Newman Against Hitler: Reflections on Ratzinger - Prof. Lewis Ayres
About this episode
Prof. Lewis Ayres discusses the education of conscience through moral and doctrinal formation, drawing connections between Newman and Ratzinger.
Prof. Lewis Ayres draws on Newman's Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent and Essay on the Development of Doctrine to argue that conscience must be educated through a long process of moral and doctrinal formation, and that the young Ratzinger draws the same connections between consceince and the community and worship of the Church. This lecture was given on July 25th, 2026, at Stonyhurst College. Support the Thomistic Institute Campus Chapter Program here: truth.thomisticinstitute.org/pod About the Speaker: Lewis was born in the UK, and studied Classics at St Andrews in Scotland, and Theology at Oxford. He has taught in the UK, in Ireland and in the US. He is currently Professor of Catholic and Historical Theology at Durham University in the UK, and McDonald Agape Chair in Early Christian Theology at the Angelicum University in Rome. He is interested in two main areas of Catholic thought: early Christian thought (on Christ, on the Trinity and on Biblical Interpretation), and modern Catholic thought (especially the idea of development in doctrine, the idea of Tradition, The second Vatican Council, Biblical Interpretation). He and his wife (Medi Ann Volpe) co-edited the Oxford…
People in this episode
Guest: Prof. Lewis Ayres
Topics covered
- conscience
- moral formation
- doctrinal development
- Catholic theology
- community worship
- historical theology
Keywords
- Callista
- Conscience
- Development Of Doctrine
- Eucharist
- Formation Of Conscience
- Grammar Of Assent
- Lectio Divina
- Newman
- Ratzinger
Sponsors
Thomistic Institute
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent, Essay on the Development of Doctrine
Places: Stonyhurst College
More episodes of The Thomistic Institute
- Iconoclastic and Incarnational Church Architecture - Fr. Irenaeus Dunlevy, O.P.
- Aquinas on Conscience as the Application of Knowledge to Practice - Fr. David Goodill, O.P.
- Aquinas on Conscience and the Inner Act of the Will - Fr. David Goodill, O.P.
- Conscience First, and to the Pope Afterwards - Prof. Lewis Ayres
- Imagination and Conscience - Prof. Medi Volpe
- Conscience in Everyday Life - Prof. Medi Volpe
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