This thesis aims to examine, from historical and theological perspectives, the role played by the sensus fidei fidelium in the process of doctrinal formation within the Church. The study begins with the recognition that doctrine is not determined unil...
This thesis aims to examine, from historical and theological perspectives, the role played by the sensus fidei fidelium in the process of doctrinal formation within the Church. The study begins with the recognition that doctrine is not determined unilaterally by magisterial pronouncement, but is shaped through a communal process of discernment in which the entire People of God participate under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, the thesis first investigates how the understanding of the sensus fidei has developed from the Scriptures and the patristic era through medieval and modern theology, the Council of Trent, and the First Vatican Council. It then analyzes how contemporary theology has rearticulated this concept, focusing especially on the Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium and the International Theological Commission’s document Sensus Fidei in the Life of the Church.
Particular attention is devoted to the doctrinal formulation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The thesis examines, from multiple perspectives, the universal confession of faith among the faithful, liturgical practices, theological debates, and magisterial discernment that emerged throughout its development. The study concludes that the Immaculate Conception was not merely a magisterial declaration, but rather the fruit of communal discernment, in which patristic tradition, the unified sensus fidelium, liturgical devotion, theological inquiry, and magisterial judgment were organically integrated. Through this case, the thesis demonstrates that the sensus fidei plays an active and substantive role in doctrinal development, contributing meaningfully to the formation of the Church’s norm of faith rather than remaining a passive mode of reception. This reaffirms the complementary relationship among the sensus fidei, the magisterium, and theology, and highlights that doctrinal development is a living process in which the entire People of God participate under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.