Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
1.3
0.7
Journals
Religions
Special Issues
Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope...
share announcement

Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and Beyond

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (29 December 2024) | Viewed by 3915

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Lóránd UJHÁZI

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute for Religion and Society, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: canon law; Social teaching of the Catholic Church; religion and security; radicalism and religious extremism; religion and society
Prof. Dr. András MÁTÉ-TÓTH

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Religious Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Szeged, 6722 Szeged, Hungary
Interests: civil religiosity; secularisation in Central-Eastern Europe; religious communication; religious pluralism
Dr. Abdessamad BELHAJ

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Research Institute for Religion and Society, Ludovika University of Public Service, 1083 Budapest, Hungary
Interests: Islam and society; Islam and politics; the ethics of Islam; Muslim political philosophy; sociology of religion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This year marks 15 years since Pope Benedict XVI published his encyclical Caritas in Veritate on 29 June 2009. The encyclical was written at a time when societies around the world were contending with disruption caused by the global economic crisis. Today, our environment is characterised by economic recession after the pandemic, in addition to escalating war conflicts. Given this, it seems that Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical is more relevant than ever. At the same time, this encyclical is closely aligned with centuries of social teaching of the Catholic Church and can, therefore, be seen in a broader context.

Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical addresses current topics such as ecology, the international economy, and the environmental challenges of war. Therefore, this anniversary provides a unique and exciting opportunity for intellectual exploration and discovery by examining the teachings of recent popes, from Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis, with a focus on continuity and discontinuity rather than the often-simplistic approach of the media. In doing this, we can trace the evolution of the most sensitive issues in Catholic social teaching.

For this reason, we present this Special Issue of the prestigious international journal Religions, entitled ‘Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and Beyond’.

We welcome contributions that focus on the statements and social activities of the Catholic Church at different levels. Additionally, we seek to examine the breaking lines within the Catholic Church, with a particular focus on the economy, environmental issues, green politics, gender issues, globalisation, security issues, and international relations. We especially encourage critical approaches from the perspective of different religions as well.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor or to the Assistant Editor of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purposes of ensuring their proper fit within the scope of this Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Lóránd UJHÁZI
Prof. Dr. András MÁTÉ-TÓTH
Dr. Abdessamad BELHAJ
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • economy
  • environmental issues
  • green policies
  • gender issues
  • creation protection
  • interfaith dialogue
  • security perspec-tive
  • globalisation
  • global and regional stability
  • nuclear weaponisation
  • international relations

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

13 pages, 230 KiB  
Article
The New Moral Absolutism in Catholic Moral Teaching: A Critique Based on Veritatis Splendor
by Károly Mike
Religions 2025, 16(2), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020149 - 28 Jan 2025
Viewed by 531
Abstract
This paper examines a recent shift in Catholic moral teaching, characterized by the emergence of a ‘new moral absolutism’, in which certain acts traditionally subject to prudential judgment—such as the death penalty, ecological harm, and restrictive migration policies—are increasingly portrayed as universally and [...] Read more.
This paper examines a recent shift in Catholic moral teaching, characterized by the emergence of a ‘new moral absolutism’, in which certain acts traditionally subject to prudential judgment—such as the death penalty, ecological harm, and restrictive migration policies—are increasingly portrayed as universally and gravely wrong in our age. Simultaneously, traditional moral absolutes, especially in sexual and life ethics, have experienced cautious relativization. Drawing on the framework of Veritatis Splendor (1993), the paper critiques the approach of this new moral absolutism, arguing that it undermines the proper role of individual conscience and situational discernment while failing to provide coherent guidance on complex moral dilemmas. It links its emergence to proportionalist ethics: when traditional moral absolutes are relativized, new types of wrongs take their place. The paper proposes a return to the principles of Veritatis Splendor, advocating for a nuanced approach that preserves the constant and limited set of absolute negative norms and encourages the formation and use of conscience for all other matters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and Beyond)
12 pages, 215 KiB  
Article
Social Sins, Structural Virtues, and the Educational Challenge: Reflections on Caritas in Veritate and Laudato Si’
by András Máté-Tóth and George Joseph Vellankal
Religions 2025, 16(2), 136; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020136 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 510
Abstract
The aim of this article is to reflect on the nature of the structural sins in the present times and to offer light on the structural virtues that are in urgent demand for sustainable development of persons and peoples. Our analysis begins in [...] Read more.
The aim of this article is to reflect on the nature of the structural sins in the present times and to offer light on the structural virtues that are in urgent demand for sustainable development of persons and peoples. Our analysis begins in Benedict XVI’s Caritas in Veritate. In the encyclical, the pope analyses oversimplification of the human reality by ideologies. The simultaneity of moral underdevelopment and a consumeristic super-development, epistemological gulf between faith and reason, erosion of social capital with the shifting of religion to the private sphere, and the collapse of the human ecology beneath the deterioration of environmental ecology are some of the social sins that Benedict XVI points out in the encyclical. Towards the end of the first section, we attempt to show how Benedict XVI understands that these social sins are also the sins of persons and how the personal is derived into the social. In the second section, we try to develop on the proposals for the structural virtues in Laudato Si’. The starting point is Pope Francis’ vision of integral ecology, which is in continuity with Benedict XVI’s finding that human ecology and environmental ecology are interconnected. After a brief analysis of Pope Francis’ thoughts about the current situation of epistemology, we try to understand the dimensions of the common good, law, and personalism in Laudato Si’, from which we can derive threads for the structural virtues. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and Beyond)
9 pages, 212 KiB  
Article
Religion, Culture, and Peace: The Social Doctrine of Benedict XVI
by Roberto Regoli
Religions 2025, 16(2), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020126 - 24 Jan 2025
Viewed by 578
Abstract
This article situates the papacy of Benedict XVI at the crossroads of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, focusing on theological, cultural, and political developments. It brings out his subtle critique of modernity, his opposition to relativism, and his appeal for a renewed dialogue [...] Read more.
This article situates the papacy of Benedict XVI at the crossroads of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, focusing on theological, cultural, and political developments. It brings out his subtle critique of modernity, his opposition to relativism, and his appeal for a renewed dialogue between Christianity and Enlightenment rationality. It is his sense of faith and reason that, in mutual purifying, forms his support of the public role of religion in peacemaking and moral order. Through moments like the Regensburg Address and his inter-religious dialogues, Benedict XVI emerges as a defender of the place of religion in society while rejecting both religious fundamentalism and secularist reductionism. The paper also examines how Benedict grounded human rights in natural law, thereby differentiating those from other fundamental rights emanating from more contemporary sociopolitical claims. The article places his papacy within the larger frame of Catholic social doctrine, focusing on the role of the Church in promoting peace through cultural and interreligious dialogue, particularly with Islam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and Beyond)
15 pages, 465 KiB  
Article
Pope Francis, Islam, and the Ethics of Recognition: Openings and Muslim Responses
by Abdessamad Belhaj
Religions 2024, 15(12), 1547; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15121547 - 19 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1203
Abstract
Through his numerous visits to the Muslim world, and by promoting an ethics of recognition of Islam, Pope Francis built trust and a religious encounter with various Muslim institutions. His dedication to global ethical concerns, such as human brotherhood, the environment, migration, and [...] Read more.
Through his numerous visits to the Muslim world, and by promoting an ethics of recognition of Islam, Pope Francis built trust and a religious encounter with various Muslim institutions. His dedication to global ethical concerns, such as human brotherhood, the environment, migration, and peace, has made religious leaders throughout the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, Egypt, and the Gulf states, favourable to interfaith co-operation with the Catholic Church for the common good. In particular, Pope Francis has influenced how justice and tolerance are perceived by many in the Muslim world, as evidenced by various Muslim responses to his messages. He was therefore effective in initiating an ethical encounter to overcome injustice and violence, in addition to re-establishing religious diplomacy and communication with Islam. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Continuity and Discontinuity: From Pope John Paul II to Pope Francis and Beyond)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-4
Back to TopTop