CONVERSION. — A term derived from the Latin convertere (to turn, to direct), which in theological language generally means the return of the soul that has gone astray to God, and hence the passage from the state of sin
(aversio a Deo) to the state of grace (conversio ad Deum). In this sense, c. justification (v.), which also occurs in a believing but sinful Christian who regains Grace.
More properly, c. is to be understood as the first attainment of faith and consequently of sanctification, or as the recovery of a lost faith. It therefore means passage from atheism, or even from false religions, to the true faith, which is that of Christ and of his Church. It also means the passage of dissident Christians (schismatics, Protestants, apostates, heretics) to Catholicism as found in the Roman Church. In all these categories, unbelief or the lack of true faith is often in itself a fault (except in cases of invincible ignorance or psychic abnormality), and in any event exposes man to a more serious danger of sin, by keeping him outside integral Christianity, in which supernatural aids abound for elevating and strengthening the spirit wounded by original sin. Therefore, all who are outside the Church are objectively bound by the duty to convert; subjectively, however, this duty is imposed only insofar as they are conscious of their own responsibility before the problem of faith and salvation. Whoever has at least some doubt that he is on the wrong path must seek, and must pray in order to find.
But c., according to Catholic doctrine, is not the fruit of human efforts; it is always supernatural in character and therefore requires divine intervention. The Council of Trent, sess. VI, cc. 5-6-7 (Denz-U, n. 797 ff.), describes in detail the conversion of the adult from the state of sin to the state of sanctification. First there is a preparation, which is the fruit of cooperation between God, who enlightens and moves, and man, who docilely consents, although he could resist (c. 5). In particular, c. begins with an act of faith, which is the intellect’s adherence to the truth revealed by God, under the impulse of an exciting Grace. Then the soul, thus enlightened, recognizes itself as sinful and, trusting in divine mercy and in the merits of Christ, experiences a movement of hatred toward sin and of love toward God (c. 6). This preparation is followed by justification, which consists in the remission of sins and in sanctification, or inner renewal, through the infusion of Grace, which is inscribed in the soul as a formal principle of holiness (c. 7).
The Council did not intend thereby to determine the chronological order of the stages of c., but only to indicate their principal coefficients, which act slowly or instantaneously, in different ways, according to the mysterious designs of God and the delicate conditions of human psychology. The Tridentine doctrine is anticipated by s. Tommaso, who gathers and synthesizes the voices of divine tradition in the Sum. Theol., 1°-2°, qq. 112-13, where he carefully traces the itinerary of c. from preparation under the influence of actual Grace to the infusion of sanctifying Grace, which coincides with the remission of sin. With regard to preparation, s. Tommaso holds firmly to two principles: God’s initiative in the work of c. and the subordinate cooperation of human free will. Although he did not semi-Pelagianism (v.), already condemned by the Second Council of Orange (529), the holy Doctor refutes its fundamental error, which consisted in attributing to man himself the beginning of his faith and therefore of c. S. Tommaso, following the example of s. Agostino, explains the celebrated aphorism « Facenti quod in se est Deus non denegat gratiam », in the sense that God stimulates man (through prevenient Grace) to prepare himself for sanctifying Grace. And God calls and stimulates everyone.
The experiences of the great converts substantially confirm what the Church teaches. Despite the variety of their itineraries, the supernatural character of the movement of the spirit toward God is constantly evident, and the decisive moment of c. is always an intuition, a ray of truly intel-
CONVERSIONE - CONVULSIONARI DI S. MEDARDO
intellectual, from which the new orientation and the new life begin. Thus the traditional expression is justified: Fides initium salutis (v. FEDE; GIUSTIFICAZIONE).
BIRL.: A. De Vega (who was at the Council of Trent), De iustificatione doctrina universa, Cologne 1572 (edited by s. Pietro Canisio); C. Bos, La psychologie de la croyance, Paris 1905; J. H. Newman, Psychologie de la foi, translated by H. Bremond, there 1907; Ph. Mainage, Introduction à la psychologie des convertis, there 1913; id., La psychologie de la conversion, there 1915; id., Les témoins du romanceau catholique, there 1917; A. von Ruville, Retour à la Salute Eglise, there 1927; J. Didiot, s. V. in DFC, I, cols. 697–705; H. Gros, La conversion de st Augustin, Paris n.d.; A. Oddone, Le vie di Dio nelle c., in Civ. Catt., 1940, iv, pp. 184–196; H. Bouillard, Conversion et Grâce chez st Thomas d'Aquin, Paris 1944, regarding which, however, cf. L.-B. Gillon, Théologie de la Grâce, in Revue thomiste, 47 (1947), pp. 503–12; A. Dal Covolo, La psicologia dell'incredulo alla luce del IV Evangelo, Milan 1945.