This biannual learning unit is being organized in 2025-2026
Teacher(s)
Language
French
Main themes
These objectives will be achieved after
- a clarification about the connections between theology and psychology ;
- an analysis of a specific pastoral question from the psychological standpoint.
- a clarification about the connections between theology and psychology ;
- an analysis of a specific pastoral question from the psychological standpoint.
Learning outcomes
At the end of this learning unit, the student is able to : | |
| 1 | - understand the complexity of current pastoral ministry owing to psychological questions ; |
| 2 | - analyse theologicaly some pastoral situations with complex psychological components ; |
| 3 | - use some tools in psychology to analyse a pastoral case. |
Content
1. Human developmental psychology for pastoral use; 2. Abuse and misuse of power in the Catholic Church
The course discusses the possible contributions of psychology to the life of the Church, both in its theological reflection and in the discernment and implementation of its pastoral practices. The “psychology of human development” thus provides valuable keys to understanding contemporary human beings and contributes to the “pastoral care of the proposal” that is emerging in Western Europe. The course will cover extensively the essential authors, including Piaget, Kohlberg, Fowler, but also Erikson, who belongs to another school of thought. Examples will show the relevance of paying attention to this dimension in accompaniment practices (pastoral counseling, “healing”) and the psychological dimension of sacramental pastoral care. A meeting with actors and actresses involved in pastoral listening and accompaniment (Mambré) in the diocese of Malines-Brussels is planned in this context.
A large part of the course will then be devoted to the issue of abuse (sexual, spiritual, power) in the Church. With the participation of clinical psychologist Véronique de Thuy Croizé, research associate at the Institute for Religions, Spiritualities, Cultures and Societies. Current research in this field is marked by documentaries (particularly in Flanders) and numerous books and investigation reports. We will also work on the basis of Sarah Suco's fictional film Les éblouis (2019) and the independent report on the Abbey of Saint-Maurice in Switzerland (2025).
The course discusses the possible contributions of psychology to the life of the Church, both in its theological reflection and in the discernment and implementation of its pastoral practices. The “psychology of human development” thus provides valuable keys to understanding contemporary human beings and contributes to the “pastoral care of the proposal” that is emerging in Western Europe. The course will cover extensively the essential authors, including Piaget, Kohlberg, Fowler, but also Erikson, who belongs to another school of thought. Examples will show the relevance of paying attention to this dimension in accompaniment practices (pastoral counseling, “healing”) and the psychological dimension of sacramental pastoral care. A meeting with actors and actresses involved in pastoral listening and accompaniment (Mambré) in the diocese of Malines-Brussels is planned in this context.
A large part of the course will then be devoted to the issue of abuse (sexual, spiritual, power) in the Church. With the participation of clinical psychologist Véronique de Thuy Croizé, research associate at the Institute for Religions, Spiritualities, Cultures and Societies. Current research in this field is marked by documentaries (particularly in Flanders) and numerous books and investigation reports. We will also work on the basis of Sarah Suco's fictional film Les éblouis (2019) and the independent report on the Abbey of Saint-Maurice in Switzerland (2025).
Other information
No prerequisite. A preliminary course on the major options of the psychology, particularly about religion, could be very helpful for the course. All information about method and evaluation could be found on the website of the course on icampus.
Bibliography
Bibliographie de base sur moodle; autres bibliographies spécialisées ditribuées en cours au fur et à mesure
Faculty or entity
