L'Amica geniale. Quale ruolo per la filosofia nella riflessione teologica e nella formazione dei presbiteri?

What role does philosophy play today in ecclesiastical studies? Does it still make sense to require a basic philosophical education in order to study theology and to become a priest? As the Faculty of Philosophy at the Gregorian University, we would like to reflect on the specific role of philosophical formation for both priests and lay Christians, and to present our proposal: today more than ever, it is essential to acquire tools for a critical reading of reality, as an antidote to the confinement of thought within predefined boundaries. To study philosophy as Christians does not mean to encounter a devout handmaid of theology (ancilla theologiae), but rather to get to know its “brilliant friend.”