Finally, Francis explained his notion of how theology ought to be practiced. The theologian, he said, is the child of his people. “He cannot and does not wish to ignore them. He knows his people, their language, their roots, their histories, their tradition.” That knowledge leads the theologian “to recognize that the Christian people among whom he was born have a theological sense that he cannot ignore.” (The sense of the faithful is an abiding theme of Francis’s ministry.) What’s more, the theologian is a “believer,” a “prophet”\u201d\u201dbecause the theologian “keeps alive an awareness of the past and the invitation that comes from the future.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is only one way of practising theology: on one’s knees,” according to Francis. That is not merely an act of prayer that precedes the intellectual work of theology. The relationship between thinking and prayer “a dynamic reality.” Doing theology “on one’s knees,” the pope concluded, “means encouraging thought when praying and prayer when thinking.”<\/p>\n