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Robert F. Taft | |
|---|---|
 Taft speaking at a conference in Russicum in 2006 | |
| Other post(s) | Professor,Pontifical Oriental Institute,Rome, Italy |
| Orders | |
| Ordination | June 7, 1963 |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-01-09)January 9, 1932 Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Died | November 2, 2018(2018-11-02) (aged 86) Weston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Denomination | Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church |
| Alma mater | Fordham University andPontifical Oriental Institute |
Robert Francis TaftSJ (January 9, 1932 – November 2, 2018) was an AmericanJesuit priest, first in theRussian Greek Catholic Church[1] and later anarchimandrite of theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church. An expert inOriental liturgy, he was a professor at thePontifical Oriental Institute from 1975 to 2011 and its Vice-rector from 1995 to 2001.
Taft was born inProvidence, Rhode Island, into theTaft family notable for their contribution to American politics. Taft entered thenovitiate of theSociety of Jesus on August 14, 1949.[2] He did his initial spiritual and academic training in philosophy at the formerWeston College inWeston, Massachusetts. During his period ofregency that followed, he taught for three years atBaghdad Jesuit College. He returned to the United States in 1959 and pursued a graduate degree inRussian atFordham University. He wasordained a priest of theRussian Greek Catholic Church on June 7, 1963.
Developing an interest in Easternliturgical traditions and, with his background in Russian, Taft undertook studies at thePontifical Oriental Institute of Rome in 1970. He completed hisdoctoral thesis under Jesuit professor Juan Mateos on theGreat Entrance of theDivine Liturgy in 1975. The work was published asThe Great Entrance and immediately hailed as a classic in the field.[3]
A professor at the Oriental institute of Rome from 1975 to 2011, and a recurring visiting professor at theUniversity of Notre Dame over the course of two decades beginning in 1974, Taft guided innumerable doctoral theses.[4] His expertise gained him recognition from the many Eastern churches, including theUkrainian andArmenian Catholic Churches in Europe, theChaldean Catholic Church in theMiddle East and theSyro-Malabar andSyro-Malankara Catholic Churches in India. From 1972 to 1976, he was director of the specialized journalOrientalia Christian Periodica and from 1987 to 2004 was editor of the collectionOrientalia Christiana Analecta. Consultor of several ecclesiasticaldicasteries and the VaticanCongregation for the Oriental Churches, he was founder of theSocietas Orientalium Liturgiarum.
In 1998, Taft, who helped to found theUkrainian Catholic University of Lviv,[5] was elevated to the rank of miteredarchimandrite by theUkrainian Greek Catholic Church, granting him the use of amiter andcrosier.[2]
Taft was an outspoken observer. He called "the height of asininity" the argument that the use ofLatin in theTridentine Mass is an approach to mystery better than the use of the vernacular language in the modernMass.[6] He was a supporter of thesynodal form of church administration, followed by theEastern Orthodox Churches, for the entire Catholic Church.[7]
When the issue of possiblefull communion with theAssyrian Church of the East was being considered, a problem arose regarding their liturgy's lacking the exact formulation of thewords of consecration considered essential by the Catholic Church. Working with Taft's analysis of the situation, thePontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity issued a decree in 2001 which now allows members of both churches to receive communion from each other's clergy in case of emergency.[2]
Fr. Taft was a great support and a great friend of theMetropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies. Taft was on the International Advisory Board OfLOGOS: A Journal of Eastern Christian Studies from the earliest years.[8]
In 2011 Taft left Rome, and the library desk at the Oriental Institute which he occupied for 46 years. He lived at Campion Center, in Weston, the site of his college studies, now a retreat and conference center, and a retirement facility of the USA Northeast Province of the Jesuits.[6] Taft died on November 2, 2018,[9] after which numerous scholarly and ecclesiastical communities both Catholic and Orthodox made official statements in mourning and organized academic conferences and publications to commemorate his passing.[10]
Among the many honors he received, Taft was awarded multiple honorary doctorates;[5] twice a seniorresearch fellow atDumbarton Oaks (1996–1998; 1999–2001); in his second fellowship he was Chair of Dumbarton Oaks. In 2001, Taft was elected Corresponding Fellow of theBritish Academy, the highest honor the Academy confers on non-British academics in recognition of scholarly distinction. Five other Jesuits have held this distinction; Taft is the only American Jesuit thus far to have been so honored.
In 2013, Taft was honored by his students with a celebration of the 50th year of his ordination, and was presented with a book that enumerated his over-800 publications.[citation needed]
Taft's numerous publications, particularly on the history of Byzantine Liturgy, can be found in a variety of specialized journals. Among his books noteworthy are the following:
