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In the 1740s and 1750s, the public scene in Italy was abuzz with a debate weighing the pros and cons of swallowing small pieces of paper with a prayer to the Virgin Immaculate printed on them. Having been introduced to the city of Naples by the Jesuit missionary Francesco Pepe, the practice drew the ire of the Catholic reformer Ludovico Antonio Muratori, whose pointed intervention entailed a flurry of publications from both Jesuits and Franciscans. Responding to Muratori, these authors actively sought to establish the paper pills as part of an embodied and sensual religion superior to the reading of pious texts that Muratori was proposing as an alternative to baroque Catholicism. Leveraging Muratori's elitism, his critics touted the paper pills as an expression of the untainted religion of uneducated men and women uncorrupted by the reading revolution that was converting sections of the elite to enlightened values. In later decades, this populist corporeal, anti-intellectual religion was weaponized against the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. Drawing on insights from religious media studies, this article argues that the battle between baroque and reform Catholicism should not be seen exclusively as one of ideas, but rather as embedded in a complex media configuration in which partook both sides of the argument and which accounts for the unlikely survival of baroque Catholicism in the age of mass reading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principle of subsidiarity, which also appeared in antiquity, was refined and perfected by the Catholic Church. The essence of the principle of subsidiarity is to ensure that decision-making takes place as close as possible to the individuals, thus avoiding unnecessary centralisation and encouraging effective decentralisation. The rationale behind this principle is the recognition that higher levels of government do not always have an adequate level of insight or understanding of local realities, and that decision-making should therefore be taken at the lowest possible level of authority to achieve the best quality of governance. The principle of subsidiarity is a fundamental principle of the European Union’s decision-making system. A return to subsidiarity can play an important role in the constitutional disputes that have been revived in recent years between national constitutional courts and the Court of Justice of the European Union. This paper analyses the evolution of the subsidiarity principle in EU decision-making and the institutions and procedures that are supposed to guarantee its application. By examining the political and legal enforceability of the principle of subsidiarity, the paper draws conclusions on the present state of the enforcement of the principle and makes some proposals for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scandals are momentous events with far-reaching consequences for organizations and society, but we still know relatively little about the contextual conditions that enable them. In this paper, we develop and test a theory of the publicization of organizational misconduct—that is, of how an act of wrongdoing by an organization becomes widely publicized, thereby giving rise to a scandal; or receives little coverage, with little or no consequence for the offending organization. We argue that communities have structural features that affect the social cost of making information public as well as its dissemination, shaping the likelihood of organizational misconduct being publicized in the process. We test and find evidence in support of our arguments using data on sex abuse in the U.S. Catholic Church between 1980 and 2010, and exploring the heterogeneity in the publicization of patterns of misconduct by Catholic clergy across dioceses and over time. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for the scholarly understanding of organizational misconduct and scandals across settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mexican Studies / Estudios Mexicanos is the property of University of California Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper aims to provide a pastoral response to the increase in the number of suicides in the Philippines during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper will look into the reasons and statistics related to suicide since there was a sudden spike in number during the pandemic. The See–Discern–Act method is used in this study so that the current social issue will be viewed from the teachings of the Church. First, we will discuss the reports on the cases of mental health issues. This issue has alarmed several professionals that focus on protecting one's mental health. Second, we will discuss key concepts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church to present the view on suicide. Also, John Paul II's Evangelium Vitae will be cited to provide a perspective on the value of human life. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church will also be tackled to explain the Church's view on mental health and well-being. Third, we will attempt to unearth the mental well-being of some Filipinos concerning suicide cases in the Philippines in light of the Church's teachings. Hence, our goal is to provide a perspective on this problem using the teachings of the Church on human life so that we may draw a proposed pastoral theological response. Hence, we propose that the Church must provide plans for prevention, intervention, and postvention when it comes to people involved in any suicide case as these actions are aligned with the goal of the Church to take care of those who suffer from mental illness and emphasize the value of human life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of HiSTOReLo: Revista de Historia Regional y Local is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Centro Editorial Facultad de Ciencias Humanas y Economicas and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper navigates the complex roles that the Catholic Church assumes in fragile democracies, exploring whether it functions as an influencer, a moral guide, or a judge in shaping public policies and societal values using the Peruvian context as a focal reference. The authors begin by providing an overview of the global religious landscape, highlighting the diverse and polarized trends within the ecclesial institution. In the second part of this paper, this study delves into the homilies of two influential Peruvian prelates, Mgr. Cipriani and Mgr. Castillo, representing opposing theological currents within the Catholic Church, offering a pertinent exploration of how religious institutions engage with evolving international and local trends in the context of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mission of the Triune God--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--is the focus of this paper since the missio Dei perspective is essential to every section. To bring people from all tribes, nations, kingdoms, and languages together in eternal worship of Him, the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. Churches and communities must partake in the mission of God in the world because the gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached. God uses the church as his instrument to proclaim his kingdom to people from all walks of life. Thus, followers of Jesus Christ who engage in the missio Dei--bring love, hope, and peace to a broken and lost world--and should be true to God's calling. God chose people to establish his kingdom and bestows blessings upon them so that they may bless every nation on the earth. God's humanity and God's entire creation are ultimately reconciled and healed by the kingdom. Through Jesus Christ, people can receive the Good News of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. This paper comes from a chapter in a larger PhD study in Missiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how Korean migrant churches in Aotearoa New Zealand can find a balance between missions (understood as extending the Church) and Mission1 (construed as participation in the missio Dei), in relation to their sense of belonging. For this purpose, the research uses a qualitative methodology interview method guided by interpretivism. The paper begins by identifying key contextual factors related to Koreans in New Zealand as migrants, Christians and missional beings. The responses of 31 research participants regarding what constitutes a “sense of belonging” are analysed in terms of visible and invisible belonging. Visible belonging is associated with churches that have strong boundaries, and invisible belonging is found in one’s relationship with God; the two can be correlated with missions and Mission, respectively. The analysis suggests that a missional understanding can be a trigger for enabling interaction between visible belonging as missions and invisible belonging as Mission, through three missional concepts: purpose, progress and experience. Finally, the paper suggests practical ways that Korean churches in New Zealand can balance missions and Mission by following three missional guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the emergence of sex education in the early 20th century is well studied, religious reactions to it remained under-studied. The paper addresses this gap by analysing the emergence of Roman Catholic sex education in the German-speaking area from the turn of the century to the 1930s. It explores official doctrinal guidelines, inner-Catholic debates, and the growing body of Catholic sex education publications. The paper argues that for the Roman Catholic Church, sex education was not a mere pedagogical problem but a topic that raised overarching questions such as how to deal with modern natural sciences, female emancipation, or the secular school system. The findings suggest that lay people and clergy working in pastoral care were the driving force for the modernisation of the discourse vis-à-vis a more conservative church authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walter M. Miller Jr's A Canticle for Leibowitz (1959) is an enigmatic text. It is a depressing tale of the evitability of technoscientific civilization ending in apocalypse, a comedic story of ignorant monks producing gold-embellished illuminated copies of electronic circuit blueprints and an ambiguous examination of the tensions between faith and science. This paper reads A Canticle for Leibowitz as an examination of legality. Drawing inspiration from Carl Schmitt's observation that Catholicism has a "juridical logic," this paper identifies that A Canticle for Leibowitz brings to life, and questions, the Thomist worldview of reason, reasonability and layered orders. It is a novel that brings to life, but also interrogates, Catholic intellectualism. It is tempting to conclude that Miller argues for a Thomist ethic of responsibility to temper technoscientific self-destruction. However, that is not where the novel ends. Its endings are hopeful, notwithstanding the nuclear holocaust in the final pages. There are suggestions of new nomoi: In the diasporic human extra-terrestrial colonies, ministered to by a nomadic Church, and a radiated Eden inherited by humanity's prelapsarian successors anticipated in the coming to life of Rachel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, unmarried mothers have suffered greatly in Irish society. Advocacy for unmarried mothers began in the 1970s with the emergence of the women's movement in Ireland. 'Cherish' became one of the first organisation in Ireland to push for rights for unmarried mothers. This article is the first comprehensive study into the organisation exploring its establishment and development throughout the late twentieth century. Against the backdrop of the larger women's movement, this article focuses on the early years of the campaign incorporating the push for unmarried mothers allowance; accommodation assistance offered; advice on legal issues including maintenance; as well as lobbying politicians on legislative change. It incorporates the organisation's connection with the Catholic Church whilst simultaneously and unapologetically challenging Archbishop Dermot Ryan on prejudices against unmarried mothers. In the 1980s, the group faced new challenges as more women with unplanned pregnancies sought information on abortion. The organisations link with the Catholic Church diminished throughout the 1980s as Cherish began to direct women to abortion information helplines and openly supported the Defend the Clinics Campaign, despite their receipt of state funding. The establishment of Cherish and its commitment to advocacy for women in crisis pregnancy has been somewhat overlooked in the historical analysis of the Irish women's movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From Schmitt's first use of the term in 1922, political theology has become a very potent topic not just for the theological analyses, but for political and philosophical as well. A number of thinkers from Catholic or Protestant space have written a lot on this topic, trying to highlight this relation of the Christianity and politics. But, as far as we are familiar, there are not a lot of studies on Orthodoxy and politics. Just in the recent years, a several studies were published tackling this relation. In this paper we would try to deal with this relation, and to offer a plausible answer why Orthodoxy couldn't provide satisfying political theology, or why Orthodoxy wasn't interested in social, cultural and political reality, as that was the case with Catholicism or Protestantism. For that reason, the paper will use historical approach, tracking the origins of the current situation in modern Orthodoxy back in the ancient history of Christianity, but in the history of philosophy, as well. We will try to offer an answer to the obvious question posed by numerous researchers before - why Orthodoxy couldn't produce social, cultural and political reality, as that was the case with western Christianity? While Western Christianity not only became „politicized“, but also managed to create a specific social and cultural ethos. Even more - it managed to create cultural products, derived from their specific confessional space. Tracking back the historical circumstances in Orthodoxy, our conclusion is that it is due to the inherent mysticism of Orthodoxy that doesn't allowed faith to be „secularized“ into political realities. This paper will also examine the different approaches in East and West Christianity. Actually, this difference will be our main focus, so through it we can strengthen our thesis more firmly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Arquitecturas del Sur is the property of Facultad de Arquitectura, Construccion y Diseno, Universidad del Bio-Bio and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There are times when a shadow could be a reflection of reality. The existence of man denotes that the Supreme Being creates humankind and from the writer's perspective, over the years, the logical questions centre on the existence of God. Verifiably, man's existence is traceable to the biological evidence at birth, and the question is who is God and how does He come into being? The thrust of the paper is to discuss the rationale behind a Christian's faith in God, attempting to answer the question of the self-existence of God from philosophical and theological perspectives as a means of authenticating the doctrine of God concerning biblical justifications on the self-existence of God. The sovereignty of God is understood to mean that He is independent. The paper argues and alludes that the Word aseity comes from the Latin phrase a se, meaning 'from' or 'by himself'. Aseity is arguably the most fundamental divine characteristic of God; the Church fathers acknowledged the role of philosophy in the doing of theology; this is established by discussing the interplay of philosophy and theology, with many considering that philosophy is significant to the theological appraisal of aseity. Philosophical arguments on the existence of God revolve around four major arguments, including the ontological arguments, cosmological arguments, teleological arguments and moral arguments. Theological assessment of the notion of divine aseity from a Christian perspective in the African context is traceable to the Africans' knowledge of God and the existence of God. This paper concludes that God is the most powerful being; it is only in God's existence that all things are meaningful and explainable; the paper also admits that God is self-sufficient and self-existent because He exists from nothing but His power and wisdom are eternal. Admittedly there are notable arguments for God's existence, including cosmological and ontological arguments. The sovereignty of God is understood to mean that He is independent, meaning that He depends on no one to survive. The fact that man can conceive the idea of God is in itself a unique proof that substantiates man's conviction about the divine aseity of God, and objectively, the concept of the doctrine God depicts that God's attribute has been defined as the core of a theological system of God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wave of spiritual dimensions in the Christian faith cannot be over-emphasised due to personal encounters with the Divine God and subject to people's understanding and knowledge of the Holy Scriptures. The writer adopted a historical and theological approach in discussing, appraising and evaluating Pentecostalism and its relevance to the contemporary Church. A notable distinction is made between classical Pentecostal denominations, that is, those which began in the first quarter of the twentieth century, the charismatic Movement within the historic churches since 1960 and the newer charismatic, and the third wave, that is, the independent churches since 1775. The paper argues that Pentecostalism is one of the most significant religious phenomena in twentieth and twentyfirst-century Christianity and that the Azusa street revival is a notable historical Pentecostalism worldwide. The paper concluded that the Azusa revival remains the mainstream of Pentecostalism in Africa and the world at large and that Pentecostalism is undoubtedly a source of blessings to the Church, yet it is expected of the Church to thirst for it without delay. Pentecostalism serves as a means of membership retention within the organised structure; it has the potential to pave the way for harmonious living and teamwork within the body of Christ in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Nuova Rivista Storica is the property of Societa Editrice Dante Alighieri s.r.l. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

After several decades of relative silence in the Netherlands on the topic of church and racism, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the public debate on reparations for colonial enslavement have brought the issue back on the agenda of church and theology. Fuelled by the Programme to Combat Racism (PCR), previous ecumenical discussions on this topic in the 1970s provide a good starting point for reflection today. This paper first provides some basic background on the PCR and then describes three theological positions in relation to reconciliation that shaped the discussions around racism. Based on these historical insights, the article summarizes the experiences and insights of the PCR in three major points, and discusses their relevance for today's conversation on church, diaconia, and racism. The paper argues that commitment, the transfer of power, and the value of discomfort provide important theological and practical insights for today's debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The epidemic of the SARS-CoV-2 virus announced in Poland was connected with huge restrictions and limitations for individual citizens, society as a whole, and many industries. The restrictions also affected the faithful and members of religious communities, who were unable to directly participate in religious services due to the limits for participants. The situation also posed a challenge for Catholic priests, who had to take measures to reach the faithful with religious services in cases of limitations placed on direct contact. The paper analyses the communication activities undertaken by priests of the Diocese of Rzeszow, implemented as a consequence of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research work assumes that the pandemic provided the impetus for greater use of tools from the field of new technologies in relation to the faithful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of the conservatives in Mexico, and their main characters, is long-standing. In Mexican history, some of the conservative movements have been present in religious thinking, especially in Catholicism, e.g., the quick departure from socio-cultural and political Mexican spaces as a consequence of the evangelical Spanish process, whose roots come from the XVI century Of the population in contemporary Mexico (7.7% belong to Catholicism, 2.5% to Evangelical Christians and Protestants, and 2.5% to non-Christian groups, while 8.1% do not follow a religion. Catholicism has a significant presence and influence on different forms of belief and practice in daily life in Mexico. This paper aims to highlight the role of the conservative movement called Frente Nacional por la Familia. It presents its history as the heritage of other conservative movements in Mexico, the stages of its formation, and the agenda and intervention in public life. The methodological approach is qualitative, using multi-situated ethnography. The results allow us to visualize the construction of the public agenda with legislative strategies that have operated with relative success and national presence, obstructing the progress of the proposals of feminist groups and sexual diversity and the defense of a national and cultural project that has as one of the symbols the traditional family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion is the great absentee in the history of internationalism. Earlier studies have begun to highlight the critical role played by religious internationalism in the making of the modern world, but the relations between non-confessional internationalism and religious actors have, to date, been completely overlooked. This article explores the relationship between non-confessional internationalism and Catholicism, with the intention of enriching both the history of internationalism and that of Catholicism in the twentieth century. Specifically, it focuses on the relationship between a number of non-confessional internationalist actors – from the Paneuropean Union and other world and European federalist movements to war refugees – and Pope Pius XII, between 1944 and 1948. Based on the recently opened Vatican archives, the following pages address three fundamental issues: (1) What did the Pope represent in the internationalist imagination? (2) Why did non-confessional internationalists seek contact with him? (3) How did the Pope respond to the requests for support that he received? As a whole, the requests for support examined in this paper clearly show the centrality of Pius XII in the imagination – and strategies – of non-confessional internationalism in the 1940s, including popular internationalism. Between 1944 and 1948, all roads really seemed to lead to Rome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Obnovljeni zivot is the property of University of Zagreb, Society of Jesus and Faculty of Philosophy & Religious Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The five Solas of the Reformation, Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria, harmoniously or correspondingly affirm the central position of God in the work of salvation (missio Dei). The conceptualization of the missio Dei, which grew out of the 1952 International Missionary Council (IMC) reasoned on the basis of Solae doctrines, equally points to the central role of God in the work of salvation. Although the centrality of God in the work of salvation is consistently reflected through the Solae doctrine, and thus through understanding of the missio Dei, such consistency is seldom associated with the placement of the Reformed pulpit. To this end, this article draws on the available literature to show the doctrinal consistency reflected in the Solae teachings and the conceptualization of the missio Dei in relation to the placement and outlook of the Reformed pulpit. Consequently, this paper concludes that the Reformed tradition, encompassing the Solae doctrines, the conceptualization of the missio Dei, and its attitude toward the pulpit, harmoniously reflects the central role of God in the work of salvation. Within the Reformed knowledge space, this article thus makes a contribution as it discusses the placement of the Reformed pulpit in accordance with the Solae doctrines and the missio Dei, expressing the centrality of God in the work of salvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Resolved Through Sharing (RTS) Perinatal bereavement model is an approach used for working with birthing people and their families who have experienced a perinatal loss. RTS is designed to help families cope with their grief and integrate the loss in their lives, meet the needs of the families during the initial crisis, and offer comprehensive care to each member of the family affected by the loss. This paper utilizes a case illustration to describe a year-long bereavement follow-up of an undocumented underinsured Latina woman who suffered a stillbirth during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hostile anti-immigrant policy during the Trump presidency. The case illustration is based on a composite case of several Latina women who had pregnancy losses with similar outcomes, demonstrating how a perinatal palliative care (PPC) social worker provided ongoing bereavement support to a patient who experienced a stillbirth. The case illustrates how the PPC social worker utilized the RTS model, incorporated the patient's cultural values, and acknowledged systemic challenges which resulted in the patient receiving comprehensive, holistic support that aided her emotional and spiritual recovery from her stillbirth. The author ends with a call to action for providers in the field of perinatal palliative care to incorporate practices that allow for greater access and equity for all birthing people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper looks at the efforts of the Catholic Church in promoting a healthy environment and how educating citizens with responsible stewardship helps to achieve a better health-related quality of life (HRQoL). In this study, the researchers use See-Discern-Act as their method. First, we discuss the need for environmental awareness and protection. Second, we expound on the main points of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si, the Church document which focuses on the environment. Third, the paper looks into the Church's role in promoting environmental awareness and protection so that the Church can help in the goal to achieve a better HRQoL. Lastly, the researchers claim that the Church's effort to preserve the environment aligns with promoting a better HRQoL through the concept of a preferential option for the poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The decline in social trust in the Korean Protestant church is a significant social issue that requires attention and action. Despite being more involved in community service than other religions, trust in the church has fallen, and it is essential to understand why. This paper will examine the previous dominant method of discipleship training, which may have contributed to this decline. By using a case study of a Korean church, the study will analyze the effectiveness of the discipleship training and its impact on social trust. Then I will reflect on how the Korean church should respond to today’s situation characterized by VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity) and the pandemic. This paper will suggest a new approach called missional discipleship, which seeks to create a more engaging and inclusive environment that inspires the church to lead and participate in community service. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes new ways of missional engagement during the Covid-19 pandemic and afterwards in Korea. While Covid-19 is inflicting serious damage on the entire Korean society, the damage to the Protestant churches is serious. The local government’s prohibition of ‘in-person gathering’ for worship resulted in the decrease of membership and endangered the unique paradigm of ‘in-gathering’-centred ecclesiology in Korean Protestant churches. The study tried to understand how local congregations coped with the changed situation in their missional engagement. Three congregations were used as case studies of how the local congregations responded to their missional tasks during the pandemic. With some preliminary assessments from these case studies, the paper suggests three ways of missional engagement of local congregation in Korea during the pandemic and even after the pandemic: 1) engaging personal fellowship using narratives, 2) performing a habitual ethical lifestyle, and 3) embracing the practice of hospitality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Choe Hangi, a 19th-century Korean scholar, established an original field of scholarship called gihak, or qi-study which goes beyond the boundaries of the Confucian and Neo-Confucian intellectual foundation of that time. In his study, he used as important intellectual resources Western Learning taken from books translated into Chinese by European missionaries who aimed to propagate Christianity in China. The Western scientific knowledge in those books led him to develop a unique paradigm of thought. This paper focuses on the purpose and effect of his adoption of Western scientific knowledge, rather than his perspective or the particulars of the Western science introduced to his study. The proposition that his gihak should be defined as a meta-discourse and universal science is instrumental in order to expound the implications and purpose of his adoption of Western knowledge. This notion will frame Western science as the sub-disciplinary scholarship constituting the details of the universal framework presented in his gihak. Choe perceives the movement and action of qi as the essence of the world. With an eye towards establishing gihak as a universal science, he used his knowledge of Western learning to prove that the movement and action of qi can be used to interpret the nature and purpose of universe and all living things including humans. This paper will explain the characteristics of gihak as universal science, examine the three layers of scope in his study, and a shift in human understanding. Through this, his intention to address the problems of the time, communicate with the world, and pursue peace through the fusion of Eastern and Western knowledge will be demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Value pluralism is the view that values are many. Monotheism is the view that God is one. If God is one, and if God is the ultimate source of values, then all values would be ultimately unified. However, that is precisely what value pluralism denies. Monotheism sees the world as a unity, while value pluralism sees the world as a plurality. This paper aims to reconcile value pluralism with monotheism through the concept of complexio oppositorum, as posited by Carl Schmitt in Roman Catholicism and Political Form. This paper will illustrate the operation of the complexio oppositorum through a historical vignette that is drawn from the earliest days of church history. The historical vignette will comprise three characters – martyr, hermit, monk – each of whom embodies a different set of values, but all of whom have been absorbed into the complexio oppositorum that is the Catholic Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christ Centered Organizations (CCOs) are increasingly attempting to measure the spiritual impact of their programs. While this presents exciting opportunities for CCOs to move from anecdote to evidence, the subjective nature of many of the metrics used in traditional longitudinal designs presents potential biases that need to be examined and mitigated. Based upon longitudinal and retrospective survey data, as well as follow-up focus groups, from a spiritual community, this paper presents evidence of response shift bias occurring in social and spiritual impact metrics. Response shift bias occurs "when an individual's internal frame of reference about the construct being measured changes between the pretest and the posttest" (Little et al. 2019, 2). To mitigate this risk, this paper proposes integrating retrospective pretest methodologies in impact evaluations involving spirituality metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The operation of a religious organization under an oppressive regime, such as in communist countries, differs from that in a free society. There is extensive literature on the effects of regulation on competition in religious markets and on the religiosity of a population. Less attention has been given to the effects of oppressive regulation that aims to control and possibly eliminate religion rather than to promote a particular religious group. This paper focuses on the specific question of how churches deal with oppressive regulation, particularly how they choose between legal and illegal operation. It proposes that both the official and the black‐market way of supplying religious services have some advantages and disadvantages, and that dual operation is advantageous where the regulation is severe. The paper examines the operation of the Catholic Church in Central European countries under communist rule, particularly Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, and Ukraine, and the different strategies adopted by the Church concerning official and underground operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this paper is to present a Christian mission of hunger and poverty alleviation through a life in communion with the trinity and in the context of the Ga celebration of homowo in Ghana. It is in the hope of the renewal of all things at the end of the world. It is to appreciate the essence of homowo in order to appropriate it for a Christian mission. The paper seeks to achieve this goal of mission by connecting the hunger and poverty alleviation and life-giving essence as well as the sense of unity embedded in the homowo feast to the mission of the triune God in the cosmos and with the "give us this day our daily bread" statement of Jesus Christ. Although the Kpelelogical method seems to be easily understood because it is mutually critical and connects seamlessly with the praxis of Christianity among Ga Christians, it has previously not been adopted as a theological method, as it is in this article. It is the paradoxical Ga Christian articulation of the Christian faith whereby the Christian faith is enlightened by the Kpele homowo and yet transforms the Kpele homowo after rejecting it. At the end of the engagement, Jesus in the homowo celebration is seen as the Okpelejen Wulormor Homoyiwolor ker Naanowalahalor (the cosmic priest, king, prophet who jeers at hunger, and giver of eternal life). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In light of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' 2021 decision to approve the use of a smartphone missal app, this article considers the effects of this new medium on Catholic worship. Relative to its long-standing predecessor – the paper-based missal – the new medium deserves analysis. As a faithful Catholic and media scholar, Marshall McLuhan is a fitting guide. McLuhan's transformation theory reveals the fullness of communication by attending to the medium of communication and its transformation of persons and culture. McLuhan's ideas on perception and media affirm current brain research on the effect of the smartphone – distraction. In contrast, research shows that a print-based medium fosters the opposite cognitive state – attentiveness. In the final analysis, this article reveals the essence of a distractive versus attentive medium in the context of Catholic worship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pinnacle of the Novak's reflections on possible perspectives for the future of the world and the development of international relations is his vision of "Caritapolis" ("Civilization of love"), which is presented especially in the book The universal hunger for liberty – Why the clash of civilizations is not inevitable (2004a). Novak builds the concept on the religious assumptions and on the minimum level of general belief in basic principles (cultural humility, regulative idea of truth, the dignity of the individual person, solidarity), which he considers to be the key to the world security, prosperity and the democratic future of the globalized world. This "vision for the 21st century" is to contribute to the consideration of a universal civilization that would respect all its internal variations and create a certain unity despite its rich diversity of value and religious ideas. The aim of this paper is to present Novak's concept of Caritapolis and to evaluate it in terms of context of the social doctrine of the Church, Catholic social thought debates, relevance in the context of debates in the social sciences, especially the theories of international relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religious education in schools was, for a long time, liturgically shaped until liturgical formation was no longer seen as a task of schools but of parish catechesis in many countries. Current approaches try to develop a liturgical didactic that is adapted to the school as a place of learning. Based on the confessional model of religious education in Austria, this paper shows the challenges and significance of liturgical formation in reference to Pope Francis' letter Desiderio Desideravi. In combining perspectives of religious education and liturgical studies, the necessary conditions for liturgical formation to succeed are shown. A didactic of Catholic liturgy that builds on established didactics and strives for liturgical formation on the cutting edge is presented, adapted to the setting of schools and distinct from parish catechesis. One way of responding to the lack of experience is with the help of performative didactics to enable practical experiences that, framed in reflection, form the basis for engagement with the liturgy. Such a liturgical didactic aims at enabling competence in matters of worship, considering all people, if a renewed understanding of liturgy is taken seriously, according to which worship is the celebration of the whole assembly and therefore requires a corresponding participation of all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2015 release of Pope Francis's encyclical on the environment—Laudato Si'—was met with widespread praise by many who hoped this document would spur Catholics around the world to join movements struggling against climate change. Frequently, these hopes were accompanied by expectations that leaders in the Catholic Church would begin greening their churches and help integrate their parishioners into broader environmental movements. However, while there are strong theoretical rationales supporting Catholic environmental action, few studies have examined what—if anything—is actually happening. This paper responds to this gap by assessing how Catholic clergy in one U.S. diocese are engaging environmental concerns. Drawing upon 31 interviews with priests and deacons across the Diocese of Syracuse, N.Y., this study finds that few clergy are substantively engaging environmental issues. In addition, this paper identifies and discusses several personal and systemic barriers hampering Catholic clerical efforts to further green their churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The aim of this paper is to assess the Catholic Church's formula for adaptation to Modernity from the perspectives of contemporary models of Secularism. For this purpose, it will use the typology of Jacques Berlinerblau, with five models of Secularism (Separationism, Disestablishment, Laïcité, Accommodationism, and Atheistic Secularism). For some of these models, the Church's formula will be found—to different extents—agreeable, while other models will regard it as hardly acceptable. The assessment will proceed by defining Modernity, outlining the Catholic Church's formula for adaptation to modern ideas, and discussing five different models of Secularism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Humana - Human Rights Publication is the property of National University of Public Service and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Diacovensia is the property of Catholic Faculty of Theology, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Diacovensia is the property of Catholic Faculty of Theology, J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Religious practice in Serbia has taken place using both indoors and outdoors sacred sites ever since the adoption of Christianity in medieval times. However, previous archaeoacoustic research was focused on historic church acoustics, excluding the open-air soundscapes of sacred sites. The goal of this review paper is to shed light on the varieties of sacred soundscapes that have supported the various needs of Orthodox Christian practice in medieval Serbia. First, in relation to the acoustic requirements of the religious service, we compare the acoustic properties of masonry and wooden churches based on the published archaeoacoustic studies of medieval churches and musicological studies of the medieval art of chanting. Second, we provide an overview of the ethnological and historical studies that address the outdoor sacred soundscapes and investigate the religious sound markers of large percussion instruments, such as bells and semantra, the open-air litany procession that has been practiced during the annual celebration of a patron saint's day in rural areas, and the medieval assemblies that took place on the sacred sites. This paper finally points out that the archaeoacoustic studies of sacred soundscapes should not be limited to church acoustics but also include open-air sacred sites to provide a complete analysis of the aural environment of religious practice and thus contribute to understanding the acoustic intention of medieval builders, as well as the aural experience of both clergy and laity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Istraživanja: Journal of Historical Researches is the property of Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)