Spirituality: Seeing the Divine in our Midst
by Fr. Fred Kammer, SJ
Text of presentation given to Catholic Community Connection in Cleveland, OH on September 16, 2009.
Christian Social Responsibility in a Post-Katrina City
"Christian Social Responsibility in a Post-Katrina City" was the title of a presentation facilitated by Fr. Ted Arroyo, SJ, JSRI director, on Thursday, March 28,2008 in Loyola University's Nunemaker Hall. Approximately 140 visiting high school students and their mentors came together to reflect on their service and immersion experiences in post-Katrina New Orleans. These groups came from 9 Catholic High Schools from all over the United States.
Capitol Comments: The Death Penalty is a Respect Life Issue!
By Andrew Rivas, J.D., Executive Director, Texas Catholic Conference, Member, JSRI Advisory Board
In a 2002 Pew Research-sponsored presentation at the University of Chicago, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was asked if he thought the use of the death penalty would ever lead to the execution of an innocent person. His answer was “…of course it will. I mean, you cannot have any system of human justice that is going to be perfect.”
It's Criminal! The Consequences of Mass Incarceration without Social Justice
By Alex Mikulich, Ph.D.
Americans tend to believe, as a matter of common sense, that sending men to prison prevents crime. Persons who are “behind bars” can’t commit crime. “Get tougher on crime” political rhetoric and legislation is often reinforced by the argument that “only if that recently released prisoner had not been freed, this particular crime would not occur.”
Payday loans and Catholic Social Teaching--a modern form of usury!
By Alex Mikulich, Ph.D., JSRI Research Fellow
Catholic Social Teaching on Race
A Select Bibliography of Papal, Conciliar, Vatican, and U.S. Episcopal Statements and Pastoral Letters
By Dr. Alex Mikulich, JSRI Research Associate
Biblical Hospitality, Immigration, and the Boundary of Whiteness
By Dr. Alex Mikulich, JSRI Research Fellow
Continuity and Change in Caritas in Veritate
by Fr. Fred Kammer, SJ
Toward a Global Economic Order at the Service of People, Not Profits: Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate
by Dr Alex Mikulich, JSRI Research Fellow
(Note: Following the tradition of Catholic encyclicals, this commentary cites the numbered paragraphs in the text for easy reference, i.e., (#1, 2, 3, etc).
Pope Benedict XVI ‘s first social encyclical Caritas in Veritate, “Charity in Truth,” advocates a new economic discourse and global economic order advancing a person-centered rather than profit-centered approach to globalization.
Pope's new social encyclical
<p>On July 7th, 2009, the Vatican released the third encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI entitled Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), which focuses on integral human development in a globalizing world now in economic crisis. Touted as his first “social encyclical,” the document actually builds on the emphasis on love in his first encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), which itself addressed the mission of charity and justice of the Church.</p>
<p>The encyclical prompted a barrage of short commentaries the first day or two after the encyclical, many of which seemed to reflect more of the ideas of the commentators than those of the pope. Today, the Jesuit Social Research Institute releases two lengthy commentaries on the encyclical.</p>
Two commentaries
On July 7th, 2009, the Vatican released the third encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI entitled Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth), which focuses on integral human development in a globalizing world now in economic crisis. Touted as his first “social encyclical,” the document actually builds on the emphasis on love in his first encyclical letter, Deus Caritas Est (God Is Love), which itself addressed the mission of charity and justice of the Church.