Dear signatories of the Open Letter Concerning the Position in Jewish Studies at the University of Lucerne,
The President of the University of Lucerne, Prof. Dr. Bruno Staffelbach, together with the Dean of the Faculty of Theology, Prof. Dr. Margit Wasmaier-Sailer have responded to our letter.
Please find their response pasted below.
With kind regards.
Dr PD Daniel Barbu, CNRS, Paris
Date: 5 September 2023
Professorship in "Jewish Studies and Theology"
Dear Mr Barbu
Dear co-signatories
Thank you for your letter and your interest in the Faculty of Theology and the University of Lucerne.
In your letter you criticise the fact that a Roman Catholic denomination is required for the recently advertised professorship in “Jewish Studies and Theology” at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Lucerne. We are pleased to explain the reasons for this. These arise, on the one hand, from canon law and, on the other hand, from the specialist orientation and positioning of the Professorship of “Jewish Studies and Theology” and the closely associated Institute for Jewish-Christian Research.
On the legal reasons: Degrees in theology must be recognised by the church in order for graduates to be able to enter church service. This recognition is regulated in an agreement between the University of Lucerne, the Bishop of Basel and the Canton of Lucerne dated November 2005. The agreement stipulates that all professorships teaching in the regular curriculum of the Faculty of Theology require the bishop's "Nihil obstat" ("declaration of no objection"). This "Nihil obstat" in turn requires a mandatory affiliation to the Catholic denomination. The appointments are also subject to the Apostolic Constitution "Veritatis Gaudium" issued by Pope Francis. This stipulates that a Roman Catholic faculty must comprise at least twelve permanent professorships. The Vatican must also grant the "Nihil obstat". The bishop obtains this for the faculty from the "Dicastery for Culture and Education", an authority of the Roman Curia.
The subject "Jewish Studies and Theology" is one of the compulsory subjects of Catholic theology at the University of Lucerne, which means that like all other compulsory subjects of Catholic theology, it must comply with the agreement between the university, the canton and the diocese as well as the constitution "Veritatis Gaudium".
The announcement of the professorship for “Medieval and Modern Church History”, which you also mention in your letter, does not differ from the announcement of the professorship for “Jewish Studies and Theology” with regard to the requirements. The vacancy notice for the professorship in Church History refers to a university degree in Catholic theology and a doctorate in Catholic theology. The wording of the two vacancies differs, but the content is the same. This professorship is also subject to the above-mentioned requirements.
The vacancy for "Theology and Leadership" is not a professorship. Thus, the above-mentioned requirements do not apply.
With the professorship for “Jewish Studies and Theology”, the Faculty of Theology at the University of Lucerne has exactly twelve permanent, recognised professorships, all of which require the "Nihil obstat" and can thus only be held by members of the Roman Catholic confession. With Prof. Dr. Verena Lenzen, a member of the Roman Catholic denomination has already held the professorship. If this were not continued, the conditions of "Veritatis Gaudium" would no longer be fulfilled.
The Apostolic Constitution "Veritatis Gaudium" applies exclusively to the discipline of Catholic theology and thus only to its professorships. Moreover, it applies to all Roman Catholic faculties worldwide.
On the professional reasons: In addition to research and teaching, the tasks of the professorship for “Jewish Studies and Theology” include directing the Institute for Jewish-Christian Research and working in the Centre for Theology and Philosophy of Religions. This professorship is therefore essentially about contributing to the dialogue between Christianity and Judaism from the perspective of Catholic theology. This also includes involvement in corresponding church commissions and Catholic delegations.
To understand the work of the Institute for Jewish-Christian Research, it is helpful to take a look at its history: it was founded in 1981 as a scientific dialogue institute. Two scholars who practised Jewish Studies as a theological discipline worked together on biblical and (other) rabbinic parables and interpreted them comparatively: on the one hand from a Jewish perspective, on the other from a Catholic perspective. The two researchers were Prof. Dr. Clemens Thoma (1932-2011) and Prof. Dr. Simon Lauer (born 1929). Over time, the comparative research was extended beyond the field of parables. In order to ensure that the research results were not only received in the scientific community, but also within the two religious communities, the two scholars were chosen in such a way that they were also anchored and accepted in their respective communities. I.e.: For research from a Jewish perspective, a theologian specialised in Jewish Studies who is himself a practising Jew and recognised in his community; for research from a Catholic perspective, a theologian specialised in Jewish Studies who is himself a practising Catholic and recognised in his community. Currently, the Institute for Jewish-Christian Research has two teaching and research associates with Jewish denominations. The part of the Catholic theologian is carried out ad-interim and is now to be secured again in the longer term with the filling of the professorship.
Jewish-Christian dialogue is a professed and practised goal at the Faculty of Theology. The Faculty has had Jewish lecturers for many years; the previous chair holder, Prof. Dr. Verena Lenzen, regularly invited Jewish guest professors to the Faculty with great success. This tradition will be continued. In the autumn semester, Dr. Anat Gilboa will teach at the Faculty of Theology.
We hope our explanations will contribute to your understanding of the requirements from the announcement for the professorship in “Jewish Studies and Theology”.
Best regards,
Prof. Dr. Bruno Staffelbach
Rector
Prof. Dr. Margit Wasmaier-Sailer
Dean of the Faculty of Theology
