Johan Verstraeten

Jonathan Boswell

Francis P. McHugh

These essays are an attempt to recover something of the form, style and force of Catholic non-official social thinking in the face of contemporary social thought and contemporary injustice in advanced societies. After an opening essay by the doyen of Catholic writers in this field, Jean-Yves Calvez, SJ, the book is divided into three sections. The first and largest group of essays discuss patterns and predicaments of Catholic social thought in general terms and from different points of view. The context here is partly the debate on modernity, high-modernity and post-modernity, partly the issue of how far and in what ways Catholic Social Thought can claim to be distinctive, relative to contemporary secular thought. The second section of the book focusses on relationships between Catholic social thought and its restatement, and a number of contemporary debates on public issues. Particular attention is given, in successive essays, to issues of anti-poverty, human rights, economic theory and international finance. A third and shorter section describes a number of institutional projects which attempt to carry Catholic social values forward into concrete action, focussing on work in health and welfare, grass roots economic co-operation, anti-poverty and international peace and justice. Final contributions by the reputed international scholar in this field, John Coleman, SJ, and the book editors, respectively evaluate the collection as a whole and discuss further steps.

Twilight Or Renaissance?

Catholic Social Thought

Gaudium et spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) was promulgated on December 7, 1965. It mirrors a new spirit of openness of the Catholic Church to the world, as well as a new historical consciousness, based on a self-understanding of the Catholic Chuch as "linked with mankind and its history by the deepest bonds" (GS, 1). This historical consciousness resulted in a method of social discernment which, inspired by John XXIII, was articulated by Gaudium et spes in terms of 'scrutinizing the signs of the times' and of 'interpreting them in the light of the gospel' (GS, 4). Conscious of the need to revisit the pastoral constitution of Vatican II, the Centre for Catholic Social Thought at the Catholic University of Leuven, has organised two international expert seminars. The first expert seminar (6-7 September 2003) was rather explorative and focused on the relevance of catholic social thought in its actual context with special attention paid to the signs of the times in an era of globalisation. The discussion on the contemporary signs of the times revealed the necessity to clarify the theoretical and practical implications of the methodology of social discernment and particularly of a social hermeneutic in the light of the gospel. This became the theme of a second expert seminar (Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve, 9-11 September 2004), the discussions of which are the background to this book.

Scrutinizing the Signs of the Times in the Light of the Gospel

Johan Leemans

Brian J. Matz

Can writings of the church fathers related to the field of social ethics be of value to contemporary discussions on the topic? In addressing this question, the authors of this book discuss the exciting challenges that scholars of both early Christianity and contemporary Catholic social thought face regarding the interaction of historical sources and present issues.

Johan Verstraeten

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