3. Doctrinal formation

79. Intellectual formation is a necessary dimension of diaconal formation insofar as it offers the deacon a substantial nourishment for his spiritual life and a precious instrument for his ministry. It is particularly urgent today, in the face of the challenge of the new evangelization to which the Church is called at this difficult juncture of the millennium. Religious indifference, obscuring of values, loss of ethical convergence, and cultural pluralism demand that those involved in the ordained ministry have an intellectual formation which is complete and serious.

In the Circular Letter of 1969, Come è a conoscenza, the Congregation for Catholic Education invited Episcopal Conferences to prepare a doctrinal formation for candidates to the diaconate which would take account of the different situations, personal and ecclesial, yet at the same time would absolutely exclude “a hurried or superficial preparation, because the duties of the Deacon, as laid down in the Constitution Lumen gentium (n. 29) and in the Motu Proprio (n. 22),(⁸⁶) are of such importance as to demand a formation which is solid and effective”.

80. The criteria which must be followed in preparing this formation are:

a) necessity for the deacon to be able to explain his faith and bring to maturity a lively ecclesial conscience;

b) attention to his formation for the specific duties of his ministry;

c) importance of acquiring the capacity to read a situation and an adequate inculturation of the Gospel;

d) usefulness of knowing communication techniques and group dynamics, the ability to speak in public, and to be able to give guidance and counsel.

81. Taking account of these criteria, the following contents must be taken into consideration: (⁸⁷)

a) introduction to Sacred Scripture and its right interpretation; the theology of the Old and New Testament; the interrelation between Scripture and Tradition; the use of Scripture in preaching, catechesis and pastoral activity in general;

b) introduction to the study of the Fathers of the Church and an elementary knowledge of the history of the Church;

c) fundamental theology, with illustration of the sources, topics and methods of theology, presentation of the questions relating to Revelation and the formulation of the relationship between faith and reason, which will enable the future deacons to explain the reasonableness of the faith;

d) dogmatic theology, with its various treatises: Trinity, creation, Christology, ecclesiology and ecumenism, mariology, Christian anthropology, sacraments (especially theology of the ordained ministry), eschatology;

e) Christian morality, in its personal and social dimensions and, in particular, the social doctrine of the Church;

f) spiritual theology;

g) liturgy;

h) canon law.

According to particular situations and needs, the programme of studies will be integrated with other disciplines such as the study of other religions, philosophical questions, a deepening of certain economic and political problems.(⁸⁸)

82. For theological formation, use may be made, where possible, of institutes of religious sciences which already exist or of other institutes of theological formation. Where special schools for the theological formation of deacons must be instituted, this should be done in such a way that the number of hours of lectures and seminars be not less than a thousand in the space of the three years. The fundamental courses at least are to conclude with an examination and, at the end of the three years there is to be a final comprehensive examination.

83. For admission to this programme of formation, a previous basic formation is required; this is to be determined according to the cultural situation of the country.

84. Candidates should be predisposed to continuing their formation after ordination. To this end, they are encouraged to establish a small personal library with a theological-pastoral emphasis and to be open to programmes of ongoing formation.