Call for Papers: CST and Citizenship at Villanova Law

Just in time for the general election!

Symposium on Catholic Social Thought and the Law

Catholic Social Thought and Citizenship

Villanova University School of Law

October 11, 2008

CALL FOR PAPERS

On the eve of the 2008 election, Villanova University School of Law's sixth annual symposium on Catholic social thought will take up the question of citizenship and political participation. Every four years, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops releases a document entitled "Faithful Citizenship," and the media engage in speculation about the "Catholic vote." The Bishops assert that "responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in public life is a moral obligation." After visiting America, Alexis de Tocqueville worried that Christianity neglected the duty of citizenship while also arguing that religion was the first of America's political institutions.

But Catholic social thought arguably lacks a coherent account of citizenship. As John Coleman, S.J., complained in the pages of Commonweal over 20 years ago, "Christianity has not adequately adumbrated or embodied the moral ideal of the citizen in its social ethics or popular preaching."  Among the questions to be addressed by the symposium are the responsibilities of citizenship in Catholic social teaching, the relationship between faithful citizenship and voting, the role of the American Catholic Church in public life, the duties of public officials, and the historical development of citizenship in Catholic social thought. The Symposium will bring together legal scholars, political scientists, theologians, and philosophers to explore the implications of citizenship for Catholic legal theory.

Articles presented at the Conference will be considered for publication in the Journal of Catholic Social Thought, a peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal published by Villanova University.  Please submit paper proposals or requests for more information to:

Dean Mark A. Sargent

[email protected] 

or

Professor Michael Moreland

[email protected]