Partnering North American Jesuit Universities: Fordham University

Title and Précis:

Paying Citizenship’s Price: Confronting Obstacles to Solidarity and Civic Engagement Among 21st Century U.S. Catholics‌

     This study will analyze what principles for ‘citizenship’ and ‘civic engagement’ operate in recent (1981-present) Vatican and Episcopal teaching, what circumstances have shaped the understandings and practices of U.S. citizens regarding civic engagement, and how U.S. Catholics have or have not responded to teachings on solidarity. Specific examples of how Catholics engage social issues will be examined, such as the working families’ right to a decent livelihood and the protection of life ‘from the womb to tomb.’ Questions concerning the ways in which individuals and parishes address civic engagement, solidarity, and the common good will also be analyzed.

Biography:

     Dr. Christina Firer Hinze is a Professor of Theology at Fordham University.  She teaches courses in Christian Ethics with special attention on economics and family issues.  Dr. Hinze has recently been named Director of the Francis and Ann Curran Center for American Catholic Studies at Fordham University.  She received her Doctoral degree from the Divinity School of the University of Chicago in 1989.  Dr. Hinze has written extensively in the fields of Christian social ethics, Roman Catholic social thought, and feminist perspectives on theology and ethics.