Three Lenses to View Common Goods -- Aristotle Reconstructed -- Does Political Augustinianism Help? -- Aquinas and Analogy : The Limits of Bounded Rationality -- Is Liberalism the Enemy -- The Role of Conflict in a Political Account of Common Goods -- Utopia and Apocalypse -- Is Talk of the Common Good Inevitably Paternalistic? -- Fraught Common Goods : Integral Ecology, Humane Economy -- Culture as Common Good.

Face à la nouvelle sensibilité de l'homme contemporain envers les questions écologiques, à l’importance qu’il accorde au soin de la planète, et dans le sillage de la publication de Laudato Si’, la vision de Teilhard de Chardin apparaît à nouveau actuelle. Bien que les questions et l’état des sciences aient changé considérablement depuis sa mort en 1955, la portée cosmologique de la christologie teilhardienne fait de la perspective du jésuite paléontologue une source inespérée pour une pratique chrétienne adaptée aux exigences (...) du monde moderne. À partir de sa notion d’Église en tant que Corps cosmique du Christ, où toutes les créatures de notre vaste univers sont englobées au sein de la sphère ecclésiale elle-même, la communion entre les êtres s’étend au-delà des êtres humains, fondant un profond respect pour toutes les créatures. Le présent ouvrage cherche à préciser et à justifier, d’un côté, l’insertion de Teilhard au sein de la tradition chrétienne et à envisager, d’un autre, les conséquences pratiques de cette ecclésiologie écologique, notamment dans la spiritualité, l’éthique et la liturgie. Andreas Gonçalves Lind est un prêtre jésuite luso-allemand qui, pour le moment, fait une thèse doctorale sur la phénoménologie henryenne de la Vie à l’Université de Namur comme boursier de la FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (Portugal). (shrink)

Resumen: El presente artículo presenta la interacción histórica entre el concepto de derecho al desarrollo del sistema político-jurídico internacional con las propuestas de la Doctrina Social de la Iglesia para el desarrollo de los pueblos. Los resultados de esta investigación ponen en evidencia las transformaciones conceptuales y políticas que ha sufrido el concepto de desarrollo, reflejadas en los adjetivos que se le añaden para expresar determinados énfasis. La variación no ha sido solamente de adjetivos sino también del tipo de instrumentos (...) normativos utilizados para promoverlo, quedando algo obsoleto el concepto de derecho al desarrollo. Actualmente, el fomento del desarrollo de los pueblos es dominado por el concepto de desarrollo sostenible, que ha sido acogido por la Iglesia. El artículo señala, finalmente, como todavía no han permeado significativamente en el discurso eclesial oficial (ni en el teológico) las tendencias presentes en la literatura académica que cuestionan la idea misma del desarrollo como un proceso indefinido de crecimiento, dado que los recursos del planeta son limitados. Se trata de un debate en ciernes pero que ciertamente será progresivamente más relevante, exigiendo nuevas transformaciones del discurso eclesial. Abstract: This paper expounds the history of the interaction between the concept of right to development as it is understood in international politics and law with the statements of the Catholic Social Teaching about development. The results of this research show the different conceptual transformations of development throughout the second half of the 20th century and early 21st century, expressed in the use of different adjectives that qualify development to stress different perspectives. There has been variation not only in the adjectives but also in the legal instruments used to promote development, that had led to a relative obsolescence of the concept of right to development. Presently, sustainable development is the key concept that vehicles the thrust of the promotion of development in the international system and it has also made its way to official Church teaching. The article finally underlines how recent questioning of the very concept of development in recent academic literature, which show the limits of the growth paradigm due to ecological planetary limits, have not been duly discussed in official statements and catholic theology. This is an emerging debate, but it is gaining momentum and will surely require discussion in catholic approaches to the problem of development. (shrink)

Christians share a common concern for the earth. Evangelicals emphasize creation care; mainline Protestants embrace the green movement; the Catholic Church lists "10 deadly environmental sins;" and the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch has declared climate change an urgent issue of social and economic justice. This textbook examines seven contemporary environmental challenges through the lens of classical Christian virtues. Authors Kathryn Blanchard and Kevin O'Brien use these classical Christian virtues to seek a "golden mean" between extreme positions by pairing each (...) virtue with a pernicious environmental problem. Students are thus led past political pitfalls and encouraged to care for other creatures prudently, to develop new energy sources courageously, to choose our food temperately, to manage toxic pollution justly, to respond to climate change faithfully, to consider humanity's future hopefully, and to engage lovingly in advocacy for God's earth. Readers will emerge from this text with a deeper understanding of contemporary environmental problems and the fundamentals of Christian virtue ethics. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Catholic Social Teaching and Economic Globalization: The Quest for AlternativesAmy LevadCatholic Social Teaching and Economic Globalization: The Quest for Alternatives John Sniegocki Milwaukee, Wis.: Marquette University Press, 2009. 335 pp. $37.00.John Sniegocki’s dense volume argues for rethinking development policies in light of widespread poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation that have resulted from these policies over the last century. This argument does not mark Sniegocki’s text as particularly (...) original. However, the dialogue that he constructs between Catholic social teaching (CST) and three schools of thought on development, which he describes as “neoconservative,” “radical,” and “grassroots” views, provides a compelling argument for new directions for both CST and economic globalization.Sniegocki’s book begins with three chapters that provide an overview of development theory (beginning with calls for “modernization” of the “Third World” beginning in the 1950s), examine failures of this theory in practice, and discuss the growth of CST concerning development. While these chapters provide important groundwork for understanding the context of Sniegocki’s argument, the heart of the argument comes in the fourth chapter, where he places CST in dialogue with neoconservative and radical approaches to development (represented, respectively, by Michael Novak [End Page 209] and Mary Hobgood). Neoconservatism is clearly incompatible with CST, as any denial of structural inequality or whole-hearted embrace of capitalism— even “democratic capitalism”—would be. However, radical approaches maintain that CST does not sever itself completely from the economic liberalism that underlies neoconservatism. As a result, even when CST recognizes the pitfalls of capitalism and the realities of structural injustice, it still often resorts to liberal assumptions. Radicals maintain that if CST were more consistent, it would more adamantly call for social struggle resulting in “democratic socialism.”Sniegocki finds resources for CST in radicalism but also introduces a third perspective from grassroots critics of development, exemplified by Vandana Shiva. These critics question whether “development equals Westernization via industrialization” (242, quoting Herb Addo), as maintained by both neoconservatives and radicals; they instead call for revitalization of local economies and traditional cultures. Sniegocki concludes that this vision could enhance CST in several ways: resolving the tension in CST between modernization and respect for local cultures, improving its framework for understanding ecological issues, encouraging recognition of grassroots action and social struggle for change, and attending to the role of women in economic and social processes. In the two concluding chapters, Sniegocki proposes that radical and grassroots perspectives together provide a basis for critiquing neoconservatism and improving CST.At least two issues deserve more attention in Sniegocki’s text. First, the principle of subsidiarity, “which asserts that issues should be dealt with at the most decentralized level appropriate to the issue at hand” (121), would seem to offer a strong grounding in CST for many grassroots arguments, yet Sniegocki gives this principle little attention. Second, Sniegocki criticizes the decision-making practices within many international development organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank (WB), and the World Trade Organization (WTO), for suppressing democratic participation. In many ways, this critique could also be leveled against the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Could deficiencies of CST concerning development be an outgrowth of the decision-making practices of the hierarchy, just as problems with IMF, WB, and WTO policies are an outgrowth of their decision-making practices? Sniegocki seems to recognize this possibility in a single sentence: “The resurgence within the Catholic Church in recent years of more top-down, centralized, and secretive ecclesiastical practices, while the church at the same time recommends to the broader world the importance of grassroots participation, dialogue, and human rights, makes ongoing attention to these issues especially urgent” (331). Although this sentence touches on an important question, Sniegocki leaves it here. It seems that addressing this question, however, may be crucial for [End Page 210] bringing about the enhancement of CST by radical and grassroots views that Sniegocki envisions.Amy LevadUniversity of St. Thomas St. Paul, MinnesotaCopyright © 2012 Society of Christian Ethics... (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:The Cosmic Common Good: Religious Grounds for Ecological Ethics by Daniel P. ScheidJohn J. FitzgeraldThe Cosmic Common Good: Religious Grounds for Ecological Ethics Daniel P. Scheid new york: oxford university press, 2016. 264 pp. $31.95Published shortly after the first encyclical to focus on the environment (Pope Francis's Laudato Si'), Daniel Scheid's first book is a significant advance in Christian ethics and religious ecology. Scheid argues that resources (...) in Catholic social thought and other religious traditions can move one to an appreciation of a common good that includes the "more than human world" (xiv). In particular, he "aim[s] (1) to extend Catholic social thought ecologically, and (2) to extend Catholic ecological ethics comparatively" (8).The argument begins by broadening the notion of the common good into a "Catholic cosmic common good," which "emphasizes the centrality of God, the goodness of creation, and humanity's dignified and privileged but contextualized role within the story of creation" (32). This vision is then informed by Augustine, Aquinas, and Thomas Berry. Next, Scheid widens solidarity, a virtue that (per John Paul II) involves "commit[ting] oneself to the common good" (86), into "Earth solidarity," which attends to all ecosystems and species, particularly those most impacted by environmental damage. Solidarity cannot be exercised without respecting others' rights, and Scheid contends that these include "Earth rights" of biota, abiota, and ecosystems. Finally, in order to really "test the potential for the cosmic common good as a ground for interreligious ecological ethics" (124–25), he turns to three non-Abrahamic traditions that each support, augment, and challenge elements of his vision. A Hindu dharmic ecology is theocentric and blurs the line between humans and nonhumans, Buddhist traditions are nontheistic and highlight how all are [End Page 197] interrelated, and American Indians (specifically the Lakota) condemn individualism and demonstrate certain advantages of a more spatial (rather than simply temporal) perspective.The Cosmic Common Good covers an impressive range of thought in under two hundred pages of main text. While the argumentation is intricate, the logical ordering of chapters, the repetition of important points, and some vivid examples assist the reader in following along. The case for Earth rights is especially bold and well argued; Scheid considers objections to them and shows that they can be intelligibly grounded (as prima facie and proportionately weighted) in self-governance and creaturely dignity. This is a very promising development in Catholic social thought, as recent key magisterial teachings do not explicitly affirm that animals have dignity (or rights) but limit themselves to the notion that harming animals is "contrary to human dignity" (see Laudato Si', §§ 92, 130, quoting Catechism of the Catholic Church, § 2418).While the book is generally comprehensive, there are a few surprising lacunae. First, although Scheid himself recognizes that "a properly Catholic ecological ethics would certainly not dismiss the centrality of the Bible" (198n16), there is very little reference to it. The author briefly alludes to the Psalms' portrayal of the natural world (47, 181), but more integration of the Old and New Testaments would have been illuminating. And while The Cosmic Common Good makes a commendable last-minute effort to incorporate insights from Laudato Si', Francis's predecessor Benedict XVI (often dubbed "the Green Pope") receives too-short shrift. Benedict's ecological views are referenced only on one page, perhaps because they are somewhat more anthropocentric than the "Earth-centered or cosmos-centered" ethic developed by Scheid (24). Regardless, the former pope's frequent calls for environmental responsibility to the poor, future generations, and animals would surely lend some healthy support to the cosmic common good. But these omissions do not detract much from the merits of this book, which should be read "not as a definitive conclusion but as an invitation to generate greater interreligious dialogue and cooperation on an issue that demands extensive and immediate action" (11). Professional academics, graduate students, and others who are somewhat versed in the sophisticated issues Scheid raises would do well to take up his invitation. [End Page 198]John J. FitzgeraldSt. John's University (New York)Copyright © 2018 Society of Christian Ethics... (shrink)

Pope Gregory I, commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, is celebrated for re-organizing both the institutional and liturgical life of the Roman Catholic Church; for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome to England; and for his writings. Among these, a distinct importance has been attributed to his “Dialogues,” a collection of four books of miracles, signs, wonders, and healings carried out by then little-known holy men, which represent a portion of central Italy as a sacred (...) space where the Christian God is present in both human and non-human form, while also interacting with the environment by performing landscaping functions. This article outlines the “Dialogues Bioregional Project,” a digital, interdisciplinary interface on Italian landscape ecology which would promote dialogues between scientists and humanists as well as provide a modeling tool for environmental and cultural awareness. Shaped around the “Dialogues” of Pope Gregory I, this digital humanities project explores continuities and discontinuities between the socio-political and ecological history of a specific section of Italian territory, a set of multidisciplinary environmental narratives, and local communities. My aim is to introduce readers to the ecological potentials of Gregory’s book and thus prompt scholars interested in the environmental humanities and the integration of biophysical and analytical approaches with humanistic and holistic perspectives to become part of the “Dialogues Bioregional Project” and collaborate in its further development. (shrink)

Die Ethik ist eine Wissenschaft, die sich in der Praxis zu bewähren hat. Unsere hochkomplexe Gesellschaft, unsere hochspezialisierte Technik im Human- und Außer Human Bereich, wie auch die weltanschaulich und kulturell durchmischten Lebensformen stellen uns zwangsläufig auch vor ethische Frage: wie weit sind unsere Lebenswelten (noch) vereinbar mit unseren Grundvorstellungen von Humanität, Freiheit und Gerechtigkeit? Der Autor war nicht bloß während Jahrzehnten Universitätslehrer an verschiedenen Universitäten und Fakultäten, sondern er hat sich als solcher in der politischen Öffentlichkeit - (...) sei es als Experte, sei es als Mitglied verschiedener Gremien, sei es als engagierter Bürger - immer wieder zu Wort gemeldet. Es war ihm wichtig, den theologisch-ethischen Diskurs in die Öffentlichkeit hineinzutragen. Im Zentrum standen - wen wundert's - Fragen der Menschenwürde, der Menschenrechte, von Gewalt und Frieden, der Lebensethik, der Ökologie. Die besondere Herausforderung bestand jeweils darin, theologisch-ethische Grundüberzeugungen in eine Welt hinein zu formulieren, deren ausgeprägte Säkularität und kulturelle Diversität eine zusätzliche Schwierigkeit der Vermittlung bedeuten. Die hier zusammengefügten Reflexionen, Essays und Stellungnahmen sind markante, repräsentative Ausschnitte eines Jahrzentelangen Erwägens und Nachdenkens, was nötig ist und was in wichtigen Lebensbereichen aus ethischer Sicht zu tun ist. Manches ist heute dringlicher geworden (z.B. Klimaethik); manches ist aber auch offener geworden aufgrund neuer Erfahrung und neuer Erkenntnis (z.B. Sexualmoral). So wird der Sammelband nicht bloß zu einem Dokument einer öffentlichen-politischen Moraltheologie, sondern auch zu einem Zeugnis kritischer Auseinandersetzung "in der Zeit". (shrink)

Inspired by the challenging encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, issued by Pope Francis, the articles in this volume reflect on our collective responsibility to live together as brothers and sisters. Looking at the spiritual and moral foundations for a sustainable and viable lifestyle, the book urges us to introspection. The aim is to help us to live lives sustained by viable ethics, and open to others with hope and joy, in spite of the challenges that we face collectively and individually.

Dois aspectos básicos orientam a reflexão sobre a Teologia da Libertação: o primeiro aborda o passado e discute seu surgimento e desenvolvimento; o segundo é direcionado ao futuro e aponta desafios. No processo de formação da Teologia da Libertação três questões são analisadas ​​: a libertação, a práxis e os pobres. Em cada uma, destaca-se o aspecto da própria Teologia da Libertação. A libertação surge dentro do contexto econômico e político e é compreendida nos campos da antropologia e da teologia, (...) numa leitura dialética da realidade. A práxis mudou a ênfase doutrinária da teologia, passando a indagar sobre questões levantadas pela fé à prática dos cristãos, à Igreja e às pessoas, e como a teologia reflete sobre essas questões. A compreensão da noção de pobre e da pobreza deixa de estar ligada à carência de bens materiais e passa a ser entendida no contexto da exploração dos seres humanos pelo sistema dominante. As perspectivas futuras da teologia apontam para a ampliação do conceito de libertação para os campos do diálogo inter-religioso, para a questão das mulheres, da etnia e da ecologia. Palavras-chave: Libertação. Práxis. Pobre. Método. Igreja Católica.Two main aspects guide the reflection on liberation theology: one addresses the past and discusses the emergence and development of such theology, and the other points out the future and the possible challenges to be faced. In the process of formation of liberation theology three main issues are analyzed: liberation, praxis, and the poor. On each of these issues, we emphasize the aspect of liberation theology itself. Liberation emerges within the economic and political context and is then understood in the field of anthropology and theology, from a dialectical reading of reality. Praxis shifted the emphasis from doctrinal theology to ask what issues are raised by the faith and practice of Christians, the church and the people, and how theology reflects on such issues. The understanding of the notion of poor and poverty is no longer linked to the lack of goods but comprehended in the context of the exploitation of human beings by dominant system. The future perspectives of theology bind to the broadening of the concept of liberation for the sectors of inter-religious dialogue, the issue of women, ethnic and ecology. Keywords: Liberation. Praxis. Poor. Method. Catholic Church. (shrink)

The new Christian humanism is not about concepts and theories. It is a mystical experience of the centrality of Jesus Christ, of His face of mercy, of love given and delivered. Love is the gift that we must accept and respond to with love, especially with an ethic of love that makes us stand in solidarity with nature, with each other, and with the poor in a special way. We are a gift that is communicated. We must use the resources (...) of science, technology, and educational advances without fear, but always looking at human beings as the goal of our action. Everything is summarized in an integral ethic of loving care, in which women are experts and especially women religious in the church . (shrink)

Opposing ecology to Catholicism, or vice versa, has no dogmatic, theological or philosophical foundations – it is a purely rhetorical and political maneuver. Catholicism is, and must be, deeply ecological – although this necessity has not always been properly displayed. This is clearly evidenced by both biblical testimonies confirming the value of every being and the reflection of Tradition within the theology of creation. Similarly, in this context, there are no grounds for invoking the “holy property right” to justify (...) the robbery and destruction of nature. Within the Catholic doctrine, property law is by no means holy, only conditional, and does not absolve us from treating property as a common good at the same time. Of course, this does not mean that Catholic teaching promotes in any way formal and legal restrictions on the right to property – such ideas have been repeatedly and decisively rejected by the Church. The limitation of the right of ownership is moral here – it is a postulate of justice and responsibility. At the same time, it is an expression of anthropological realism: we, all individual people, die, all families and nations expire and the earth, air and water remain. We are obliged to respect it. Opposing the good of the environment to the welfare of human communities makes no sense. Only extremely shallow and superficial reflection can build and invoke such oppositions. In general, this is not a reflection at all, but only an attempt to create ad hoc justifications for obtaining an easy income at the expense of the environment. With the current population of our planet, no one can perceive themselves or their immovable property as absolutely autonomous. We will be able to meet most of the most serious challenges related to environmental changes only when we understand our own responsibility for all living creatures along with their and our entire environment. (shrink)

The claim that human dignity is universal is challenged by the particular experience of the horrible things people do to others. If dignity is just a ‘vacuous concept’ then the notion of universal human rights and the claim of cosmopolitism that all human beings for a single moral community are also called into question. A close reading of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and an analysis the historical development of the text reveals a complex conception (...) of human dignity expressed by the Component Dimensions of Human Dignity model. The model conceives of human dignity in terms of four Component Dimensions – existential, behavioral, cognitive-affective and social- each consisting of a Complementary Duality comprising two facets held in tension along an axis of the Already and the Not Yet. Consequently, human dignity can be understood both as Already a universal truth, and as Not Yet realized in every particular life. (shrink)

The official documents on formation to priesthood in the Catholic Church encourage the use of personality psychology. Generally, the documents understand human personality to be dynamic. What does this mean in the light of the contemporary debate on the psychology of personality change? This article attempts to summarize the salient features of this debate, pointing out its relevance to priestly formation. Supporting a “whole-person model” of personality as proposed by Dan McAdams, the article considers the possibility of (...) personality change at some levels in the context of religious experience facilitated by seminary formation. This article is also aimed at enlightening formation guides to make an informed decision in the choice of appropriate models of personality in the accompaniment of their candidates. (shrink)

Cardinal Etchegaray argues here that the dialogue between church and state, with both parties rooted in sometimes conflicting absolute claims and values, has become more recently a wider-ranging dialogue between the church and a pluralist, relativist liberal society. The very definition of “liberal society” is open to argument, and the church may find elements to commend or oppose in any given definition. Since the nineteenth century the church has often found itself in opposition to various ideas (...) of “liberty,” especially those that represent an idolatry of absolute rights that push aside Christian spiritual and moral concerns. Now that liberalism has become the pervasive model for society, the church finds it may more easily express its critique, with the aim of making society more conducive to allowing people to become fully human. Indeed, the church provides a necessary check on the excesses of liberal society, particularly those of capitalism and democratic populism. Its essential point is the transcendent dimension of the human person—our connection with the divine. The pursuit of economic and political ends needs to be governed by a concern for the ethical, itself founded on the divine. Liberal society will only live up to its own highest aspirations through promoting self-mastery and an awareness that humanity’s freedom is ultimately found only in God. (shrink)

This article analyzes the problem of the dignity of human life in the official documents of the Catholic Church, in the speeches of the Patriarchs of the Catholic Church, their understanding and transfering them to the realities of current events in Ukraine.

In this essay, I engage the foreseeable consequences for the future of humanity triggered by Emerging Technologies and their underpinning philosophy, transhumanism. The transhumanist stance is compared with the default view currently held in many academic institutions of higher education: posthumanism. It is maintained that the transhumanist view is less inimical to the fostering of human dignity than the posthuman one. After this is established, I suggest that the Catholic Church may find an ally in a transhumanist (...) ethos in a two-fold manner. On the one hand, by anchoring and promoting the defense of “the human” already present in transhumanism. On the other, rethinking the effectiveness of the delivery of sacraments in a humanity heavily altered by these technologies. (shrink)

Skene and Parker1 raise a number of concerns about religious doctrine unduly influencing law and public policy through amicus curiae contributions to civil litigations or direct lobbying of politicians. Oakley2 picks this up in the same issue with an emphasis on the Roman Catholic Church’s interest in preventing the destruction of embryos for embryonic stem cell research. Skene, Parker, and Oakley seem to be concerned mostly with religious views having undue influence on public policy. My concern is the (...) negative effect that such Church influenced public policy may have on the progress of the biomedical research that is itself foundational to the debate. Oakley seems to be particularly incensed that, as he puts it: “Those who support a total ban on embryonic stem cell research sometimes talk as if theirs are the only views based on moral principle”.2 What seems to be at issue here though are not the moral principles of the sanctity and dignity of human life, but the application of those moral principles to biomedical research.The Roman Catholic Church has historically defended the sanctity and dignity of human life to varying degrees at different times. Human life for much of the past 2000 years was defined by the Church as the presence of the soul, which was thought at different times to appear at various different stages during development. Only recently, with the advent of modern biology, has the Roman Catholic Church shifted its position to claim that the fertilised egg also qualifies as the right sort of human life.3 It should be noted that this doctrinal change was fundamentally driven by developments in our understanding of embryology and not the process of ensoulment.The Church’s current position on the embryo is thus based not solely on Church doctrine but also on …. (shrink)

Stollenwerk, Daniel J Like so much of Catholic social teaching before it, Pope Francis' Laudato Si' points to synthesis-a synthesis of reason and faith, science and religion, technology and ethics, practicality and beauty-as the key to not only care for our common home, but also the alleviation of poverty, and a sustainable and integral, ecological and human development. What the social teachings of the church have slowly established as a principle for development, education and ecumenism, Pope Francis (...) specifically applies to today's ecological and humanitarian crisis. This article will look at the principle of synthesis as crucial to understanding Laudato Si' and its place in recent Catholic social teaching. (shrink)

Procesi globalizacije događali su se mnogo puta u povijesti, daleko prije pojave riječi ‘globalizacija’ u drugoj polovici 20. st. Suvremena globalizacija podrazumijeva društvene, gospodarske i političke procese usmjerene na prelaženje državnih granica i stvaranje globalnog svjetskog poretka. No ona se ne smije svesti samo na to, budući da njeni procesi pogađaju sva područja ljudskog života i djelovanja: medije i komunikacije, gospodarstvo, politiku, pravo, kulturu, ekologiju, etiku, religije i crkve. Posljedice globalizacije jesu nova iskustva na društvenoj, političkoj i gospodarskoj razini – (...) povezivanje i umrežavanje kroz procese internacionalizacije i transnacionalizacije, kroz skupove poput G7 i Međunarodnog gospodarskog foruma u Davosu, ali i brojni društveni lomovi i gospodarska recesija. Globalizacija potiče religije na približavanje, na jačanje suradnje i na zauzimanje zajedničkog stava. Religije to i čine kroz postojeće zajedničke institucije, poput Svjetskog parlamenta religija i Svjetske konferencije religija za mir , tražeći nove oblike približavanja, dijaloga, solidarnosti, suživota, suradnje i ostvarenja etičkog konsenzusa, vodeći računa o zaštiti vlastitog identiteta u vremenu pluralizma i multikulturalnosti. Religije su svjesne da je etičko pitanje postalo pitanje planetarne odgovornosti koje zahtijeva globalnu etiku oko koje se trebaju složiti svi subjekti na svjetskoj razini, a u kojoj će čovjek biti aktivni subjekt. Kršćanske crkve uzimaju u obzir određene pozitivne zakonitosti procesa globalizacije tako da možemo govoriti o »kršćanskoj globalizaciji«. Kršćanstvo je od svojih početaka bilo usmjereno na određenu vrstu globalizacijskih procesa – daleko prije nego li se pojavio naziv ‘globalizacija’. Crkve su svjesne svoje zadaće zajednički braniti u vremenu globalizacije dostojanstvo svakog čovjeka, svake tradicije i kulture. One to čine preko brojnih postojećih međucrkvenih institucija na svjetskoj razini kao što su Ekumensko vijeće crkava , Ekumensko vijeće mladih u Europi . Katolička Crkva je od početka bila globalna i iz te je perspektive kroz stoljeća misijski djelovala. Nakon II. vatikanskog sabora to će djelovanje pojačati osnivanjem Papinskog vijeća za jedinstvo kršćana koje je nastalo iz Tajništva za jedinstvo kršćana , zatim Svjetskog dana mladih i Caritasa internationalisa.Processes of globalization have been happening numerous times through history, long prior to the appearance of the word ‘globalization’ in the second half of 20th century. Modern globalization includes the social, economic and political processes headed to crossing national boundaries and creating a global world order. However, globalization cannot be attributed simply to that issue, for its processes deal with all dimensions of human life and activity: media and communications, economy, politics, law, culture, ecology, ethics, religions, and churches. The consequences of globalization are new experiences related to social, political and economical sphere – interconnection and networking through processes of internationalization and transnationalization, through the meetings of the members of G7 and International Economic Forum in Davos, and also the numerous social breaks and economic recession. Globalization inspires religions to aim at the approaching, the stronger cooperation and the intercession for the common attitude. For realization of this purpose religions act through the existing common institutions like The World Parliament of Religions and World conference of religions for peace , asking for a new way of approaching, dialogue, solidarity, coexistence, cooperation and realization of ethic consensus, taking into account the protection of its own identity in time of pluralism and multiculture. Religions are aware of how ethic question has become the question of world’s responsibility. That issue requires global ethical principles around which all subjects on the world scale are to agree with. In that global ethic the human being will be respected as an active subject. The Christian Churches take into consideration the certain positive lawfulness of globalization process, thus we can speak of “Christian globalization”. Christianity has been headed to globalization process from the earliest days of the faith – prior to the process has emerged known as globalization. The Churches became aware of its responsibility in order to protect in the time of globalization the dignity of every person, every tradition, and culture. The Churches respond to this phenomenon through numerous existing interchurch institutions on world domain such as The World Council of Churches , Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe . The Catholic Church from the beginning has been global and based on this perspective the Catholic Church through centuries has been carrying out its missionary work. After the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church has strengthened its activity by establishing Pontifical Council for Christian Unity , which has emerged from Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity , World Youth Day and Caritas internationalis. (shrink)

Unlike the free interpretations of Simondon’s genetic encyclopaedism, the constraining exegesis of this doctrine resolves the paradoxes that are essential for it to be constructed in its depth and subtlety. Now, at the root of these simple paradoxes lies what is no longer one, but which constitutes a true contradiction, of a methodological type. That is why today we need an encompassing refounding of Simondon’s genetic ontology, which makes it possible to eliminate the contradiction by transforming this ontology into a (...) translation of a new first problematic, called “archi-reflexive semantics.” Such is the program of the global but radically antidogmatic system of the individuation of sense, or “human ecology”, the ultimate telos of which is political-economic and articulates itself with a decentered humanism refounding the law outside ethics. (shrink)

This article focuses on the conclusion in which the analyses of the previous papers converge, namely, the emergence of a new and radically different public order that is emerging in contemporary America. While Catholics could never feel completely comfortable in the older order that preceded it, the culture that informed this order had many features that were consistent with the Catholic vision of man, society, and the human good; and it secured for the Church a broad freedom (...) to exercise her ministry and for Catholics the freedom they needed to practice the faith. In sharp contrast, the new order installs at the heart of public life an ethic of human autonomy incompatible with the Catholic understanding, and jeopardizes the freedom of the Church and of Catholics to practice the faith. The emergence of this new order will require Catholics to rethink their relationship to American culture and the American state. (shrink)

Gascoigne, Robert The sexual abuse crisis and the forthcoming plenary council of the Australian Catholic Church are both a provocation and an opportunity to reflect on the condition of the Catholic Church in Australia and to suggest how it might respond to new and challenging circumstances in ways that can inspire its future life and mission. In this article I want to consider some of the characteristics of the era of Australian Catholicism that is now in (...) the recent past, as well as some of the key features of what could be a new identity for the Catholic Church in Australia. After some historical reflections on the phenomenon of 'Catholicism' and its ambivalent legacy, I advocate a new crystallisation of Catholic identity based in the relationship between the mystical and political, specifically in terms of solidarity and hope in the face of human suffering. The broader political context of these reflections is the threat to humane international relationships posed by radical populism. (shrink)

This paper explores the shift in the position of the Catholic Church regarding religious freedom, in the context of the changing perspective on the relationship between Church and State. The Declaration Dignitatis humanae of Vatican II recognised religious freedom as a human right deriving from the dignity of the person. It reflected a significant change in perspective as it understood religious freedom as abidance by convictions held in conscience and as freedom from coercion. Both the State (...) and the Church are expected to ensure freedom from external coercion and from psychological pressure. The process which led to the recognition of religious freedom in the Catholic Church went along with the acknowledgement of the autonomy of the State in secular matters. The State is expected to recognise the freedom to profess freely religious beliefs and the right to free worship, but religious freedom may not interfere with secular authority in its own sphere of competence. Dignitatis humanae is therefore known as the declaration of the separation between Church and State. Yet, a more attentive lecture shows that it actually also advances a balanced model for the collaboration between State and Church in the shared concern for the common good. Both are required to act in a manner that advances the common welfare of society. (shrink)

Compelled by recent public and politicized cases in which withdrawal of nutrition and hydration were at issue, this essay examines recent Church statements and argues that the distinction between private and public forms of human life is being lost. Effacing the distinction between the sphere of the home (oikos), where the maintenance of life (zoē) occurs, and the city (polis), where political and public life (bios) occurs, may have unforeseen and unwanted consequences. Through their well-intentioned efforts to preserve (...) the sanctity of life, certain bishops and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have unfortunately brought political considerations into the home, taking decision-making authority away from those most intimately related to the patient. Thus, the question of removing nutrition and hydration in the case of patients such as Schiavo and Englaro becomes politicized and abstract, in contrast with the Church's previous positions on the importance of proportionate means in the maintenance of life, local decision making, and its recognition of life as a penultimate end. (shrink)

The Roman Catholic Church in Australia has lobbied politicians to prohibit embryonic stem cell research, on the grounds that such research violates the sanctity and inherent dignity of human life. I suggest, however, that reasoned reflection does not uniquely support such conclusions about the morality of stem cell research. A recent parliamentary standing committee report recommended that embryonic stem cell research be allowed to proceed in certain circumstances, and there appears to be widespread support in the Australian (...) community for this position. I argue that the moral value of democracy requires parliamentarians to acknowledge the informed views of the wider community here, and to resist lobbying by church leaders on this issue. (shrink)

Migration is a global phenomenon. An essential part of the mission of the Catholic Church is to love Christ particularly in the poor and the weak, which includes migrants. The Magisterium of the Church has consistently stressed reaching out to migrants. However, issuing documents would mean nothing if Christians do not implement them in letter and spirit. Christian charity would be meaningless if it remains only as a part of orthodoxy without orthopraxis. The phenomenal rise in global (...) migration has created unfavorable conditions for many migrants. The Church being an ‘expert in humanity’ has a great task to reach out to the least in the society.1 In this article, we shall examine the role of the Catholic Church in bridging the gap between the orthodoxy and orthopraxis in their mission for migrants. We shall base our study on the documents of the Church and actual cases of migrant ministry in the Church. (shrink)

The article by S. Prysukhin “The Principle of Subsidiarity: Lessons from the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church” analyzes the achievements of the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, represented by the works of Leo XIII, Pius XI, Pius XII, John Paul II, revealing the meaningful characteristics of the concept of “the principle of subsidiarity”, its role and meaning in the system of Christian values. The principle of subsidiarity makes possible such relationships in social life, when (...) the community of higher order does not interfere in the internal life of the community of the lower order, taking over the proper functions of that function; for the common good it gives it when necessary support and assistance, thereby coordinating its interaction with other social structures. The principle of subsidiarity guides social practice to the promotion of the common good in the human community. The spread and application of the principle of subsidiarity opposes the danger of "nationalization" of society and the most terrible manifestations of collectivism, restricts the absoluteization of power, bureaucratization of state and socio-cultural structures, becoming one of the guarantors of respect for the rights and freedoms of citizens of their country. (shrink)

This article aims at exploring some recent developments in Catholic Church's recent relationship with religious others. It does so by exploring the theological-anthropological sources behind Vatican II and some subsequent Papal teachings concerning the Church's mission of dialogue. Specifically, it discusses the notion of common origin, destiny and common humanity as sources for praxis-oriented and faith-based initiatives in a Christian-Muslim dialogue. This article is divided into three sub-sections. First, it considers the Catholic Church's renewed dialogue (...) with non-Christian believers, with particular focus on the theological-anthropological turn in recent Church teaching. Second, it examines the prospects and challenges of Christian-Muslim dialogue based on belief in God the creator and divine revelation, and human beings' response to divine manifestations in history. Finally, it considers some faith-based humanistic and dialogic initiatives that emerge from the Christian-Muslim confession of one creator God. The paper suggests that a theology of dialogue that understands the world and human beings as the realm of encounter, uncovering and necessitating the divine and the Church's activity in human history, can foster faith-based humanistic and dialogic initiatives between Christians and Muslims. (shrink)

Edith Stein is widely known as a historical figure, a victim of the Holocaust and a saint, but still unrecognised as a philosopher. It was philosophy, however, that constituted the core of her life. Today her complete writings are available to scholars and therefore her thinking can be properly investigated and evaluated. In the final parts of the book, the author shows how Stein's ideas are relevant today, in particular to the ongoing doctrinal and legal debates over the concept of (...) human dignity. (shrink)

The complexity and emotional/psychological responses to the environmental challenges of the 21st century has led to the coining and development of new words and concepts that, for some people, better describe how they are personally grappling with anthropogenic ecosystem damage and climate breakdown. This paper identifies some of the more commonly used environmental neologisms within scholarly literature and evaluates their usefulness and contradictions for those influenced by the virtue ethics promoted by the ancient Stoics and the Catholic Church. (...) We find that environmental neologisms, when framed by these philosophical and/or theological ideas, offer an alternative and, ultimately, helpful means to contemplate the nature of what might be considered an environmental crisis and how best we might address, or at least, mitigate it, as conscientious spiritual human beings. (shrink)

The article of Volodymyr Moroz ―Normative character of the principles of Social doctrine of Catholic Church: an evolutional way of formation - is devoted to the analysis of Catholic Church’s Teaching over the human dignity. Author explores also the process of settling of the principles of common good, subsidiarity and solidarity in the Teaching of Catholic Church. Mentioned principles are investigated in the case of orientation to provide a reverence to transcendent human (...) dignity. Author sums up that all three principles have normative character. That is to say the principles are called to guarantee certain coordination between the social reality and the verities, which were declared by the Social doctrine of the Church. (shrink)

What the Church teaches and why on issues of euthanasia, invitro fertilization, genetic counseling, assisted suicide, living wills, persistent vegetative state, organ transplants, and more.

현대 가톨릭교회의 평화 사상과 국제사회의 ‘평화권’ 운동은 모 두 ‘보편적 인권’에 기반하는 평화체제’를 강조한다. 가톨릭 평화사 상과 국제사회의 평화운동이 같은 노선 위에서 변화를 가져올 수 있었던 배경은 제2차 세계대전 이후의 사회변화에 있다. 전쟁의 참 상, 빈곤의 고통, 국가 간 갈등을 발생시키는 구조적 폭력의 문제 들은 인권의 문제를 직시하게 만들었다. ‘평화권’에 대한 구상은 더 는 물리적 폭력이 없는 소극적 평화에 만족하지 않고, 경제 사회 문화적인 구조적 폭력을 없애는 적극적 평화개념에 이르렀다. 평 화 만들기를 위한 제안들은 ‘평화롭게 살 권리’와 ‘연대권’으로 개 념화되고 (...) 있다. 이 권리들은 ‘전쟁을 거부할 권리’, ‘군사외교안보 정책을 민주적으로 통제할 권리’, ‘발전과 환경에 대한 권리’ 등을 포괄하며, 평화권이 개인과 집단의 권리이며 의무라는 점을 확인 한다. 난민을 포함한 이주민의 문제도 국가 간 불평등을 제거해야 하는 평화의 문제에 속한다. ‘평화권’ 개념은 가톨릭의 평화사상과 공통된 지향을 가질 뿐 아 니라, 아래로부터 요구되는 평화운동으로 이해할 수 있다. 한국사 회에서 ‘평화권’은 특별히 1919년 ‘거리의 평화운동’을 계승한다는 역사적 의의도 지닌다. 여전히 냉전시대를 살고 있는 비동시적 상 황에서, 한국사회는 ‘평화권’에 기초한 새로운 평화주의 원리를 발 전시켜야 할 과제를 지닌다. 그 원리는 한국사회의 민주주의를 발 전시키고, 한반도의 문제를 안정적이고 지속적으로 풀어 나가는 방안이어야 하며, ‘동아시아 평화 공동체’를 만들어 나가는 동력이 되어야 한다. (shrink)

I describe an ethic for business administration based on the social tradition of the Catholic Church. I find that much current thinking about business falters for its conceit of truth. Abstractions such as the shareholder-value model contain truth - namely, that business is an economic enterprise to manage for the wealth of its owners. But, as in all abstractions, this truth comes at the expense of falsehood -namely, that persons are assets to deploy on behalf of owners. This (...) last is "wrong" in both senses of the word - it is factually wrong in that persons are far more than business assets, they are supernatural beings, children of God; and it is morally wrong in that it is an injustice to treat them as the former when they are the latter. I draw upon the social tradition of the Catholic Church to recognize that the business of business is not business, but is instead the human person. Following Church teachings, I describe a person-centered ethic of business based upon eight social principles that both correct and enlarge the shareholder-centered ethic of much current business thinking. I discuss implications of this person-centered ethic for business administration. (shrink)

This article analyzes aggiornament reverse of Catholicism after the Second Vatican Council, the determining factors of which were anthropological theology with the discourse of humanism as human dignity and leveling exclusivity of traditional theism.

2012 is 50 years since the beginning of the Second Vatican Council, which gave impetus to the processes of renewal of church life that would meet the needs of the present. Church councils throughout the years of existence of the Christian Church solved the questions of the truth of faith, the organization of church life. The twentieth century has become the age of globalization, epochal discoveries in the natural sciences, the exacerbation of environmental problems, the moral (...) crisis of human society has become threatening scales. The fruits of the collective labor of the cathedral fathers - 4 constitutions, 9 decrees, 3 declarations - were supposed to answer the challenges of time, to explain church doctrine in the new realities of the present. (shrink)

On December 5, 1963, at the end of the second session of the Second Vatican Council, a "Decree on means of public notice" was signed together with the Constitution on the Holy Liturgy. This was the first of the nine decrees issued by the Council, which expressed the views of the entire Ecumenical Church, which represented at the Council more than 2500 bishops, experts and theologians who participated in the General Assembly. Almost half of the Fathers of the Council (...) were pastors of European dioceses. There were also 379 African bishops, 300 bishops from Asia and almost a thousand from the United States at the Council. All of them - the heirs of the College of the Apostles - saw humanity entering into a new phase of dialogue through the media, and wanted to answer the question of whether the Church could use them for their development and proclamation of the Gospel. (shrink)

In recent years official Roman Catholic documents have addressed the ecological crisis from the perspective of Catholic social teaching. This expansion of Catholic social thought addresses the social and ecological question. This paper links environmental and human ecology with the concept of sustainability and proposes an interpretation of the common good and a definition of sustainability within Catholic social teaching. Our treatment of sustainability and Catholic social teaching includes: an analysis of the ecological (...) processes that sustain nature; insights from human ecology, and an examination of models of sustainability as a foundation for re-structuring society to promote the common good. The paper provides a summary of the historical expansion of the common good within modern Catholic social thought, and concludes with an ecological interpretation of the common good and a definition of sustainability within the Catholic understanding of justice. (shrink)

This paper argues that human agency is not simply a function of intrinsic properties about the agent, but that agency instead depends on the ecology that the agent is in. In particular, the paper examines ways that disabilities affect agency and shows how, by paying deliberate attention to structuring the social environment around people with disabilities, we can mitigate some of the agential impact of those disabilities. The paper then argues that the impact of one’s social environment on (...) agency isn’t restricted only to those agents that have disabilities, but also characterizes all human agency. All of our agency is environmentally dependent. (shrink)

The article summarizes and critically analyzes the encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI “Deus Caritas est.” This document discusses “diaconia” in the Roman Catholic Church in view of its biblical and theological foundations, its characteristics, and the position of works of mercy within the general self-understanding of the church. In going beyond the text, the author emphasizes the political dimension of church-based charity, the need to respond to the challenge of the principle of solidarity by contemporary (...) neoliberal tendencies, and the relationship of the church to those employed in the service of her diaconia. (shrink)

The Catholic Church’s reflection on and assessment of the Covid-19 pandemic has developed in several areas. Inspired by the tradition of its social teaching, specifically by the values of the dignity of the human person, justice, solidarity, and the common good, a strong sense of responsibility—on the part of all to prevent the spread of the pandemic and care for the affected sick—was called for. This resulted in a series of interventions and documents on the various medical (...) and spiritual issues involved, particularly concerning the vaccines again Covid-19. In this short article, I draw out these insights from the official and universal reference point of the Catholic Church (i.e., Vatican sources in their various expressions and expertise). Interventions from other religions have also played a significant role during the Covid-19 pandemic as exemplified by the close relationship between certain religious actors and the World Health Organization. However, these alternative viewpoints, while important in and of themselves, do not find a suitable place within this work, which focuses on the Catholic Church’s perspective. (shrink)