News in Justice and Peace

Thomas Aquinas on Justice

Thomas Aquinas on Justice

by: Giovanni Cucci, SJ in JPIC News,

The very root of the Greek word dikaiosyn? (justice), dik?, refers to a multiplicity of operational meanings that concern, first of all, the relationship with God and the government of the self that are expressed in operational terms through directives, orders and dispositions. Dike was the mythological daughter of Jupiter and Themis, goddess of laws and courts. She was depicted with a sword and scales, the image by which justice is still represented today.


Church and Slavery, Yesterday and Today

Church and Slavery, Yesterday and Today

by: Nuno da Silva Gonçalves, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

A look at history shows us that, for many centuries, Christianity accepted slavery as a social and economic reality proper to most societies. Christian thought accepted slavery under certain circumstances, and when the Atlantic slave trade developed, the effort of theologians and jurists was to delimit the occasions involving legitimate loss of freedom.

Restorative Justice in Brazil: The Educational Method of APAC Prisons

Restorative Justice in Brazil: The Educational Method of APAC Prisons

by: Francesco Occhetta, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

In the dark world of prisons, an experience exists in Brazil that is like a ray of light: there, prisoners are not numbers, rather they are referred to by name; they have tasks to carry out; they are imprisoned in places without bars and without guards; they do not wear uniforms. In these “alternative jails” run by prisoners – called recuperandi (recovering people) – there have been no riots or cases of corruption, while recidivism has been reduced from 85 percent to 15 percent.

The Love of the Lord for the Lowly

The Love of the Lord for the Lowly

by: Pietro Bovati, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

 Psalm 136 recalls the Lord’s mercy in the actions of the Creator and the Savior as the sacred psalmist raises a joyful acclamation of praise for the eternal goodness of God. As we listen to the voice of God, our prayer must accompany every meditative path even when we approach biblical texts that are not actually formulas prepared for liturgical recitation.

Pro-reform German bishops warn against going too fast

Pro-reform German bishops warn against going too fast

by: Christa Pongratz-Lippitt - The Tablet in JPIC News,

“As bishop it is my job to preserve [Church] unity. This can be exceedingly challenging and I cannot and don’t want to deny that in recent months it has caused me sleepless nights,” Wilmer wrote in his resumée of the synodal path initiative’s meetings which he sent out to all the members of his diocese.

Cardinal condemns Spain abortion law reforms

Cardinal condemns Spain abortion law reforms

by: Bess Twiston Davies - The Tablet in JPIC News,

Cardinal Omella made the statement after the Spanish government announced last week a significant relaxation of the 2010 abortion laws. These abolish the current three-day “reflection” period obligatory for women contemplating an abortion. The Spanish bishops have signed an inter-religious statement protesting the reforms.

An education at Ampleforth and the hard lessons learned

An education at Ampleforth and the hard lessons learned

by: Edward Stourton - The Tablet in JPIC News,

The presence of the monks, once considered Ampleforth’s greatest asset, has become its greatest handicap, says a former head boy. The irony is that the college’s disastrous response to its abuse crisis was rooted in a distortion of the merits that in other ways made the place so special.

Justice: An uncomfortable virtue

Justice: An uncomfortable virtue

by: Giovanni Cucci, SJ - La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

 Among the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance), the only one currently under philosophical investigation is justice, thanks mainly to its being proposed by a new contractualism. This is an attempt to present it without using a metaphysical and religious perspective, but identifying evaluation criteria that allow each person to decide as “a free and equal rational being.” It is a proposal for our complex society, where a shared vision of life is lacking.

The Disabled in the Life of the Church

The Disabled in the Life of the Church

by: Justin Glyn, SJ-La Civiltà Cattolica in JPIC News,

 As a young man, I was in a supermarket with my family on one occasion. A very concerned lady came up to my parents and said what a shame it was that the poor boy was blind. “What does he do all day?” she asked. “He practices law,” I answered. We in the Church have, unfortunately, often been in that position, unwilling to recognize the lives of disabled members as exactly that – the lives of equal children of God, laboring together according to a multitude of gifts and talents in the vineyard of the Lord. There is still widespread discrimination with regard to the disabled within the Church.