TMCE7008 · Theology and Ministry

Introduction to Catholic Social Ethics

Clough School of Theology and Ministry

This course introduces the rich tradition of social ethics engaged explicitly by Leo XIII, Rerum novarum (1891), continued by his successors and bishops conferences, and enriched by theological reflection that continues today. Attention will be given to the principal documents (encyclicals, Gaudium et spes (1965), pastoral letters), and the contexts from which they emerged to gain facility in applying social analysis to contemporary concerns. Key themes to be studied: life and dignity of the human person, solidarity, social participation and the common good, the preferential option for the poor, and economic development and work, among others.