CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT AND THE LAW
October 3-4, 2003
Villanova, Pennsylvania

CATHOLIC SOCIAL THOUGHT AND THE LAW

The richness of Catholic Social Thought as an instrument for analysis and criticism of social issues has long been well-established. The powerful social insights of John Paul II have given a new force to and created greater awareness of a social tradition rooted in the Church's theology of life. Theologians, philosophers and many different types of social activists have elaborated on the many "social" encyclicals to create a distinctively Catholic view of labor, poverty, globalization, inequality, racism and a host of other social issues. One of the great legacies of Vatican II has been recognition of the way that Catholic Social Thought represents the profound engagement of the Church in the world

Until recently, however, Catholic Social Thought has had little influence on American jurisprudence, despite its obvious relevance to the social issues with which American legal scholars are deeply engaged. Key Catholic Social Thought concepts such as dignity, solidarity, subsidiarity, the common good and the reciprocity of rights and duties are concepts with which theorists of American law should grapple.

The reasons for the absence of Catholic Social Thought from the agenda of the American legal academy should be obvious. American law schools are part of the "naked public square" in which religious discourse is devalued and excluded, so they have been inhospitable to scholars who might be inclined to turn to this religious tradition for inspiration and guidance. Catholic law schools, which should have been building on the tradition of Catholic Social Thought, have been substantially secularized, and have not supported a distinctive Catholic voice in debates about law and public policy.

Recently, however, there has been a renaissance in legal scholarship with an expressly Catholic focus. Legal scholars around the country are beginning to discover that Catholic Social Thought provides a fresh perspective that allows faith-based discourse to play a role in the way we think about law.

To the end of bringing those scholars together to explore the relevance of Catholic Social Thought and American law, Villanova University School of Law is holding on October 3-4, 2003 a two-day symposium on "Catholic Social Thought and the Law." The papers they present will be published in a new, interdisciplinary journal, the Villanova Journal of Catholic Social Thought, which will be distributed not only throughout the law schools, but in universities generally, and to others interested in this tradition. This conference will be the first of its kind, and hence will be of particular significance.

The papers presented at the conference will focus on both general and specific questions about the relevance of Catholic Social Thought to American law. Are the very broad central concepts of Catholic Social Though translatable into specific legal doctrines? What does Catholic Social Thought tell us about the relationship of law and morality? What is the relationship of Catholic Social Thought to other bodies of thought that have influenced legal theory such as communitarianism and law and economics? Particularly important is the question of whether Catholic Social Thought, as a faith-based discourse, can have a major influence in a secular legal world that does not value religious perspectives.

The presenters will also consider the importance of insights from Catholic Social Thought in a range of specific legal areas such as labor, immigration, tort law, corporate governance and social responsibility and many others.

For the Full Schedule of the Program Click Here.
For Notes on Registering and Attending the Symposium Click Here.

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