小艾电竞

The inaugural event of the Alfred and Melissa Di Leonardo Lecture Series was a resounding success. Provost John McGreevy, a professor of American history at the University of Notre Dame, captivated the audience with the story of Catholicism鈥檚 relationship with liberal democracy. At the beginning of the lecture, McGreevy emphasized the complexity of this topic by highlighting the global reach of the Catholic Church and the waning power of nation-states. Whether it be the Nigerian laborers filling the Guangzhou Cathedral in China or the social justice traditions of South America, the Church鈥檚 universality and diversity is not to be overlooked.

McGreevy began his account of the relationship with the French Revolution. Originally, Catholicism meshed very well with democracy, as priests read constitutions after Mass and congregants wanted a say in who would pastor their parish. De Tocqueville even described Catholic Americans as the most democratic and republican citizens of the young nation. This changed after the 1848 revolutions, which worried the Catholic Church and led to the seizing of property and attacks on liberal governments. Instead of democracy, Catholics focused on building churches and schools to expand the reach of the Church. Catholic political parties were created in the U.S. to defend the Church from what was perceived as liberal intrusion.

This soft antagonism began to shift during and after World War II. Catholic leaders regretted negotiating with the Nazis to protect Catholics under the Nazi regime, and this sentiment lasted after the war, as well. Jacques Maritain, who was a monarchist at one time, synthesized democracy and Catholicism in his writings, and he even wrote about the democratic tilt that appeared in some of the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Maritain influenced the creation of Christian democratic parties around the world, which still hold power in many countries. In Europe, Christian democrats were partly responsible for the quick collapse of communism in places like Poland; in parts of Asia, like the Philippines, Catholics are leading voices in the continued fight for democracy. This legacy has been called into question, however, by certain Catholic responses, or lack thereof, in the United States and in Europe to governments with authoritarian tendencies. Regardless, the Catholic Church has always changed and will continue to change. McGreevy ended his lecture by quoting Pope Francis: 鈥淲e do not live in an era of change, but a change of era.鈥� Another transformation in the Church is coming, and we can only guess at what shape it will take.听听

The audience celebrated McGreevy as he finished his brilliant historical account, and they raised a few pertinent questions of their own. One member of the audience raised a question about the roles of capitalism and socialism in Catholic political movements. McGreevy answered by stating that the Church has a history of affirming the value of private property while also being skeptical of the extent to which wealth moves. He cited an example of this in the Irish Jesuits, who urged checks on corporations when drafting the Irish Constitution. Overall, this event set the bar high for future Di Leonardo lectures in the coming years.