A theological reflection on the doctrine of conscience by Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori, Doctor of the Church, founder of the Redemptorists, and patron of moral theologians and confessors, brought together numerous participants at the academic symposium held at the Redemptorist Major Seminary in Krakow on November 6, 2025. The event also served as an opportunity to present the first Polish translation of his Treatise on Conscience. The symposium was held in anticipation of the 293rd anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, celebrated on November 9.
The meeting, organized by the Redemptorist Major Seminary and the Redemptorist publishing house Homo Dei, was attended by representatives of the Missionary Theological Institute, the Pauline Theological Institute, and other academic centers. The session was chaired by Father Marek Urban CSsR, professor at the John Paul II University in Krakow (UPJPII) and rector of the Redemptorist Major Seminary.
This year’s theme was dedicated to the question of conscience, with particular attention to a section of the Moral Theology of St. Alphonsus, the Treatise on Conscience, recently translated from Latin into Polish and accompanied by an introduction by Father Antoni Karaś CSsR.
Four lectures were held during the symposium. The first, given by Father Antoni Karaś CSsR, professor at the Theological Institute of the Missionaries (ITKM), illustrated the synthesis between moral philosophy and the philosophy of law contained in Alphonsus’s work.
Subsequently, Father Krzysztof Bieliński CSsR, professor at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome, presented St. Alphonsus’ vision of kenosis – Christ’s “emptying himself” (cf. Phil 2:7) – highlighting the relevance of his theology in the contemporary context (Alphonsian theology faithful to the “merciful kenosis of Christ” as the current path of the Church).
The second part of the conference broadened the perspective. Father Zbigniew Wanat, professor at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń (UMK), analyzed Saint John Paul II’s teaching on conscience, drawing on the homily delivered by the Pope during Holy Mass in Skoczów on May 22, 1995.
Finally, Father Miłosz Hołda, professor at the UPJPII, addressed the theme of attempts to “naturalize” conscience in contemporary philosophical reflection.
The Q&A session confirmed the participants’ keen interest and fostered a fruitful exchange of ideas, particularly around the theology of conscience of St. Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori.
Text: Br. Marcin Flakiewicz, CSsR., Krakow
Photo: Fr. Sylwester Cabała, CSsR., Tuchów
