Cardinal Dulles at Villanova Law: The First Scarpa Conference at Villanova Law

I am happy to pass along the following announcement by my colleague and fellow MOJer Patrick Brennan regarding Villanova Law's inaugural Scarpa Conference in Catholic Legal Studies. Patrick will be joined by his coblogistas Rick Garnett and Amy Uelmen at the conference here at Villanova Law on September 15, 2006. We will be sending out a more formal announcement with details down the road:

"The Chair established by John F. Scarpa is to offer an annual conference on a topic in Catholic Legal Studies. The first Scarpa Conference is set for September 15, 2006. The topic is "From John Paul II to Benedict XVI: Continuing the New Evangelization of Law, Politics, and Culture." This turns out to be particularly apt and timely in light of particular teachings in Pope Benedict's first encyclical, which was published just two days ago.

I am most grateful to be able to announce that His Eminence Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., has accepted my invitation to deliver the keynote address at the first Scarpa Conference. The Cardinal is arguably the most respected Catholic intellectual in the United States. He is, in any event, the only American theologian ever to be created a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. Most Cardinals are bishops of major dioceses. Cardinal Dulles is not a bishop. He is a Cardinal in virtue of the twenty-two books and more than seven hundred articles he has published since graduating from Harvard College in 1940. His visit here will be a great honor to Villanova.

Also delivering papers will be Richard Garnett (Lilly Endowment Associate Professor, Notre Dame Law School) and Amy Uelmen (Director, Institute on Religion, Law, and Lawyer's Work, Fordham University School of Law), and Brennan.

Please save the date for what promises to be a rich exploration of the place of faith in the public square. If you have questions or suggestions regarding the conference, they will be gratefully received."

-- Mark