Sensus fidelium

Sensus fidelium

The concept of sensus fidelium (or at times sensus fidei) in Roman Catholic teachings can be implicitly traced back to the early Fathers of the Church. In literal terms, "sensus fidelium" simply means the "sense of the faithful" (while "sensus fidei" means the "sense of the faith").

While most Catholic doctrines and theological teachings either originate in scripture or are established by the higher levels of the Church hierarchy, "sensus fidelium" works from "the ground up", from the beliefs of the masses of the faithful, as inspired by the Holy Spirit left by Jesus Christ to guide the faithful at large within the framework of the Catholic Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that:

But "sensus fidelium" is not a basis for a democratic approach to determining the teachings of the Holy See and stipulates that the concepts involved must be viewed under the guidance of the Magisterium. However, in his letter to the 1998 Inquisition Symposium Pope John Paul II suggested that "sensus fidei" may also be used in the other direction, i.e. to reflect on the past actions of the Magisterium, and he stated that:

The pontif then referred to the freedoms provided in the context of Dignitatis Humanae stating that: "The truth cannot impose itself except by virtue of its own truth, as it wins over the mind with both gentleness and power".

A key example of the recent use of "sensus fidelium" is the dogma of the Immaculate Conception defined by Pope Pius IX, not so much because of proofs in scripture or ancient tradition, but due to a "sensus fidelium" shared by the faithful and the Magisterium. [ [http://www.fides.org/eng/approfondire/totustuus/immacolata02.html Agenzia Fides - Congregazione per l'Evangelizzazione dei Popoli ] ] The Vatican quotes in this context the encyclical Fulgens Corona, where Pope Pius XII supported such a faith:

References

* Daniel J. Finucane, 1966, "Sensus Fidelium: The Use of a Concept in the Post-Vatican II Era", International Scholars Publishing, ISBN 1573090816

Notes


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sensus fidelium —    These Latin words (meaning sense of the faithful ) refer to the belief that Christians, as a body of believers, have a faithfilled intuition that enables them to decide whether a particular teaching is in accord with the Gospel …   Glossary of theological terms

  • Glaubenssinn —    (”sensus fidei“) bezeichnet eine Erkenntnis, die aus dem Glauben kommt u. sich auf Wesensinhalte des Glaubens bezieht. Da er jedem an die Offenbarung Gottes Glaubenden zukommt, meint der Begriff G. das individuelle, vom Glauben u. daher von… …   Neues Theologisches Wörterbuch

  • Roman Catholic Mariology — This article is about Roman Catholic perspectives, and does not reflect the views of other segments of the Catholic Church such as Eastern Catholics. For general Christian views, see Mariology. A series of articles on Roman Catholic Mariology …   Wikipedia

  • Roman Catholic Marian art — The Blessed Virgin Mary has been one of the major subjects of Christian Art, Catholic Art and Western Art for many centuries. Literally hundreds of thousands of pieces of Roman Catholic Marian art covering a range of Marian artistic topics have… …   Wikipedia

  • Marian art in the Catholic Church — Our Mother of Perpetual Help, an icon of the Cretan school, in Rome since the 15th century, which has long been a very popular image for Catholics. Reproductions are sometimes displayed in homes or elsewhere. Archangels Michael and Gabriel are… …   Wikipedia

  • Mariology of the saints — This article is about the contributions of Roman Catholic saints to Mariology. For Anglican views, please see Anglican Marian theology Madonna and Child with saints by Duccio, 14th century Roman Catholic Mariology is the area of theology… …   Wikipedia

  • Marian apparition — The Vision of St Bernard, by Fra Bartolommeo, c. 1504 (Uffizi). A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in… …   Wikipedia

  • Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic) — Blessed Virgin Mary The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: The Church s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship. [1] Mother of …   Wikipedia

  • Mariology — The Eleusa style icon of the Madonna with the Child Jesus nestled against her face has been depicted in both the Western and the Eastern churches.[1][2] Mariology is the …   Wikipedia

  • Consecration and entrustment to Mary — The Virgin of the Navigators, 1531–36, with her protective mantle covering those entrusted to her.[1] For centuries, Marian devotions among Roman Catholics have included many examples of personal or collective acts of …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”