International Theological Commission
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The International Theological Commission (ITC) is a dicastery of the Roman Curia consisting of 30 Catholic theologians from around the world. Its function is to advise the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) of the Roman Catholic Church. The Prefect of the CDF is ex officio the president of the ITC, which is based in Rome.
The ITC was established on April 11, 1969. In 1976, the commission issued a report on liberation theology titled, "Human Development and Christian Salvation." The Holy See subsequently cracked down on liberation theology in the 1980s. In 1997, the commission produced the document "Christianity and the Religions." In the next few years, a series of disciplinary actions was taken against Catholic clergy involved in religious pluralism. In 2004, the document "Communion and Stewardship: Human Persons Created in the Image of God" was published on the relationship between creation, evolution, and Christian faith. [1]
The ITC was headed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger before he became Pope April 19, 2005, having served since November 25, 1981. The current president is Cardinal William Levada.
[edit] Ruling on Limbo
In 2005 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger expressed doubts about the concept of limbo as it was "only a theological hypothesis" and "never a defined truth of faith." In 2007, the Commission called limbo an "unduly restricted view of salvation." [2] Although this report is interpreted as "closing Limbo," such an interpretation is incorrect. The proper understanding is that existence of Limbo--especially, relative to unBaptized babies--must be considered in light of God's universal salvific will.
Further, the ITC acts as an advisory board and its documents are not considered expressions of Church teaching. The Commission, which serves in an advisory role to the Vatican and whose "documents are not considered expressions of authoritative church teaching," noted the theory's limitations in a document published April 20, 2007. On April 22, 2007, the Catholic Church released a document which said that "limbo reflected a very restrictive view of salvation." The 41-page document titled "The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptized" was published on 20 April 2007 and authorized by the Pope. [3] The document itself is available for a small fee through OriginsOnline.com the CNS documentary service.
