February 28th, 2011

Robert John Araujo, S.J. became the inaugural holder of the John Courtney Murray, S.J. University Professorship at Loyola University Chicago in 2009. He was a professor of Law at Gonzaga University, Spokane, WA and Ordinary Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. He has also served as a legal advisor and attaché to the Holy See representing the Church before foreign sovereigns and international organizations. He writes and publishes in the fields of international law, law and religion, and legal philosophy.

In his lecture Fr. Araujo discussed what role natural law moral theory played in emerging human rights discourse, placing a particular focus on the work of 16th century Spanish theologian and political theorist Francisco de Vitoria. Fr. Araujo also explored the implications of natural law’s history for contemporary human rights theory.