Both Sides of The Question

The Church is very wise because she always teaches us both sides of a question. I taught philosophy in a university for twenty-five years, and I noticed that everyone who taught in the university always knew both sides of a question. For example, everyone in the Catholic university where I taught knew the opinions of the modern world. In philosophy, for example, we knew Marx and Sartre and Heidegger and Jaspers and Freud and the like. But do you think that the teachers in secular universities knew anything about Christian thought? They only know one side of the question, not both.

Look at the papal encyclical on communism. A communist once told me that the clearest and finest explanation of communism he ever read was contained in the Holy Father's encyclical on communism. He gave both sides of the question. Look at that great work of philosophy and theology called the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas. Every single question that great mind teaches begins with a doubt and a difficulty. Then he answers it. We know both sides of the questions. Those outside of the Church know only one side. And frequently it's the wrong side.