In 2003, she published Culture and the Thomist Tradition: After Vatican II, establishing herself as a bold, fresh voice in international Catholic theological circles.

A member of the editorial board of the North American edition of Communio: International Catholic Review, she is also the author of Ratzinger's Faith and Benedict XVI: A Guide for the Perplexed.

Last September, Pope Francis appointed her to the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith's International Theological Commission.

Recently, she spoke with CWR about her recent appointment and her work with Australia's Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family.

She also shared her thoughts about the forthcoming 2015 Synod of Bishops, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, Cardinal Pell, the Church in Australia, and other topics.

CWR: In September, Pope Francis made new appointments to the International Theological Commission (ITC). Could you tell us about the ITC and its current projects?

Professor Tracey Rowland: The International Theological Commission was created after the Second Vatican Council in the late 1960s. It comprises 30 members all of whom are professional theologians.

The appointments are for 5 years and during those 5 years the theologians work on producing 3 documents covering topics of current theological significance. The three topics for the next 5 years are: (1), synodality, (2) faith and sacraments and (3) religious freedom.

CWR: Synodality seems to be very important to Pope Francis. Already, he has called two Synods of Bishops. And, he has asked the Orthodox to help us understand better the role of syodality in the life of the Church. Was the topic of synodality proposed by Pope Francis himself? As a theologian, what do you make of his sense of synodality? Why do you think it is an important issue for the ITC to discuss? Continue reading

Source and Image:

• The Catholic World Report

This is a record number of women to be on the 30 member commission.

There were two women appointees in the previous five-year term of the commission, which is an aid to the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Among the other woman appointees are American Sr Prudence Allen, RSM, former chair of the philosophy department at St John Theological Seminary in Denver and Moira Mary McQueen, who is director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute.

The other women appointees are Sr Alenka Arko (Slovenia-Russia) and Marianne Schlosser (Germany - Austria).

Dr Rowland is dean of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family in Melbourne.

Writing for the Boston Globe's Crux Now website, Vatican commentator John Allen said Professor Rowland would be seen as among the leading intellectual lights of the "Evangelical Catholicism" movement.

American Catholic writer George Weigel described Evangelical Catholicism as a faith that "unapologetically proclaims the Gospel of Jesus Christ as the truth of the world".

Professor Rowland has written a number of books on the theology of Joseph Ratzinger.

Her writings have been praised by commentators like the National Catholic Reporter's Michael Sean Winters.

But Allen wrote that looking at the 30 appointees, "the thing that truly jumps out is the preponderance of figures regarded by most Catholics in the know as fairly conservative".

He wrote of Professor Rowland: "She writes frequently for publications with a conservative editorial bent, and is seen as an articulate defender of traditional Catholic doctrine."

He also noted that she is close to Cardinal George Pell and Sydney's new archbishop Anthony Fisher, OP.

Allen said all the ITC appointees are "accomplished thinkers who are eminently qualified to advise the Vatican on doctrinal matters".

"It's hard not to be struck, however, by the fact that they seem to come largely from one side of the street," he added.

Allen said the best way to explain these conservative appointments is that Francis wants to maintain a sense of balance.

"He's said he wants the Church to be in dialogue with everyone, and one way to accomplish that is to ensure a mix of points of view in leadership positions."

Sources

• National Catholic Reporter
• Vatican News
• Crux Now
• Crisis Magazine
• National Catholic Reporter
• Amazon
• Image: Mary Magdalen blog