SOTER: Journal of Religious Science / SOTER: religijos mokslo žurnalas

Thomas Aquinas. Summa Theologiae. Secunda secundae partis. Question 47, articles 1–4

2026-01-26T15:18:08+02:00

Brain Death, Moral Certainty, and the Ethics of Organ Donation in Catholic Thought

2026-01-26T14:02:50+02:00

Organ donation is widely commended in Catholic teaching as a “noble and meritorious act” and a concrete expression of generous solidarity. Yet the practice of procuring vital organs from donors diagnosed dead by neurological criteria (“brain death”) has come under renewed scrutiny. Developments in intensive care medicine, long-term maintenance of patients after a brain death diagnosis, and debates about residual hypothalamic and neuroendocrine function have raised questions about whether current standards of death determination secure the “moral certainty” required by Catholic moral theology. At the same time, donation after circulatory death (DCD) has been proposed as an alternative pathway that avoids some, but not all, of the contested issues around neurological criteria.

This article offers a Catholic theological reading of the contemporary brain death controversy. It proceeds by conceptual and document analysis of key magisterial texts (the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Evangelium vitae, papal addresses, and ecclesial guidelines) and of recent Catholic bioethical literature. It argues that: (1) organ donation remains, in principle, a paradigmatic form of Christian charity; (2) the Church has only provisionally accepted neurological criteria, and always under the condition that they truly track the death of the person; and (3) empirical and conceptual concerns about integrative unity make uncritical confidence in current protocols impossible.

Rather than calling for a blanket rejection of organ donation, the article proposes a path of “cautious generosity” that combines a renewed affirmation of donation with strengthened diagnostic standards, transparent communication, and robust protection of conscience.

Reflections of Formal Sources of Law in Canon Law: An Analysis of Ecclesiastical Custom, the Holy See’s Normative Acts, Jurisprudence, the Possibility of Public Normative Agreements, and Legal Doctrine

2026-01-26T15:07:50+02:00

The article examines ecclesiastical customs of the Roman Catholic Church, the judicial and administrative decisions of the Holy See, internal agreements, normative legal acts, authentic interpretation, and legal doctrinal statements, with the aim of determining their conformity to the category of formal sources of law from the perspective of secular legal theory. The analysis deliberately excludes concordats concluded by the Holy See as a subject of international law and the law of the Vatican City State, focusing instead on canon law as the internal law of the Church. The study relies on doctrinal and hermeneutical (textual, systemic, and teleological) interpretation of the canons, as well as systemic and comparative methods, juxtaposing the sources of canon law with the principles of secular legal theory. The research demonstrates that ecclesiastical customs (legally approved either generally or specially) and the normative acts of the Holy See exhibit the characteristics typical of formal sources of law: obligatoriness, generality, normativity, publicity, and hierarchical structure. Meanwhile, administrative and judicial decisions ordinarily do not create legal norms, but in situations of legal gaps they acquire precedential (subsidiary) value comparable to precedent models known in secular legal doctrine. Public normative agreements within the institutions of the Holy See are virtually non-existent due to their instrumental nature. The article also identifies the role of legal doctrine as a subsidiary source and reveals both the structural analogies and differences between the sources of canon law and those of secular legal systems. The study contributes to a deeper understanding of the internal logic of canon law and its place within the broader panorama of legal theory and may be useful both to legal scholars interested in the sources of canon law and to those seeking to better understand the interrelations and theoretical significance of different legal systems.

Many Nicaean Dialectics

2026-01-26T14:13:19+02:00

The paper examines the Council of Nicaea as a decisive moment in the formation of Christian thought, interpreting it through both Aristotelian–Porphyrian and Hegelian dialectics. It argues that Nicene theology inaugurated a distinct Christian scholasticism rooted in the categories of commonality and particularity, which shaped Trinitarian and Christological formulations. It further shows how the reception of Nicaea followed a dialectical pattern: an initial thesis of enthusiastic acceptance, an antithesis involving attempts – political and ecclesiastical – to erase its memory, and finally a synthesis achieved by the neo‑Nicene theologians, especially the Cappadocians, who clarified the relation between ousia and hypostasis. The essay highlights the paradox that Nicaea became more globally influential in the secular age than in Late Antiquity, functioning as a “mustard seed” that grew into a universal Christian reference point. It also critiques the reduction of Nicene faith to mere identity, noting how both supporters and opponents historically turned doctrine into ethnic or confessional markers. The study also addresses the tension between conciliarity and ecclesiastical structures: bishops, though essential to councils, often undermined conciliarity through self‑interest. Ultimately, the paper emphasises Nicaea’s core theological legacy – the non‑hierarchical equality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – as the foundation of Christian unity, metaphysics, and ecclesial life.

Christian Behavior During a Global Crisis According to Basil of Caesarea’s Homilies

2026-01-26T14:59:02+02:00

For reflection during this crisis of Christian behavior, we have chosen Basil of Caesarea’s Homilia dicta tempore famis et siccitatis, which refers to the famine that struck Cappadocia in 368–369. It is one of the few texts by the Church Fathers that describes in such detail the social situation of society and the Christian community during the famine. Moreover, it was delivered during a crisis, which allows us to look at the situation that had arisen with different, more realistic eyes and to assess it. In it, Basil attempts to bring together considerations arising from concrete experience and proposed practical solutions. This article seeks not so much to analyze a long-past event historically as to look at the situation from today’s perspective and the possibility of an extreme situation, theologically rethink the situation that occurred at that time and try to draw attention to the features of crisis discussion and resolution that are relevant today. To achieve this goal, we first discuss how Basil assesses the situation. Then we consider why Basil urges us to help those in need. The third section of the article presents and discusses the specific steps proposed by Basil to, if not end the calamities, at least alleviate the suffering of those affected.