Podcasts about world catholicism

The world has a new pope, American Cardinal Robert Prevost, who will be known as Pope Leo XIV. Professor at the center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at De Paul University Dr. William Cavanaugh spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

In his most recent book, Human Rights in a Divided World: Catholicism as a Living Tradition (Georgetown UP, 2024), Jesuit scholar and Georgetown professor, Fr David Hollenbach explains the Judeo-Christian roots of our concept of human rights and the contributions of secular institutions like the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). He explains further when it is right for a country to intervene in the affairs of its neighbors, codified by the UN in 2005 as the Responsibility to Protect in answer to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that gave lie to the world's promise of “never again” after the horrors of the Holocaust. He contrasts the doctrine of R2P with the tragic case of a homicide in Kew Gardens in 1964 where 38 witnesses, all law-abiding “good people,” failed to intervene because they assumed someone else would do it. “Am I my brother's keeper?” Cain asked God (Gen 4:9). “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer asked Jesus (Lk 10:29), to which Our Lord told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Perhaps these questions are a little more complicated between sovereign nations than they are between travelers on a dangerous road, but Fr. David guides us through the Catholic Church's moral teachings, the principles of proportionality and of just war, and the ability and desire to do something even when we can't do everything. Fr David's book: Human Rights in a Divided World. Fr David's faculty website at Georgetown. Responsibility to Protect, the R2P doctrine at the UN website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

In his most recent book, Human Rights in a Divided World: Catholicism as a Living Tradition (Georgetown UP, 2024), Jesuit scholar and Georgetown professor, Fr David Hollenbach explains the Judeo-Christian roots of our concept of human rights and the contributions of secular institutions like the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). He explains further when it is right for a country to intervene in the affairs of its neighbors, codified by the UN in 2005 as the Responsibility to Protect in answer to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that gave lie to the world's promise of “never again” after the horrors of the Holocaust. He contrasts the doctrine of R2P with the tragic case of a homicide in Kew Gardens in 1964 where 38 witnesses, all law-abiding “good people,” failed to intervene because they assumed someone else would do it. “Am I my brother's keeper?” Cain asked God (Gen 4:9). “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer asked Jesus (Lk 10:29), to which Our Lord told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Perhaps these questions are a little more complicated between sovereign nations than they are between travelers on a dangerous road, but Fr. David guides us through the Catholic Church's moral teachings, the principles of proportionality and of just war, and the ability and desire to do something even when we can't do everything. Fr David's book: Human Rights in a Divided World. Fr David's faculty website at Georgetown. Responsibility to Protect, the R2P doctrine at the UN website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In his most recent book, Human Rights in a Divided World: Catholicism as a Living Tradition (Georgetown UP, 2024), Jesuit scholar and Georgetown professor, Fr David Hollenbach explains the Judeo-Christian roots of our concept of human rights and the contributions of secular institutions like the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). He explains further when it is right for a country to intervene in the affairs of its neighbors, codified by the UN in 2005 as the Responsibility to Protect in answer to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that gave lie to the world's promise of “never again” after the horrors of the Holocaust. He contrasts the doctrine of R2P with the tragic case of a homicide in Kew Gardens in 1964 where 38 witnesses, all law-abiding “good people,” failed to intervene because they assumed someone else would do it. “Am I my brother's keeper?” Cain asked God (Gen 4:9). “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer asked Jesus (Lk 10:29), to which Our Lord told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Perhaps these questions are a little more complicated between sovereign nations than they are between travelers on a dangerous road, but Fr. David guides us through the Catholic Church's moral teachings, the principles of proportionality and of just war, and the ability and desire to do something even when we can't do everything. Fr David's book: Human Rights in a Divided World. Fr David's faculty website at Georgetown. Responsibility to Protect, the R2P doctrine at the UN website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/politics-and-polemics

In his most recent book, Human Rights in a Divided World: Catholicism as a Living Tradition (Georgetown UP, 2024), Jesuit scholar and Georgetown professor, Fr David Hollenbach explains the Judeo-Christian roots of our concept of human rights and the contributions of secular institutions like the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). He explains further when it is right for a country to intervene in the affairs of its neighbors, codified by the UN in 2005 as the Responsibility to Protect in answer to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that gave lie to the world's promise of “never again” after the horrors of the Holocaust. He contrasts the doctrine of R2P with the tragic case of a homicide in Kew Gardens in 1964 where 38 witnesses, all law-abiding “good people,” failed to intervene because they assumed someone else would do it. “Am I my brother's keeper?” Cain asked God (Gen 4:9). “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer asked Jesus (Lk 10:29), to which Our Lord told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Perhaps these questions are a little more complicated between sovereign nations than they are between travelers on a dangerous road, but Fr. David guides us through the Catholic Church's moral teachings, the principles of proportionality and of just war, and the ability and desire to do something even when we can't do everything. Fr David's book: Human Rights in a Divided World. Fr David's faculty website at Georgetown. Responsibility to Protect, the R2P doctrine at the UN website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

In his most recent book, Human Rights in a Divided World: Catholicism as a Living Tradition (Georgetown UP, 2024), Jesuit scholar and Georgetown professor, Fr David Hollenbach explains the Judeo-Christian roots of our concept of human rights and the contributions of secular institutions like the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). He explains further when it is right for a country to intervene in the affairs of its neighbors, codified by the UN in 2005 as the Responsibility to Protect in answer to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide that gave lie to the world's promise of “never again” after the horrors of the Holocaust. He contrasts the doctrine of R2P with the tragic case of a homicide in Kew Gardens in 1964 where 38 witnesses, all law-abiding “good people,” failed to intervene because they assumed someone else would do it. “Am I my brother's keeper?” Cain asked God (Gen 4:9). “Who is my neighbor?” The lawyer asked Jesus (Lk 10:29), to which Our Lord told the parable of the Good Samaritan.  Perhaps these questions are a little more complicated between sovereign nations than they are between travelers on a dangerous road, but Fr. David guides us through the Catholic Church's moral teachings, the principles of proportionality and of just war, and the ability and desire to do something even when we can't do everything. Fr David's book: Human Rights in a Divided World. Fr David's faculty website at Georgetown. Responsibility to Protect, the R2P doctrine at the UN website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peter has been a Professor at Duke Divinity School since 2020. Before Duke, he taught at Notre Dame and was the founding director of DePaul's Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology. He has published a monograph, Word as Bread: Language and Theology in Nicholas of Cusa. On November 15, 2024, his edited volume of the essays of Louis Dupré, Thinking the Unknowable, appeared with the University of Notre Dame Press.​In this conversation, Peter and I explored the relationship between art and theology with a focus on both theological aesthetics and the prophetic role of art. We discussed the influence of the Holy Spirit in the creative process, the significance of cultural symbols, and the contributions of Santero artists in Latin American culture. Our dialogue also touched on the impact of Thomas Merton in visual art, the role of reredos and moradas in Christian art history, and the blending of Spanish and indigenous traditions in Latino art as a reflection of cultural identity and spirituality.

One of the pathologies that produce poverty in the current economic system is the simultaneous deification of things and reification of people: we invest divinity in material things, while people are treated as instruments toward profit. William T. Cavanaugh explores the Eucharist as an antidote to this idolatry. The Eucharist provides a better, sacramental way of seeing God's presence in the material world, while simultaneously offering an identification of people, especially the poor, with God in Christ.Speakers:William T. Cavanaugh, Ph.D., Professor of Catholic Studies and Director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University Jenny Newsome Martin, Ph.D., Department of Theology, University of Notre DameThanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

In 2022, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) announced that the Church in this country would undertake a Eucharistic Revival, as a way to bolster Catholics' belief in the real presence of Christ–body, blood, soul, and divinity–in the Eucharist. This Eucharistic Revival will culminate in a nationwide pilgrimage to the city of Indianapolis in July 2024. In the months leading up to this pilgrimage, the McGrath Institute for Church Life is contributing to this revival by underscoring the intrinsic connection between the Eucharist and Catholic social teaching. Why are we concerned about the link between Eucharistic devotion among Catholics and our commitment to social justice? Because the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “the Eucharist commits us to the poor” (CCC, n. 1397). Because Pope Benedict XVI declared in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est that “A Eucharist which does not pass over into the concrete practice of love is intrinsically fragmented” (Deus Caritas Est, n.14. ). And because we have it on good authority that whenever we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, shelter the homeless, welcome the stranger, we encounter Christ, Who assures that whatever you have done to the least among you, you do for me (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). Thus our devotion to the Body of Christ in the Eucharist must be accompanied by our equally fervent devotion to serve the entire human family, especially the poor and those who are in any way oppressed. This theme will be taken up by the Office of Life and Human Dignity at the McGrath Institute for Church Life in an eight-part series of Conversations That Matter. In our first event, moderator Michael Baxter, Ph.D., ‘83 M.Div., visiting associate professor at the McGrath Institute, will be joined by Jennifer Newsome Martin, Ph.D. and Emmanuel Katongole, Ph.D., both professors of Theology at the University of Notre Dame, and William T. Cavanaugh, Ph.D. '84, a Notre Dame alum and professor of Catholic Studies and director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University. They will explore the intrinsic connection between the Eucharist and Catholic Social Teaching, especially as it concerns the poor. Join us as we ask how, why, and in what ways “the Eucharist commits us to the poor.”Thanks for listening! The ThinkND Podcast is brought to you by ThinkND, the University of Notre Dame's online learning community. We connect you with videos, podcasts, articles, courses, and other resources to inspire minds and spark conversations on topics that matter to you — everything from faith and politics, to science, technology, and your career. Learn more about ThinkND and register for upcoming live events at think.nd.edu. Join our LinkedIn community for updates, episode clips, and more.

Al Roxburgh and Jenny Sinclair talk with Bill Cavanaugh about how, as Christians, we might understand the shifting and disruption of our times. Bill proposes that rather than reading the signs through the lens of secularisation, we should think in terms of “the migration of the holy”. He contends that the holy has migrated to the immanent categories of contemporary life in, for example, our captivity by money, consumerism, or the big tech oligarchs. In doing so, he gives us a helpful way of engaging the unravelling and understanding the nature of our modern “Egypt”.  William T. Cavanaugh is Professor of Catholic Studies and Director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University in Chicago. A widely-published theologian specialising in political theology and ecclesiology, he is the recipient of the 2023 Cortelyou-Lowery Award. Heavily influenced by working in the slums of Santiago, Chile under the military dictatorship, his work involves mentoring and support for under-resourced scholars and practitioners across the Global South. His work is concerned with the social implications of Catholic social doctrine and the Church's social and political presence in situations of violence and economic injustice. - Links -For Alan J Roxburgh:http://alanroxburgh.com/abouthttps://www.themissionalnetwork.com/author/alan-roxburgh/https://journalofmissionalpractice.com/alan-roxburghTwitter: https://twitter.com/alanjroxburgh?lang=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/alan.roxburgh.127/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecommonsnetworkJoining God in the Great Unraveling https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-God-Great-Unraveling-Learned/dp/1725288508/ref=sr_1_Leadership, God's Agency and Disruptions https://www.amazon.ca/Leadership-Gods-Agency-Disruptions-Confronting/dp/1725271745/refJoining God, Remaking Church, Changing the World: The New Shape of the Church in Our Time https://www.amazon.ca/Joining-Remaking-Church-Changing-World/dp/0819232114/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2NHGW8KB7L0SQ&keywords=Alan+J+Roxburgh&qid=1687098960&s=books&sprefix=alan+j+roxburgh%2Cstripbooks%2C130&sr=1-3For Jenny Sinclair:Website: https://togetherforthecommongood.co.uk/from-jenny-sinclairLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-sinclair-0589783b/Twitter: https://twitter.com/T4CGFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/TogetherForTheCommonGoodUKInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/t4cg_insta/For William T Cavanaugh:https://las.depaul.edu/academics/catholic-studies/faculty/Pages/william-cavanaugh.aspxTorture and Eucharist (1998)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Torture-Eucharist-Theology-Challenges-Contemporary/dp/0631211993The Myth of Religious Violence (2009)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Myth-Religious-Violence-Ideology-Conflict/dp/0195385047/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=VvDsF&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=260-3097777-8583156&pd_rd_wg=T3BgMigrations of the Holy: Theologies of State and Church (2011)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Migrations-Holy-Political-Meaning-Church/dp/0802866093/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=VvDsF&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=260-3097777-8583156&pd_rd_wg=T3BgzField Hospital: The Church's Engagement with a Wounded World (2016)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Field-Hospital-Churchs-Engagement-Wounded/dp/0802872972/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=Xoyww&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=260-3097777-8583156&pd_rd_wg=njOjThe Uses of Idolatry (forthcoming, Oxford UP, 2024)https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uses-Idolatry-William-T-Cavanaugh/dp/0197679056 Get full access to Leaving Egypt at leavingegyptpodcast.substack.com/subscribe

The Luminaries series is a collection of interviews with premier thinkers working in the theological academy and the church. Dr. William T. Cavanaugh is a prolific theologian, professor at Depaul University in Chicago, and is known especially for his work in political theology. He is also a husband and father of three sons. In this interview, Professor Cavanaugh and I talk about a whole host of subjects, including Cavanaugh's mentor, Stanley Hauerwas, the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the dangers of Donald Trump and the Republican Party. Apologies for the glitches and poor sound quality in parts of the episode. We are actively working to strengthen WiFi signals and microphone quality. PODCAST LINKS: Blog post: https://wipfandstock.com/blog/2022/07/11/he-did-not-take-revenge-on-the-torturers-an-interview-with-william-t-cavanaugh/ Author page: https://wipfandstock.com/author/william-t-cavanaugh/ CONNECT: Website: https://wipfandstock.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvht9V0Pndgvwh5vkpe0GGw Twitter: https://twitter.com/wipfandstock Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wipfandstock Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wipfandstock/ SOURCES MENTIONED: Cavanaugh, William T. Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire. ———. “Electing Republicans has not reversed Roe v. Wade. It's time to change our strategy.” ———. Field Hospital: The Church's Engagement with a Wounded World. ———, ed. Fragile World: Ecology and the Church. ———, ed. Gathered in my Name: Ecumenism in the World Church. ———. “I had to learn to love the church; then I had to learn to love God.” How My Mind Has Changed. ———. The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict. ———. Theopolitical Imagination: Discovering the Liturgy as a Political Act in an Age of Global Consumerism. ———. Torture and Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ. Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology. Coolman, Holly Taylor. “The 12 things pro-lifers must do if Roe v. Wade is overturned.” Francis, Pope. Laudato si'. Hartch, Todd. The Rebirth of Latin American Christianity. Hauerwas, Stanley. The Hauerwas Reader. Radner, Ephraim. A Brutal Unity: The Spiritual Politics of the Christian Church. Zizioulas, John D. The Eucharistic Communion and the World. OUTLINE: (01:21) - Stanley Hauerwas (06:11) - Partisanship (10:11) - Roe v. Wade, Abortion, and the Church (15:12) - Church as Field Hospital (18:49) - The Church's Witness, or Lack Thereof (22:17) - The Eucharist (25:09) - The Church and Violence (29:35) - Theology through a Global Lens (34:57) - Ecumenism on the Global Stage (39:03) - The Church's Role in Ecological Issues (42:48) - Pope Francis Compared to His Papal Predecessors (47:23) - Changing Your Mind

"Faithful investing is not just a matter of being benevolent to the less fortunate. It is an effort to see the world rightly, which is the first task in any attempt to be a moral person. To treat people as children of God with their own proper dignity, one must first see them and see the ways we are already interconnected, for better and for worse."This episode features Dr. William Cavanaugh reading his recent publication to The Journal for Faith & Investing entitled, "Why Does My Baloney Have a First Name?". William T. Cavanaugh is Professor of Catholic Studies and Director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University.  His degrees are from the universities of Notre Dame, Cambridge, and Duke.  He is the author of eight books and editor of six more.  His books include Torture and Eucharist (Blackwell), Being Consumed (Eerdmans), and The Myth of Religious Violence(Oxford).  He has given invited lectures on six continents, and his writings have been translated into 14 languages.  His is married and has three sons.On the podcast today:Matt Galyon, Associate Director for ECFIDr. William Cavanaugh, Professor at DePaul UniversityNotes & Links:View our Journal for Faith & InvestingView our CoursesThis communication is provided for informational purposes only and was made possible with the financial support of Eventide Asset Management, LLC (“Eventide”), an investment adviser. Eventide Center for Faith and Investing is an educational initiative of Eventide. Information contained herein has been obtained from third-party sources believed to be reliable.Any reference to Eventide's Business 360® approach is provided for illustrative purposes only and indicates a general framework of guiding principles that inform Eventide's overall research process. Statements made by ECFI should not be interpreted as a recommendation or advice pertaining to any security. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal. 

Dr. Michael L. Budde is Professor of Catholic Studies and Political Science at DePaul University, where he also serves as Senior Research Scholar in the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology (CWCIT). His research explores the intersections of ecclesiology, political economy, and culture. Much of his contemporary research flows from the work of DePaul's Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology, a research center focusing on Catholicism in the so-called global South and as a worldwide religious community. Mike serves the Center as a senior research professor, and, with his colleagues, hosts visiting scholars from Africa, Asia, Latin America, and elsewhere in exploring important questions in theology, politics, history, and culture. Mike is the author or editor of ten books, including The Borders of Baptism: Identities, Allegiances and the Church, The (Magic) Kingdom of God: Christianity and Global Culture Industries, Christianity Incorporated: How Big Business is Buying the Church, and The Two Churches: Catholicism and Capitalism in the World System. His work has appeared in journals including Modern Theology, Concilium, Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, and Studies in Christian Ethics. He received his Ph.D. in Political Economy from Northwestern University. His upcoming book is Foolishness to the Gentiles. Mike is one of the founders and was the first coordinator of the Ekklesia Project and has contributed significantly to the resources it offers. In this episode we talk broadly about Mike's thought and about how both the political and economic agendas of the United States have formative influences on Christians and churches that compromise the capacity of Christians and churches to live faithfully the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Mike has an exceptionally prophetic ability to hold a mirror up to us so that we as Christians and churches are able to see ourselves and our compromises more fully and truthfully. At the same time, he also has a wonderfully pastoral way of providing us the wisdom and guidance in knowing how to move forward as more authentic witnesses to the Gospel. The music for this episode is from a clip of a song called 'Father Let Your Kingdom Come' which is found on The Porter's Gate Worship Project Work Songs album and is used by permission by The Porter's Gate Worship Project. You can learn more about the album and the Worship Project at theportersgate.com.

In this episode, Malcolm interviews Professor William T. Cavanaugh about his book on Christian economics, Being Consumed. Background Before we discussed the book, I asked Professor Cavanaugh to discuss his background. He talked about his academic background in theology and his time working as a lay volunteer in Chile under the Pinochet military dictatorship. His first book, Torture and Eucharist, was inspired by his experience in Chile. It describes torture as the “liturgy” of the military dictatorship, aimed at atomizing society, and the Eucharist as the Church’s liturgy, aimed at building up the body of Christ. He also discussed his work as director of The Center for World Catholicism & Intercultural Theology, a research center on the Church in the Global South. In particular, he mentioned how vibrant the Church is in some of the poorer countries of the Global South, and how just before the pandemic he visited the Catholic seminary of Enugu, Nigeria which has 855 men in formation. Being Consumed Economics as Moral Theology Then we turned to discussing Being Consumed. The introduction contains the line “Some Christians may be tempted to assume that economics is a discipline autonomous from theology.” Historically, Christians saw economics as a branch of moral theology. In modern times, by contrast, economics has been treated as a separate science. This makes it easier for Christians to justify immoral economic behavior. There shouldn’t be any area of our lives which is separate from our Faith. Our economic life, which has such a large impact on our relationships with one another, should definitely be informed by our Faith. In the Old Testament, God’s concern for economic justice is clear. Similarly, as described in the New Testament, the Early Church shared goods in common and cared for the poor. What is a Free Market? The first chapter of Being Consumed covers the concept of freedom as applied to the economy. Christians don’t have to oppose the idea of a free market. On the other hand, we should criticize the flawed concept of freedom held by many “free market” theorists. They tend to hold a purely negative view of freedom. A negative view of freedom focuses on an absence of external constraints. For this reason, free market apologists tend to see all economic exchanges as free unless one party directly coerces or deceives the other. Negative freedom is a necessary component of true freedom. It is not, however, sufficient to make an action truly free. The Christian tradition contains an emphasis on positive freedom. Positive freedom is “freedom for”, as opposed to “freedom from”. During the podcast, Professor Cavanaugh used playing the piano to illustrate these two concepts. In a negative sense, someone is free to play the piano so long as nobody stops them. In a positive sense, only those who have learned to play the piano are really free to do so. Other people can bang on the keys, but are not actually free to play it. Positive freedom applied to economics means that a truly free market should promote the dignity and well-being of all. Economic transactions that demean human dignity are not truly free. Further, in judging the freedom of an economic exchange, we need to take into account disparities of power. In Being Consumed, the low wages of many sweatshop workers are used as an illustration of this point. If such workers don’t accept these low wages, they will starve. They aren’t really free in this situation. The multinational companies have a lot of power, and the workers have very little. In some cases, the workers actually are coerced by a government which intervenes on the side of the corporations. Professor Cavanaugh said that a “free market” often means one in which corporations are free. For instance, the oppressive Pinochet regime supported a supposedly “free” market. Speaking of this situation, the Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano said that “people were in prison so that prices could be free.” The Social Mortgage on Private Property The Church does accept the legitimacy of private property. In part, this acceptance is a concession to a fallen world. It also stems from a realization of the social benefits that can come from private ownership. The Church does not, however, recognize private property as absolute. Rather, the Church teaches the universal destination of human goods. This means that private property is only legitimate insofar as it serves the common good. Professor Cavanaugh mentioned St. John Paul II’s teaching on the “social mortgage”: It is necessary to state once more the characteristic principle of Christian social doctrine: the goods of this world are originally meant for all. The right to private property is valid and necessary, but it does not nullify the value of this principle. Private property, in fact, is under a “social mortgage,” which means that it has an intrinsically social function, based upon and justified precisely by the principle of the universal destination of goods. Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, VI, 42 This emphasis on the social purpose of ownership goes all the way back to the Old Testament. The New Testament reiterates this teaching and raises it to a higher level. Use Value instead of Exchange Value One of the problems with our current economy is an excessive focus on exchange value. The ultimate purpose of the economy is providing for human needs. Use value is a measure of this kind of fulfillment. Exchange value, on the other hand, is a measure of the salability of an item. A focus on exchange value leads to commodification. Commodities are not seen as useful, but merely as saleable. This can lead to bizarre consequences. Among other examples, I mentioned that at the beginning of the Covid pandemic, many farmers ended up plowing under their crops. The farm operations were designed to sell exclusively to the restaurant trade. With this market opportunity temporarily unavailable, the food had no value as a commodity. At the same time, many people were going hungry. The use value of the food was as high as ever, but due to a focus on exchange value it was unable to be used. Professor Cavanaugh pointed out that this emphasis on exchange value leads to the proliferation of advertising. We are shown shiny images of things that can be quickly shipped to our doorstep. They arrive in packages with a smile on them. What we don’t see is the conditions under which they are made. Products become more important than the people. This is fundamentally incoherent, since products are designed to serve human beings. Detachment Christians are supposed to be detached from the world. Our modern economy also promotes a kind of detachment. We tend not to be attached to any particular thing. Unlike those in more thrifty cultures, we’re constantly throwing things away and replacing them with the next thing. Christian detachment is supposed to leave us free to become attached to God and attentive to the needs of others. The modern “detachment”, however, leaves us attached to the very process of consumption itself. The Eucharist as Anti-Consumptive in Being Consumed Professor Cavanaugh said that he has sometimes been criticized for saying that the Eucharist “does things” apart from the disposition of those receiving. It is of course true that things can be misused, and the Eucharist is no exception. The Eucharist can be, and often is, seen as a merely individual, consumptive experience. Parishes can become “Mass stops” where we go to “get our sacraments.” The reality of the Eucharist, however, is deeply anti-consumptive. In our current economy, we consume things, thereby taking them into our possession. Our consumption of the Eucharist, however, is the opposite. In the Eucharist, we are taken up into a larger whole. We become part of the body of Christ, which includes all those who receive the Eucharist with us. Chapter 4 of Being Consumed includes the following line: “Those of us who partake of the Eucharist while ignoring the hungry may be eating and drinking our own damnation.” This is extremely important. We need a holism of life, a certain kind of “Eucharistic Coherence.” We can’t partake in the sacrament of unity and then spend the rest of week exploiting and abusing our brothers and sisters in Christ. This connection between serving others and partaking in the Eucharist goes back to the Early Church, as seen in the teaching of Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. It goes even further back to St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians. We can’t fall into the modern temptation to separate our lives into watertight compartments. Practical Responses to the Message of Being Consumed Professor Cavanaugh suggests that in reclaiming our economic lives, we should focus on our problematic detachment from three different aspects of our economy: detachment from production, from producers, and from products. To combat our detachment from production, we should take back up the practice of making things for ourselves, even if on a small scale. To combat our detachment from producers, we should consider the impact of our economic decisions on others, particularly those who make our goods. To combat our detachment from products, we should avoid advertising as much as we can. We should cultivate satisfaction with what we have, instead of searching for the latest model. Conclusion Being Consumed is a great examination of the Christian view of economic activity, and is accessible to those without a specialized background. I highly recommend it; we were only able to cover a few of the many concepts discussed in the book. And I’m very grateful to Professor Cavanaugh for joining the discussion. Header Image: Book Cover image courtesy of Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. Amazon warehouse image from D K, CC BY-NC 2.0

In this episode of the RS podcast, Heart in a Heartless World,, our guest is Colleen Shaddox, a devout Roman Catholic, a committed socialist, and a veteran healthcare journalist. Shaddox’s articles have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, NPR, and many other outlets. Along with her co-author Joanne Goldblum, Shaddox just completed a book on the everyday lives of persons living in poverty and the broken policies that cause their suffering. Shaddox is interviewed in this episode by the Religion and Socialism Working Group member Fran Quigley. They discuss the connection between Catholicism and socialism, what socialism has to say about the COVID-19 pandemic and access to healthcare, what progressive Christians should be doing in response to reactionary Christianity, and Colleen’s interesting paths to Roman Catholicism, socialism, and writing about healthcare. “It’s Matthew 25, right?” Shaddox says. “You're supposed to feed the hungry and care for the sick, and we don't do that under capitalism.” Some of Colleen Shaddox’s healthcare journalism can be found here, and her book can be pre-ordered here. Look on our website for more about DSA’s Religion and Socialism Working Group.

In this episode of the Bridge Builder, we're talking about Catholicism and nationalism. Are these two things at odds, or can one be a good Catholic and hold a strong patriotism for one's country. We speak with Dr. William Cavanaugh a professor of Catholic Studies at DePaul University and director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology. In this week's mailbag segment we are addressing the issue of legalizing recreational marijuana use, why the Minnesota bishops have come out in opposition to legalization, and what it could also mean to decriminalize the recreational use of marijuana. We round out this episode with the bricklayer segment. This week we have an opportunity for you to make your presence speak out against assisted suicide and promote real care throughout life's journey.

Excarnation vs. Incarnation -- An Interview with Dr. William Cavanaugh -- 04/11/18. We speak with Dr. William Cavanaugh, the director of Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology (CWCIT), professor of Catholic Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, and author of many wonderful books (https://works.bepress.com/william_cavanaugh/). We expound on his concept of "excarnation," the inverse of the Christian insistence on the "materiality" of the faith. We celebrate the Risen Body of Jesus Christ this Eastertide as a Church, so it makes sense to ask, what takes us away from our bodies and the hope that they will be Resurrected at the end of time?

William T. Cavanaugh is director of the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology and professor of Catholic Studies at DePaul University. He is author of "The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict" (Oxford University Press, 2009).

William T. Cavanaugh, director of Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology and a professor of Catholic Studies at DePaul University in Chicago, speaks on the topic of Secularism and Idolatry. Cavanaugh is the author of Torture and the Eucharist: Theology, Politics, and the Body of Christ, Theopolitical Imagination, Being Consumed: Economics and Christian Desire, The Myth of Religious Violence: Secular Ideology and the Roots of Modern Conflict, and Migrations of the Holy.

Dr.Peter Casarella is Professor of Catholic Studies and Director for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology at DePaul University.Recorded 9/16/12.