Episode 43: Catholic Social Teaching - Interview with Russell Hittinger

Five Books for Catholics

The books recommended in this episode are:

1. Arcanum and Casti connubii by Leo XIII and Pius XI
2. The Social Teachings of Wilhelm Emmanuel Von Ketteler: Bishop of Mainz (1811-1877) edited by Rupert J. Ederer
3. Catholic Social Teaching: A Volume of Scholarly Essays edited by Gerard V. Bradley and E. Christian Brugger
4. The Teachings of Modern Roman Catholicism on Law, Politics, and Human Nature edited by John Witte Jr. and Frank S. Alexander
5. Selected articles (1) ( 2) ( 3) (4) by John Courtney Murray SJ
6. Infidels and Empires in A New World Order: Early Modern Spanish Contributions to International Legal Thought by David M. Lantigua

Five Books for Catholics may receive a commission from qualifying purchases made using the affiliate links to the books listed.

“The social doctrine of the Church developed in the nineteenth century when the Gospel encountered modern industrial society with its new structures for the production of consumer goods, its new concept of society, the state and authority, and its new forms of labour and ownership.”(Catechism of the Catholic Church 2421) It “comprises a body of doctrine, which is articulated as the Church interprets events in the course of history, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, in the light of the whole of what has been revealed by Jesus Christ.” (n. 2422) It “proposes principles for reflection; provides criteria for judgment; gives guidelines for action” (n. 2423).

Nevertheless, deciphering and reconciling the ever-growing corpus of papal documents and pronouncements on modern society can be challenging. In this interview, Prof. Russell Hittinger discusses some recommended readings that can help us understand Catholic social teaching.

Dr. Russell Hittinger is currently Executive Director of The Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America, where he is also a Research Professor Ordinarius in the School of Philosophy. He is Emeritus Professor of Religion at the University of Tulsa and has taught or been a fellow at numerous other institutes of higher education. Since 2001, he is a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, to which he was elected a full member (ordinarius) in 2004, and appointed to the consilium or governing board from 2006-2018. On Sept. 8, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI appointed Professor Hittinger as an ordinarius in the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, in which he finished his ten-year term in 2019. His books and articles have appeared through the University of Notre Dame Press, Oxford University Press, Columbia University Press, Fordham University Press, the Review of Metaphysics, the Journal of Law and Religion, the Review of Politics, and several law journals (both American and European).

Read the interview at ⁠www.fivebooksforcatholics.com/catholic-social-teaching/

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