Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers

Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers

Pontificium consilium pro dialogo cum non credentibus
Abbreviation	PCDNC
Predecessor	Secretariat for Non-Believers
Merged into	Pontifical Council for Culture
Established	6 April 1965;59 years ago (1965-04-06)
Founder	Pope Paul VI
Founded at	Vatican City
Dissolved	4 March 1993;32 years ago (1993-03-04)
Purpose	to promote dialogue with non-believers
Main organ	Secretariat
Parent organization	Roman Curia
Formerly called	Secretariat for Non-Believers
[1] [2]

The Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers (Latin : Pontificium consilium pro dialogo cum non credentibus, PCDNC) was a dicastery of the Roman Curia charged with promoting dialogue between the Catholic Church and non-believers. ^[3] Its original designation as "Secretariat" was changed to "Pontifical Council" on 30 June 1988. The PCDNC was merged into the Pontifical Council for Culture in 1993. ^{[1] [2]}

History

Cardinal Franz König was appointed by the Pope as the first president of the Secretariat with Cardinal Avery Dulles as the consultor of the Secretariat. An American branch was set up and headed by the Bishop of Pittsburgh John Wright. However, Dulles never attended any Secretariat meetings in Rome due to feeling he would not contribute much. Bishop Wright also did not arrange any meetings with non-believers leading to the American branch being unsuccessful. ^[4]

During the 1980s, the Secretariat published a number of research papers on atheism, science and the concept of secular ethics. ^[5] They would often send questionnaires to bishops, Catholic communities and non-believers whom were interested in dialogue with the church. ^[6] Originally, it was the sole outlet for the Church to have formal dialogue with non-believers, however in 1982 the Pontifical Council for Culture was founded and took on some of the official dialogue roles from the Secretariat but the Secretariat retained its independence. ^[7]

When the Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers was merged with the Council of Culture in 1993, it was noted that the cessation of the use of the term "unbelievers" was a positive one as it was believed by Catholics that the previous title had discouraged non-believers from engaging with the Council and the Church. ^[5] It was speculated that the decision to merge was a triumphalist gesture motivated by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the state atheism they espoused, meaning it was largely redundant. ^[8]

References

1. Chow, Gabriel (ed.). "Pontifical Council for Dialogue with Non-Believers". gcatholic.org. Toronto: Gabriel Chow. Archived from the original on 23 October 2013. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
2. John Paul II, Pope (25 March 1993). "Inde a Pontificatus". vatican.va. Archived from the original on 6 September 2015.
3. Secretariat for Non-Believers (28 August 1968). "Dialogue with non-believers". L'Osservatore Romano (English weekly ed.). Baltimore, MD: The Cathedral Foundation (published 10 October 1968). p. 6. Archived from the original on 14 June 2000 – via Eternal Word Television Network.
4. Carey, Patrick (2010). Avery Cardinal Dulles, SJ. Paulist Press. p. 257. ISBN   9780809105717.
5. Gallagher, Michael Paul (1995). What are they saying about unbelief?. Paulist Press. p. 2. ISBN   9780809135967.
6. Arweck, Elizabeth (2006). Researching New Religious Movements. Routledge. p. 320. ISBN   9780415277549.
7. Holder, Rodney (2013). Georges Lemaître: Life, Science and Legacy. Springer Berlin Heideburg. p. 72. ISBN   9783642322549.
8. Halik, Tomas (2023). Touch the Wounds. University of Notre Dame Press. ISBN   9780268204884.