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Abstract
Pope Francis describes the greed-driven global economy as an idol colonising society and enforcing values contrary to the gospel. In this context, education is essential to develop the skills in critical and creative thinking needed to identify, resist, and transform the anti-gospel aspects of global capitalism. But this education must do more than include Catholic beliefs as supplemental to a curriculum intent on enabling students to out-compete others. Instead, we need a return to the broader purposes of education for career, citizenship, and culture, along with personal and institutional witness to inspire students to redeem this global economy.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Notes on contributor
Mary Doak (PhD, The University of Chicago) is a professor of theology at the University of San Diego. Her publications include A Prophetic Public Church: Witness to Hope Amid the Global Crises of the Twenty-first Century (Liturgical, 2020), Divine Harmony: Seeking Community in a Broken World (Paulist, 2017), Translating Religion (Orbis, 2013), co-edited with Anita Houck, and Reclaiming Narrative for Public Theology (SUNY 2004), as well as various articles on public theology, eschatology, and ecclesiology.
Notes
1 Thomas L. Friedman, (Citation2006), 137.
2 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, apostolic exhortation, Vatican website, 24 November, 2013, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium.html, esp. sec. 50-67. See also Francis, Laudato Sí, encyclical, Vatican website, 24 May, Citation2015, http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html, esp. sec. 20-52.
3 World Bank, “Decline of Global Extreme Poverty Continues but has Slowed: World Bank,” accessed May 31, 2019, https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2018/09/19/decline-of-global-extreme-poverty-continues-but-has-slowed-world-bank.
4 For a discussion of the complex pros and cons of microfinance, see Nicholas Kristof, “Here’s a Woman Fighting Terrorism. With Microloans.,” accessed May 31, 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/opinion/14kristof.html and Mara Gay, “Macro Problems with Micro Loans,” accessed May 31, 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2009/10/macro-problems-with-micro-loans/347793/.
5 “Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 21 November 1964,” in Vatican Council II: the Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ed. Austin Flannery (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1975), sec. 1. See also “Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, Gaudium et spes, 7 December 1965,” in Flannery, Vatican Council II, sec. 42.
6 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 176.
7 Indeed, labour and the need for an ethical industrial economy was a matter of concern to the first major document of modern Catholic Social Teaching. See Leo XIII, Rerum Novarum, encyclical, 15 May 1891, Vatican website, http://w2.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html.
8 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 67.
9 United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, “Seven Themes of Catholic Social Teaching,” USCCB website, accessed May 31, 2019, http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catholic-social-teaching/seven-themes-of-catholic-social-teaching.cfm. A more extensive discussion can be found in Edward P. DeBerri, et al, (Citation2003).
10 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 56.
11 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 54.
12 Amos 8:6 (see also Amos 2:6); Matt 8:24 (see also Luke 16:13).
13 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 57.
14 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 53, 56.
15 See especially Siddharth Kara, (Citation2017).
16 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec.56.
17 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 54.
18 Fabrizio Perri, “Inequality, Recessions and Recoveries: 2013 Annual Report Essay,” Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis website, accessed May 31, 2019, https://www.minneapolisfed.org/publications/the-region/inequality-recessions-and-recoveries.
19 Benedict XVI, Spe Salvi, encyclical, 30 November 2007, Vatican website, http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20071130_spe-salvi.html.
20 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec.57.
21 See also Orlando O. Espín, (Citation2014) 77-84.
22 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 53.
23 See also Francis, Laudato Sí, esp. sec. 43-51.
24 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec.53.
25 Deborah Hardoon, “An Economy for the 1%,” Oxfam International website, accessed 31 May 2019, https://www-cdn.oxfam.org/s3fs-public/file_attachments/bp210-economy-one-percent-tax-havens-180116-en_0.pdf.
26 Walter Rauschenbusch, (Citation2008), 177-234.
27 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 59.
28 Mortimer J. Adler, (Citation1982). See also Valerie Strauss, “What’s the Purpose of Education in the 21st Century?” Washington Post website, accessed May 31, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/02/12/whats-the-purpose-of-education-in-the-21st-century/?utm_term=.00b9450d50f2.
29 DeBerri, Catholic Social Teaching, 22.
30 Vatican II, Gaudium et spes, sec. 74.
31 Robert B. Reich, (Citation2015).
32 DeBerri, Catholic Social Teaching, 28.
33 Paul Collier, (Citation2018).
34 Vatican II, Gaudium et spes, sec. 60.
35 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, sec. 54.
36 Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, especially sec. 3, 187. 195. 201.
37 Benedict XVI, “Deus Caritas est, encyclical, 25 December 2005,” Vatican website, http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_ben-xvi_enc_20051225_deus-caritas-est.html, sec. 18.