Ratzinger and Augustine

In my essay for The European Conservative, I look at the links between Ratzinger and Augustine:

"Over a decade after this speech, it is pertinent observing that his call to a fruitful dialogue of faith and reason was not heeded. Instead, religion is perceived as a “problem for legislators to solve” and has been relegated to the margins rather than seen as a “vital contributor to the national conversation.”

The secularist approach to the complex dialectic of faith and reason, and by extension religion and politics, is not likely to preserve the spheres of the ‘two cities’ but, rather, cause unnecessary friction between the two. Revisiting Augustine and Ratzinger, and studying them side-by-side, shows why such a course is not advisable."

The full essay may be read by clicking here.