot to offer there, but even at that, what he did has to be critiqued and moved on, because he was more or less saying their responsibilities were in particular areas, but not necessarily in areas that within the synodal process we want to get lay people more involved in.”
She also highlighted the importance of supporting younger scholars, saying: “Theology is a very exciting and active subject. Young theologians… I would really want to foster, because theology itself is in crisis in the universities. It’s fascinating to see the young theologians when they come together, they get such life from one another and they are fascinated by what the other is doing. So I think that’s a very important thing, for the future of theology and for the future of a flourishing Catholic Church.”
