“Reminding Today’s World that is Suffering from Violence of the God of Liberation”

An Interview with Fr. Jean-Michel Poffet, Master of Sacred Theology

Magister in Sacra Theologia

“There is . . . a great lack of understanding of the world and of God, and a great lack of hope,” says Brother Jean-Michel Poffet, OP. Br Jean-Michel, who received the degree of Master of Sacred Theology¹ from the Order of Preachers in 2023, speaks to Ordo Praedicatorum media in the following interview.

What does it mean to you to have received the degree of Master in Sacred Theology from the Master of the Order?

Obviously, I was very honoured that my Province decided to propose me for the MST and that the Master of the Order granted it to me. The laudatio underlined the link that I had always tried to foster between the study of Sacred Scripture and preaching in the broad sense: shedding light not only on the past of the texts studied, but also on their future for the people of God. This honour urges me to continue in this direction.

As Master of Sacred Theology, what would you say is the Order’s current theological mission in the Church and in the world?

Today’s world is again suffering from great violence, not only on the battlefields, but also in language, politics, human relationships, even between couples and within families, etc. There is also a great lack of understanding of the world and of God, and a great lack of hope. That is why it seems urgent to me to try to highlight the God who is a “friend of mankind”, who is a God of liberation as revealed Moses and above all in Jesus. And Jesus, himself wounded, shows his wounds to his disciples after his resurrection, while entrusting them with peace and forgiveness. A true programme of humanisation…

In a context of technological revolution, how should we approach biblical interpretation?

The tools at our disposal facilitate the study of the Bible and provide historical, archaeological and linguistic documentation. But nothing will ever replace hermeneutics: the interpretation of biblical texts in the light of faith. Not only the search for what an ancient author meant, but also for what an inspired text can still say today and tomorrow. The Holy Spirit accompanies this search and this service to the Church.

What suggestions do you have for biblical scholars who want to engage in biblical pastoral ministry?

I myself chaired and directed a Bible Association in French-speaking Switzerland for many years, organising annual sessions and supporting the work of small groups throughout the year. Two poles must be kept together: faithfulness to the Word of God with a high standard in terms of the content transmitted, and a pedagogical approach that enables people with no university education and sometimes even very little education to understand the Word of God and to benefit from its light. We have always tried to include non-academics, women (not only men or clergy) and also the very young.

What do you think of the growth of Pentecostalism in Latin America and Africa, defined as “continents of hope”?

I cannot answer this question because I do not know enough about Latin America and Africa. The only thing that strikes me is that in all these groups there is a desire for fervour, for fraternity, while our celebrations and our presentation of the faith seem too disembodied or abstract.

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Brother Jean-Michel Poffet, OP, was born in 1944 in Fribourg, Switzerland. He entered the Order in 1964. He completed his novitiate and two years of philosophy in Belgium and then studied theology at the University of Fribourg. He was ordained priest in 1970. After two years of pastoral ministry in the Dominican parish of Saint-Paul in Geneva, he studied at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and obtained a Biblical Licentiate in 1975. After three years of ministry in Geneva, he returned to Fribourg and obtained a doctorate in theology in 1984. He was appointed associate professor at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Freiburg. He is co-founder and president of the Association Biblique de Suisse Romande. In 1999, he was elected director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, and was re-elected twice, serving until 2008. In 2007, he joined the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem with the rank of Commander. On 1 January 2009, he was awarded the Legion of Honour by the French government. On 15 September 2023, he received from the Master of the Order the degree of Master of Sacred Theology. He was elected Prior on several occasions and also Regent of Studies in his province. He continues to give courses, retreats and conferences, particularly to monasteries and religious communities, as well as in the media. He is the author of numerous articles and works of exegesis, with special emphasis on biblical theology and the spiritual importance of the study of Scripture. Several of his works on biblical theology have been translated into other languages.