Parrhesia as Ancient and New: An Ecclesial Culture Shift Toward Frankness, Courage, and Boldness

Pope Francis imbued the ancient word parrhesia with new significance, framing “frank, bold, courageous speech” as a partner concept to his signature vision of a “listening church.” After tracing Michel Foucault’s genealogy of the term, I argue that Francis’s pneumatological turn is a creative ressou...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Holman, Mary Kate (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2025
In: Theological studies
Year: 2025, Volume: 86, Issue: 4, Pages: 538-558
Further subjects:B Parrhesia
B Marie-Thérèse Lacaze
B Pope Francis
B Henri de Lubac
B Michel Foucault
B Vatican II
B Marie-Dominique Chenu
B Synodality
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Pope Francis imbued the ancient word parrhesia with new significance, framing “frank, bold, courageous speech” as a partner concept to his signature vision of a “listening church.” After tracing Michel Foucault’s genealogy of the term, I argue that Francis’s pneumatological turn is a creative ressourcement of parrhesia, one that would require major shifts for the present church to embrace. To illuminate the challenging intra-ecclesial dynamics of parrhesia, I analyze three case studies of figures from Vatican II whose frank, bold, courageous speech met institutional backlash. I conclude with implications for realizing a more parrhesiastic culture in a synodal church.
ISSN:2169-1304
Contains:Enthalten in: Theological studies
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/00405639251385962