Fr. Nicanor Austriaco, O.P., an Assistant Professor of Biology at Providence College, has received the honor of presenting a paper to the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas during its Tenth Plenary Session at the Vatican this June.

Pope Leo XIII established the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas on October 15, 1879. It carries out a specific mission, which is to conduct research into, to defend, and to disseminate the doctrine of the Angelic Doctor, and, taking due account of contemporary cultural traditions, 'to develop further this part of Thomistic doctrine which deals with humanity, given that his assertions on the dignity of the human person and the use of his reason, in perfect harmony with the faith, make St. Thomas a teacher for our time' (Inter Munera Academiarum, n. 4). Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, O.P. and Fr. Romanus Cessario, O.P. both serve as members of the Academy. 

In his apostolic letter Fides et Ratio, the late Pope John Paul II emphasised the urgent need to show, 'how philosophical thinking contributes in fundamental ways to faith and theological learning' (n. 57). The Pontiff invited the Academicians to follow the indications on the subject proposed by Vatican Council II, as well as the guidelines that he himself has constantly proposed to the Church, ever since his first encyclical whose beginning Redemptor Hominis made clear the chief direction of his pontificate. In the words of Pope Benedict XVI, in his address for the feast of St Thomas:

"The relationship between faith and reason is a serious challenge to the currently dominant culture in the Western world, and for this very reason our beloved John Paul II decided to dedicate an Encyclical to it, entitled, precisely, Fides et Ratio, Faith and Reason. Recently, I too returned to this topic in my Discourse to the University of Regensburg. St Thomas Aquinas, with farsighted wisdom, succeeded in establishing a fruitful confrontation with the Arab and Hebrew thought of his time, to the point that he was considered an ever up-to-date teacher of dialogue with other cultures and religions. He knew how to present that wonderful Christian synthesis of reason and faith which today too, for the Western civilization, is a precious patrimony to draw from for an effective dialogue with the great cultural and religious traditions of the East and South of the world." (Angelus, St Peter's Square, Sunday, 28 January 2007)

Below is a schedule for the Tenth Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, which will be held June 18-20, 2010 in Rome.

"The Human Animal: Procreation, Education and the Foundations of Society"

Programme: Friday 18 June

16.00 Word of Welcome - Msgr. Prof. Lluís Clavell
16.15 Opening Remarks - Prof. Russell Hittinger
16.30 The Historical Setting of S.t. 94.2. References to Roman Law (Ulpianus) - Prof. Enrico Berti
17.00 Discussion
17.30 Break
18.00 Paper - Prof. Werner Arber
18.30 Discussion
19.00 General Discussion
20.00 Dinner

Saturday 19 June

9.00 Paper - Rev. Prof. Nicanor Austriaco O.P.
9.30 Discussion
10.00 Developments in Socio-Biology - Prof. John Haldane
10.30 Discussion
11.00 Break
11.30 Paper - Prof. Margaret Archer
12.00 Discussion
12.30 Paper - Prof. Reinhard Hutter
13.00 Discussion
13.30 Lunch
15.00 Paper - Prof. Enrique Martínez
15.30 Discussion
16.00 Break
16.30 Paper - Prof. John O'Callaghan
17.00 Discussion
17.30 General Discussion
18.30 Dinner

Sunday 20 June

8.00 Holy Mass
9.30 Paper - Prof. Kevin Flannery
10.00 Discussion
10.30 Paper - Rev. Prof. Serge-Thomas Bonino
11.00 Discussion
11.30 Break
12.00 Concluding Remarks -Msgr. Prof. Lluis Clavell and Prof. Russell Hittinger
13.30 Lunch

"Natural Law is that which nature has taught to all animals, for this law is not peculiar to the human race, but applies to all creatures which originate in the air, or the earth, and in the sea. Hence arises the union of the male and the female which we designate marriage; and hence are derived the procreation and the education of children; for we see that other animals also act as though endowed with knowledge of this law." (Ulpian, Pandect. Just. I, tit. ii)

"...there is in man an inclination to things that pertain to him more specially, according to that nature which he has in common with other animals: and in virtue of this inclination, those things are said to belong to the natural law, 'which nature has taught to all animals' [Pandect. Just. I, tit. i]." (St Thomas Aquinas, S.Th. I-II, q. 94, a. 2)