The Papal Nuncio to Ireland Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor attended the launch of ‘Theology and the University’ (Routledge) in Trinity College Dublin on Friday evening. Archbishop Luis Mariano Montemayor is photographed with (from left) Dr Michael Kirwan SJ, Director of the Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dr Fáinche Ryan, Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin) Co-Editor of book: Prof Judith Wolfe (University of St Andrews) who gave the keynote at the launch, Dr Josef Quitterer (University of Innsbruck) Co-Editor of the book, Fr Tom Layden, SJ, chair of the trust of the Loyola Institute. Ava Westendorf
On June 14, The Loyola Institute, Trinity College Dublin, was the home of an event created to celebrate the publication of the new book Theology and the University (Routledge, 2024). This book, edited by Fáinche Ryan, Josef Quitter and Dirk Ansorge, examines how “intellectual virtues are cultivated, which enable students to live well”.
This topic is one commended by Professor Judith Wolf who believes that a university “requires something wider than the criticism and unmasking of power”. Because of this, two goals, the discovery of the wonders of the science that creates our world and dwelling, particularly when considering the need for humanities such as theology and philosophy, were created.
The theology, as used within Theology and the University, is seen as “as a kind of ‘tentacle’ which reaches out to the other disciplines and enables necessary conversation.” This novel is filled with essays that are created by many European perspectives that explore the role of a contemporary university that contrasts that of which Professor Wolf explained.
The launch of this new book was then followed by a lecture given by Professor Wolf named ‘Being Theologians in Secular Society’. In this lecture, she explained how when religion was withdrawn from nineteenth century science, humans “lost our sense of credibility when we lost our sense of God.”