T
ThuribleGuy45
Guest
So many threads in this forum cite West’s works on “Theology of the Body.” While I have not real all he has written, my *initial *reaction to what I have read is that he has “pushed” John Paul II’s discourses on marital theology into the moral acceptability of physical acts and physical pleasure that many of us “seniors” were taught were questionable, if not outrightly sinful. I am frankly puzzled at Mr. West’s authority to teach these things, as well as at the following he - and his many websites and books - seem to have garnered.
In researching his CV and the Theology of the Body Foundation, I find the following: He has a MTS from the “John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family,” which on further research is incorporated in D.C.as the “Knights of Columbus Family Life Bureau.” It seems to be authorized by the Holy See to grant degrees, but it also doesn’t seem like a competitor to the Gregorium. He is a certified Catechist in the archdiocese of Denver, and a certified marriage prep instructor in the archdiocese of D.C. American dioceses being what they often are, I am unsure what weight to give these certifications. He is a visiting lecturer at several universities. I cannot determine if he has a Mandatum.
So: with what degree - if any - of Magisterial authority does he teach and write? If he says that “X” is acceptable as part of the marital act, is it? What, if any, “official” Magisterial document that could be cross-checked to validate something’s moral acceptability? Please understand that I am not seeking to discredit or undermine him, but am reacting to the almost “knee-jerk” reference to his works whenever a poster asks a question concerning marital intimacy. I am also not necessarily trying to “disbelieve” him, but his approach to the role of pleasure in marriage and that pleasure is part of the “unitive” aspect of marriage is significantly foreign to the Catholic teachings that shaped me in the 50’s and early 60’s (as some will remember – before everything “broke loose.”)
In researching his CV and the Theology of the Body Foundation, I find the following: He has a MTS from the “John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family,” which on further research is incorporated in D.C.as the “Knights of Columbus Family Life Bureau.” It seems to be authorized by the Holy See to grant degrees, but it also doesn’t seem like a competitor to the Gregorium. He is a certified Catechist in the archdiocese of Denver, and a certified marriage prep instructor in the archdiocese of D.C. American dioceses being what they often are, I am unsure what weight to give these certifications. He is a visiting lecturer at several universities. I cannot determine if he has a Mandatum.
So: with what degree - if any - of Magisterial authority does he teach and write? If he says that “X” is acceptable as part of the marital act, is it? What, if any, “official” Magisterial document that could be cross-checked to validate something’s moral acceptability? Please understand that I am not seeking to discredit or undermine him, but am reacting to the almost “knee-jerk” reference to his works whenever a poster asks a question concerning marital intimacy. I am also not necessarily trying to “disbelieve” him, but his approach to the role of pleasure in marriage and that pleasure is part of the “unitive” aspect of marriage is significantly foreign to the Catholic teachings that shaped me in the 50’s and early 60’s (as some will remember – before everything “broke loose.”)
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