Theologians, too, should 'smell of the sheep,' Pope writes

March 09, 2015

Theologians, like bishops, should “smell of the people,” Pope Francis wrote in a letter to the Catholic University of Argentina, which is marking its 100th anniversary.

“Teaching and studying theology means living on a frontier, one in which the Gospel meets the needs of the people,” the Pope wrote. He cautioned against a purely academic approach to the study of theology—an approach that is “exhausted in academic dispute or watching humanity from a glass castle.”

“Without mercy our theology, our right, our pastoral care runs the risk of collapsing into bureaucratic pettiness or ideology, which of itself wants to tame the mystery,” the Pope said. He reminded students and teachers: “theology and holiness are inseparable.”

 

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Further information:

• Pope sends letter for Argentina university celebration (Vatican Radio)