Ethics in Religion Commons^™

Lonergan’S Concept Of Conversion: A Path To Antiracism, Laura Boysen-Aragon

Say Something Theological: The Student Journal of Theological Studies

Racism is Christian America’s original sin. Our country’s foundation was built with the hands of more than ten million kidnapped and enslaved persons. The Catholic Church was complicit as enslavers and beneficiaries of enslaved labor as well as the marginalizing of Black Catholics. Given the limited attention that has been given to these origin stories in our country and our church, it is unsurprising that systems of racism perpetuate today. Catholic theologian and ethicist Bryan Massingale provides a definition of racism as an ethos that lives on in U.S. society. Since the murder of George Floyd, a heightened awareness of …

Fratelli Tutti: Pope Francis And The Catholic Response To Human Rights, Tiffany Hunsinger

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

On October 4, 2020, Pope Francis issued a letter to the world entitled Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship.

The document served as a culmination of the Church’s response to the global pandemic, as well as the more considerable perils of throwaway culture. This presentation will explore the specific response of the Catholic Church as it attempts to counter destructive boundaries and structure of its institution.

Pope Francis continues a tradition in pastoral response to the “signs of the times.” However, can the Church respond effectively in this current world?

Or do the needed changes surpass the capability …

Catholic Conscience And Nuclear Weapons, Joseph J. Fahey

The Journal of Social Encounters

This essay briefly explores the history of Catholic ethics on war and peace. It then discusses Catholic social teaching regarding nuclear weapons, and the movement from conditional acceptance to the position of the unacceptability of even possessing nuclear weapons because they are intrinsically evil. The essay concludes with a discussion of the meaning of this development for policy makers and those who work in the nuclear weapons field as well as for average Catholics.

Clergy Sexual Abuse In The Roman Catholic Church: Dispelling Eleven Myths And Separating Facts From Fiction, Thomas G. Plante

Psychology

The sexual abuse crisis in the Roman Catholic Church has made headline news across the country and world for years. Yet, even with such remarkable publicity, so much misinformation and myths about the problem persist. It is important for psychologists, as well as other mental health professionals, to be better informed about these myths and misinformation in order to better serve their clients who may be impacted by the story. Those impacted include not only clerical abuse victims, their families, and clerics themselves but also Catholics in general, who may be troubled and demoralized by the ongoing and unfolding crisis …

The Right To Religious Freedom And Its Political Significance: Catholic And Islamic Approaches, Matthew Bagot

Biennial Conference: The Social Practice of Human Rights

It is generally agreed that the Catholic Church formally committed itself to modern human rights in 1963 as a result of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical, Pacem in Terris.But it was the more specific historical development regarding the right to religious freedom that took place two years later at the Second Vatican Council, which really prompted global change. As Samuel Huntington wrote, the Church’s commitment to religious liberty on the part of all persons (and to the liberty of non-religious persons) had an extraordinary impact on democracy movements around the world. Indeed, Huntington referred to these movements as a “Catholic …

Massingale's Prescriptive For Racism In The U.S. Catholic Church, Jessie Bazan

Obsculta

Nearly every social issue plaguing the United States is impacted by racial bias, most often, against black Americans. Rev. Bryan Massingale, an internationally-recognized black Catholic theologian, has committed much of his ministerial work to advocating for racial justice and educating others about the urgent need for racial reconciliation within the Church. This paper uses Massingale’s holistic approach to explain how the USCCB could strengthen its understanding of racism, its support of black leadership, and its passion for opposing racisim both inside and outside the Church.

A New Paradigm: Brazilian Catholic Eco-Justice Activism In The Neoliberal Age, Lena R. Connor

Environmental Analysis Program Mellon Student Summer Research Reports

This paper analyzes how traditional liberation theology in Brazil has been adapted in the neoliberal age to encompass ecological goals and rhetoric. In this research report, I first examine the work of prominent Brazilian ecotheologians, Ivone Gebara and Leonardo Boff. I then look into the applications of such ecological liberation theology in Catholic activism in Brazil, focusing on the role of religious advocacy in dam controversies, land reform, and mining.

Opposing The Lottery In The U.S.: The Forces Behind Individual Attitudes Towards Legalization In 1975, Andrew J. Economopoulos

Business and Economics Faculty Publications

In the 1970s, opposition to the lottery started to fracture in the US. This study examines causes of the fracture and historical factors that contributed to changes in individual attitudes towards legalization. The opponents at the time held to traditional arguments against legalized lotteries—negative economic effects, costs to others and increased crime. Unlike in the past, however, there was weak religious institutional opposition to lotteries. Individuals with a strong commitment to their religious affiliation were more resistant to pro-lottery arguments, but in most cases could be convinced to support the lottery. The pre-World War II generation remained steadfast against the …

The Sexual Abuse Crisis In The Roman Catholic Church: What Psychologists And Counselors Should Know, Thomas G. Plante, Courtney Daniels

Psychology

Recent events regarding child sexual abuse committed by Roman Catholic priests in the Archdiocese of Boston and elsewhere have yet again resulted in a tremendous amount of media attention and frenzy regarding this topic. During 2002 alone, approximately 300 American Catholic priests, including several bishops, were accused of child sexual abuse. Many were forced to resign their positions while others were prosecuted and went to prison. Curiously, there still exist many myths and misperceptions about priests who sexually abuse children and their victims. Since psychologists and other mental health professionals are likely to interact with many who have been impacted …

Papal Sin: Structures Of Deceit, By Gary Wills, David L. Coppola

Philosophy, Theology and Religious Studies Faculty Publications

Book review by David L. Coppola.

Wills, Garry. Papal Sin: Structures of Deceit. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

The Catholic Catechism On Jews And Judaism, The Institute Of Judaeo-Christian Studies

Teshuvah Institute Papers

This publication focuses on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its teachings on Jews and Judaism and features the following contributions:

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church" by the Reverend Lawrence E. Frizzell.

"The Universal Catechism's Teaching on the Jews and Judaism in the Context of the Documents Stemming from Vatican II and the Statements by Pope John Paul II" by Rabbi Jack Bemporad.

The Catholic Church And The Jewish People: Evaluating The Results Of The Second Vatican Council, Lawrence E. Frizzell D.Phil.

Reverend Lawrence E. Frizzell, S.T.L., S.S.L., D.Phil.

This article outlines the teachings of Vatican II in relation to the Jewish People and their place in the Church's self-definition.

The Rediscovery Of Judaism: A Re-Examination Of The Conciliar Statement On The Jews, John M. Oesterreicher

Selected Works of John M. Oesterreicher

This booklet contains the paper that opened a Convocation of scholars at Seton Hall University from October 25-28, 1970, for the fifth anniversary of the promulgation of the Conciliar Statement on the bond of the Church to the Jewish people. The Convocation stood under the joint sponsorship of the Institute of Judaeo-Christian Studies and The American Jewish Committee.