You don't need to be a theologian to be a real believer in Christ, Pope Francis told a delegation from the Italian Theological Association Friday.
"In order to be authentically believers it is not necessary to have taken academic courses in theology," he said.
Francis also said that in theology, a "competitive logic" should be avoided.
He said theologians should help "rethink" the Catholic Church, which was facing unprecedented challenges.
In other remarks, the pope said the Church "is a missionary" and the Gospel message was often "distorted".
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