The richness of Catholic social thought as an
instrument for analysis and criticism of social issues is
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. There has been, however, 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 held in October 2003 the first
symposium on "Catholic Social Thought and the Law." The papers they
presented were published in a new interdisciplinary journal, the
Journal of Catholic Social Thought.
A second annual symposium at Villanova Law will focus
on a key concept within Catholic social thought that has particular
relevance for the law - - the principle of subsidiarity. Subsidiarity
offers insights into the proper relationship of superior and subordinate
authorities, obviously a central concern of the law. The Catholic
concept is of particular relevance in part because of the many secular
applications, but also because of the highly contested (and ideological)
interpretations of subsidiarity’s meaning. The concept is invoked by
conservative and libertarian critics of big government in order to
protect private institutions from government intrusion and preserve
economic liberty. Those on the left emphasize the relationship of
subsidiarity and solidarity and the need for state action when private
arrangements fail to protect human dignity.
The legal scholars participating in this conference
will present a variety of methodological perspectives, but will focus on
what the law has to learn from an aspect of Catholic Social Thought with
particularly broad implications.
PRESENTERS AND COMMENTATORS
Presenters
Patrick D. Brown, Seattle University School of Law
Paolo G. Carozza, Notre Dame Law School
Michael Lower, University of Manchester, U.K.
Michael Moreland, Williams & Connolly, LLP
Philip Pucillo, Ave Maria School of Law
Gerald Russello, Seton Hall University
Mark A. Sargent, Villanova University School of Law
Susan J. Stabile, St. John’s University School of Law
John Stinneford, University of Dayton School of Law
Lorenza Violini, University of Milan, Italy
Robert K. Vischer, St. John's University School of Law
