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Luis-Fernando Valdés holds a doctorate in Theology from the University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain) and a BA in Philosophy from the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico). He is a member of the Mexican Academy of Theology and advisor to the General Secretariat of the Mexican Episcopate. He develops an extensive teaching and academic direction, as he serves as Head of the Academy of Theology of the Universidad Panamericana (Mexico), Dean of the Studium Generale of the Prelature of Opus Dei in Mexico and Academic Secretary of the Digital Theological Institute (Mexico). His publications and research revolve around the discourse of faith in the public space, as well as the credibility of faith and the reasonableness of Christian revelation, from an anthropological approach, along with issues of theological methodology and biblical studies.
Maurice Blondel insisted that the challenge of speaking about faith in modern society lies not in explaining Christian doctrine better, but in preparing spirits to understand that doctrine. Hence the importance of explaining the need "for us" of the supernatural. This is the best modern translation of that fecisti nos, Domine, ad te, et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te, by Augustine of Hippo.
I began my academic career in the Humanities in the Faculty of Philosophy of the Universidad Panamericana, simultaneously with the studies of Philosophy and Theology in the Studium Generale of the Prelature of Opus Dei in Mexico. From the beginning I had the concern to find the harmony of Christian faith with university thought and the harmony between Christian life and the demands of civil society.
In those early years I discovered the classics of antiquity and studied in some depth theological texts of St. Thomas Aquinas; but, guided by Dr. Jorge Moran, I focused especially on his commentaries on the Metaphysics of Aristotle, in which I learned a methodology capable of elaborating a believing reading of the classical texts.
While studying Theology at the University of Navarra, through the guidance and continuous dialogue with Prof. César Izquierdo, I came into contact with the work of Maurice Blondel, an authentically modern and fully Catholic thinker, whose intuitions have inspired me to seek in subjectivity the desire for something that transcends the human and that finds in the Christian faith a possible answer and which challenges the whole man to give a religious assent.
This modern and Christian vision of the human being has allowed me to explain faith as a supernatural gift that challenges the human - freedom - and has helped me to develop a theological model that can be considered a valid protagonist in public discourse. With this methodology I have developed a course of Theological Anthropology based on the distinction between "subjective religion", reflected in the great existential questions of the subject, and "objective religion", which are the answers provided by institutional religions, but which only become the solution to subjective concerns if the individual decides to take the step of faith: of religious assent.
- Luis-Fernando Valdés (dir.). 2019. Francisco. Testigo de Misericordia. Mexico: Editorial NUN (Petrus collection).
- Luis-Fernando Valdés (dir.). 2016. Francisco en México. His gestures and messages. Mexico: Editorial NUN (Petrus collection).
- Luis-Fernando Valdés. 2013. Bioética y opinión pública. Mexico: IMDOSOC - MINOS.
- Luis-Fernando Valdés. 2008. From immanence to transcendence. Mexico: Ed. Cruz O.
- "Towards an appraisal of M. Blondel and J. de Tonquédec's discussion of immanence," in Topics 27 (2004), 187-218.
- "In memoriam. Henri de Lubac (1896-1991), disciple of Maurice Blondel," in Topics 20 (2001), 161-187.
- "The philosophy of immanence in Fides et ratio, 59: an allusion to Blondel," in Topics 19 (2000), 211-231.
- "A fascinating unknown life," in: M. Yáñez, 14 thousand miles. Benedicto XVI. Una mirada periodística. Mexico: Minos, pp. 143-157.
- "The Aristotelian subordination of the sciences in Summa Theologiae I, q.1", in: H. Velázquez (ed.), Santo Tomás comentador de Aristóteles, Mexico: Universidad Panamericana. Mexico, 2010, pp. 213-225.
- Faith and Reason column: www.columnafeyrazon.blogspot.com, since 2005, with over 800 articles on topics of religion and society, bioethics, and the thought of Popes Benedict XVI and Francis.
- "Covid-19 in light of the Cross of Christ," in ETWN News, 10 April 2020. Also on Twitter: https://twitter.com/EWTNNoticias/status/1248626793214402560?s=20.
2000. Doctor of Theology, University of Navarre, Pamplona (Spain).
Thesis: The Openness of the Spirit. The Blondelian approach and its reception.
Director: Dr. César Izquierdo Urbina.
1999. Master´s in Theology, University of Navarra, Pamplona (Spain).
Thesis: The discussion between Blondel and Tonquédec on Immanence.
Director: 1997. Baccalaureate in Theology, Università della Santa Croce, Rome.
1995. Degree in Philosophy, Universidad Panamericana, Mexico.
Thesis: The study of causality in Aristotle.
Director: Jorge Morán Castellanos.
May - June 2016. Research stay at the Department of Biblical Theology, Faculty of Theology, University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain).
October 2014. Research stay at the Departments of Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology of the Faculty of Theology of the University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain).
June 2012. Research stay at the Department of Sacred Scriptures of the Faculty of Theology of the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce (Rome).
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