The Resolution of the Senate
of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin

of 25 June 2015 on conferring the Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa
of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
on Professor Richard Swinburne

(755/V/1)

 

 

Pursuant to Article 16(2) of the Higher Education Act of 27 July 2005 (Journal of Laws of 2012, item 572 as amended) and §9(2) of the Statutes of the Catholic University of Lublin, at the request of the Council of the Faculty of Philosophy of 23 October 2014, the Senate of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin hereby confers the Degree of Doctor Honoris Causa of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin on Professor Richard Swinburne.

 

In conferring this Degree, the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin wishes to show its utmost respect and admiration for the scientific accomplishments of Professor Richard Swinburne, one of the most eminent contemporary philosophers of religion. His impressive global output as a scholar, distinguished primarily for his successful attempts to justify theism and fundamental Christian doctrines, as well as with his remarkable organizational and didactic efforts for the development of the philosophy of religion worldwide, and, above all, his authentic Christian attitude in life, all make him a role model as a Christian, whose faith is evident in his thoughts and life.

 

Richard Swinburne follows the scholastic idea of fides quaerens intellectual, i.e. faith seeking understanding, an idea consistently supported and reinforced by the Roman-Catholic Church, e.g. in John Paul II's encyclical Fides et ratio, to provide Christianity as a whole with intellectual tools for establishing a dialogue with the growing number of non-believers.