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Event Recap

As parts of the world began to recover last summer from the global economic crisis, Pope Benedict XVI released an important encyclical, or teaching document, on human economic development. Caritas in Veritate (鈥淐harity in Truth鈥�) brings Catholic social thought to bear upon global economic life in ways that have inspired, and confounded, readers across the political and theological spectrum. To gain some purchase on the implications and importance of this document, the Boisi Center hosted a conversation on October 8 (in front of a standing-room-only crowd in the Fulton Debate Room) with three Catholic scholars who are expert in economics, ethics and systematic theology.

The keynote speaker was Daniel Finn, professor of theology and the Clemens Professor of Economics and the Liberal Arts at St. John鈥檚 University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Professor Finn, author of several books on economics and Catholic social thought, discussed the 鈥淏ologna school鈥� of economic thought that undergirds Caritas in Veritate, which highlights reciprocity rather than altruism as a means of fostering right relations in the economic realm. The end goal is a more civil鈥攎eaning both civilized and non-state directed鈥攅conomy that encourages profit a means for achieving human and social ends. 鈥淗ybrid firms鈥� which pursue both commercial and social ends are necessary to achieving this goal, as is an active civil society.

The next speaker, Boston College theology professor Stephen Pope, focused on the ethical dimensions of the encyclical鈥檚 call for an 鈥渁uthentic humanism鈥� that seeks to reintegrate morality into public life, including economic activity. Social justice and charity are the keys to this effort, which must foster a global morality that can overcome the 鈥渆nlightened egoism鈥� inherent in current economic and social life. Professor Pope鈥檚 primary critique centered upon the encyclical鈥檚 breadth; in trying to cover too much ground, he said, it favored theological abstraction over concrete ethical analysis. A focus on the ethical challenges, Pope said, are crucial when contemplating the universal implications of love, charity, and social justice in a pluralist society that holds divergent views of such concepts.

The final panelist was Robert Imbelli, a Catholic priest and associate professor of theology at Boston College. A systematic theologian like Benedict XVI himself, Fr. Imbelli reminded the audience that theology properly forms the center of the pope鈥檚 encyclical, as evidenced by several themes in Caritas in Veritate. First, the encyclical roots Catholic social teaching in the Gospel rather than natural law reasoning, Imbelli argued, and any analysis of Caritas based only on de-contextualized natural law reasoning 鈥渞isks reducing religion to ethics.鈥� Second, Imbelli noted, the pope鈥檚 central argument for an 鈥渋ntegral humanism鈥� that embraces 鈥渢he good of every man and of the whole man鈥� is itself ultimately grounded in Christology, which explores the meaning of Christ鈥檚 incarnation. Fr. Imbelli concluded by reflecting on the limits of regulatory policy, for 鈥渟tructural change, however necessary, can never substitute for authentic conversion of hearts and minds,鈥� which itself requires ongoing spiritual exercise.