Moral Theology of Pope Francis
Moral Theology of Pope Francis: Expanding the U.S. Reception of the First Jesuit Pope
October 14-15, 2022 |泭 In-person |

About the Conference
The papacy of Pope Francis has ushered in remarkable changes for the Roman Catholic Church. From a new emphasis on collegiality in ecclesial governance to a transformed set of public priorities for the global church, Pope Franciss unique model of pontifical leadership holds far-reaching implications for virtually every aspect of Catholic practice. Catholic theology is not immune, and yet Catholic moral theologyparticularly in the United Stateshas still not grappled fully with the emphases of Franciss pontificate. To address this gap, this conference brings together leading Catholic ethicists in the United States to reflect on Pope Franciss implicit approach to moral theology in order to clearly establish the unique insights of the first Jesuit pope and to develop substantive applications of these insights in a U.S. context.
The conference opens with a public panel on Friday afternoon in Gasson 100. During the panel, two of Boston Colleges most distinguished theological ethicists, Lisa Sowle Cahill and James F. Keenan, S.J., will join Fordham Universitys James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics, Bryan N. Massingale, and Marquette Universitys Conor M. Kelly to discuss the distinctive features of Pope Franciss vision for theological ethics in the Catholic Church. The panelists will also explore the obstacles and opportunities affecting the reception of this vision among U.S. Catholics. A public reception will follow the Friday panel.
On day two, the conference will continue with private sessions for the invited participants. Prominent theological ethicists from across the United States, these participants will share their research on the impact of Pope Franciss approach to moral theology for applied ethical issues related to ecology, peace and nonviolence, gender, migration, racism, and more. Their work at the conference will produce an edited volume, co-edited by conference organizers 泭Conor M. Kelly, and Kristin Heyer, professor of theological ethics at Boston College, designed to extend the U.S. reception of the Francis Revolution into the field of moral theology.泭
Schedule and RegistrationFriday, October 14, 2022 |泭Gasson Hall, room 100 |泭 | |
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4:00pm | Opening Panel
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Saturday, October 15, 2022 | Stokes Hall, room N203泭| For Invited Participants | |
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8:30am-9:00am | Convening
Continental breakfast |
9:00am-10:00am | Session I: Option for the Poor and Social Ethics
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10:10am-11:10am | Session II: Migration and Ecclesial Ethics
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11:00am-11:30am | Coffee Break |
11:30am-12:30pm | Session III: Sexuality and Gender
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12:30pm-2:00pm | Lunch Break |
2:00pm-3:00pm | Session IV: Race and Bioethics
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3:00pm-3:15pm | Coffee Break |
3:15pm-4:15pm | Session V: Ecology and Nonviolence
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4:20pm | Concluding Remarks
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泭 | 泭 |
Speakers

Lisa Sowle Cahill, Ph.D.
Lisa Sowle Cahill泭is the J. Donald Monan, S.J., Professor, Boston College.泭泭Dr. Cahill is a past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (1992-93) and the Society of Christian Ethics (1997-98).泭泭She received her M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Chicago Divinity School, and is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.泭泭Her works include泭Blessed Are the Peacemakers:泭泭Pacifism, Just War and Peacebuilding泭(Fortress, 2019);泭A Theology and Praxis of Gender Equality泭泭(Bangalore:泭泭Dharmaram Publications, 2018);泭Global Justice, Christology and Christian Ethics泭(Cambridge University Press, 2013).

Mar穩a Teresa (MT) D獺vila, Ph.D.
Mar穩a Teresa (MT) D獺vila, visiting associate professor of practice at Merrimack College, is a scholar focusing on racial and migrant justice, public theology, and the ethics of the use of force. With Agnes Brazal, she is co-editor of Living With(out) Borders: Theological Ethics and Peoples on the Move (Orbis Press, 2016). She is a regular contributor to Theology en la Plaza, National Catholic Reporter, the first Latin@ column in a national Catholic newspaper. Her work also appears in Syndicate and Political Theology Today. Since 2016 she has been a consultant for the Science for Seminaries program, and now the Dialogue on Ethics Science and Religion, initiatives that enable seminaries to include sciences in the training of pastors and faith leaders.
Mar穩a Teresa (MT) D獺vila es profesora asociada de la pr獺ctica (visitante) en el departamento de Estudios Religiosos y Teol籀gicos en Merrimack College, en Massachusetts. Pertenece a la iglesia Cat籀lica como mujer laica. Sus estudios y escritos se concentran en las 獺reas de justicia racial y migratoria, teolog穩a p繳blica, y la 矇tica del uso de armas y la guerra justa. Junto a Agnes Brazal (de las Filipinas), MT es co-editora de la colecci籀n de ensayos Living With(out) Borders: Theological Ethics and Peoples on the Move (Orbis Press, 2016). Contribuye regularmente a la columna Teolog穩a en la Plaza en el peri籀dico National Catholic Reporter, la primera columna dedicada al 獺ngulo latino en un peri籀dico Cat籀lico estadounidense. Desde el 2016 trabaja en la junta de consultores para el proyecto de las ciencias en los seminarios, una iniciativa que trata de facilitar el uso de las ciencias en la educaci籀n teol籀gica de los pastores y l穩deres de fe. MT lleva unos cinco a簽os estudiando de cerca el fen籀meno de las guerras culturales en los EEUU, y la manera en que las mismas interfieren con la misi籀n de las iglesias cristianas en la naci籀n.

Daniel R. DiLeo, Ph.D.
Daniel R. DiLeo泭is associate professor and director of the Justice and Peace Studies Program at Creighton University. His research focuses on Catholic social teaching, climate change, and泭Laudato Si. He recently co-authored U.S. Catholic bishops silence and denialism on climate change (Environmental Research Letters) and is the editor of泭All Creation Is Connected: Voices in Response to Pope Franciss Encyclical on Ecology泭(Anselm Academic, 2018). Since 2009, he has been a consultant with Catholic Climate Covenant. He earned his PhD in theological ethics from Boston College.

Kristin Heyer, Ph.D.
Kristin E. Heyer泭is professor of theological ethics in the theology department at Boston College. Book publications related to this conference include泭Christianity and the Law of Migration泭(Routledge, 2021);泭Building Bridges in Sarajevo: The Plenary Papers from CTEWC 2018泭(Orbis Books, 2019); and泭Kinship Across Borders: A Christian Ethic of Immigration泭(Georgetown University Press, 2012). She holds degrees from Brown University and Boston College and serves as co-chair of the planning committee for泭Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church泭and President-Elect of泭Catholic Theological Society of America. She is currently at work on泭Moral Agency and the Promise of Freedom.

Laurie Johnston, Ph.D.
Laurie Johnston, Ph.D.泭is Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Emmanuel College in Boston. A social ethicist, she has written and edited works on just war theory, peacebuilding, Catholic-Muslim relations, and political theology, including泭The Surprise of Reconciliation in the Catholic Tradition, with J.J. Carney, and泭Can War be Just in the 21st泭Century?泭with Tobias Winright. She has been a member of the Community of SantEgidio for more than 20 years and serves as Academic Associate of the SantEgidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue. She holds degrees from the University of Virginia, Harvard Divinity School, and Boston College.

James F. Keenan, S.J., S.T.D.
James F. Keenan, S.J., is the Canisius Chair, Director of the Jesuit Institute and Vice Provost of Global Engagement at Boston College. A Jesuit priest since 1982, he received a licentiate and a doctorate from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He has edited or written 25 books and published over 300 essays, articles, and reviews in over twenty-five international journals. His most recent book is泭A History of Catholic Theological Ethics泭(Paulist Press) and he has just finished泭Preparing for the Moral Life: The DArcy Lectures泭that Georgetown University Press will publish in 2023.泭泭Keenan is the founder of Catholic Theological Ethics in the World Church (CTEWC).

Conor M. Kelly, Ph.D.
Conor M. Kelly, Ph.D.泭is Associate Professor in the Department of Theology at Marquette University. His teaching and research focus on moral discernment in ordinary life. His publications include泭The Fullness of Free Time: A Theological Account of Leisure and Recreation in the Moral Life泭(Georgetown University Press, 2020), the co-edited volume泭Poverty: Responding Like Jesus泭(Paraclete, 2018 with Kenneth R. Himes), and, especially relevant for this conference, The Role of the Moral Theologian in the Church: A Proposal in Light of Amoris Laetitia, From John Paul II to Francis: The Widening Trajectory of the Catholic Theology of Family, and Everyday Solidarity: A Framework for Incorporating Theological Ethics and Ordinary Life.泭

Megan McCabe, Ph.D.
Megan McCabe泭is an Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at Gonzaga University. Her work is in the fields of moral theology, feminist theologies, social ethics, and liberation theologies. Her current research engages questions of sexual violence, gender, and moral responsibility for social change. She was the co-chair of Gonzaga Universitys Commission on University Response to Catholic Sexual Abuse Crisis and continues to oversee the implementation of the commissions recommendations.泭She is currently co-chairing a five-year seminar at AAR, Contextualizing the Catholic Sexual Abuse Crisis, and co-founded and co-chaired for three years an interest group at the CTSA, Theology, Sexuality, and Justice: New Frontiers.泭泭

Thomas Massaro, S.J., Ph.D.
Thomas Massaro, S.J.,泭is Professor of Moral Theology at Fordham University. A Jesuit priest of the United States East Province, he has taught as professor of moral theology at Weston Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at Boston College, and at Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University, where he also served as Dean. Father Massaro holds a doctorate in Christian social ethics from Emory University. His nine books and over one hundred published articles treat Catholic social teaching and its recommendations for public policies oriented to social justice, peace, worker rights and poverty alleviation. A former columnist for泭America泭magazine, he writes and lectures frequently on such topics as the ethics of globalization, peacemaking, environmental concern, the role of conscience in religious participation in public life, and developing a spirituality of justice. His most recent book is泭Mercy in Action: The Social Teachings of Pope Francis泭(Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2018).泭

Bryan N. Massingale, S.T.D.
Bryan N. Massingale泭is Professor of Theological and Social Ethics and holds the James and Nancy Buckman Chair in Applied Christian Ethics at Fordham University. A priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, he is the current President of the Society of Christian Ethics, a past Convener of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium, and a former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Massingale has authored two books and more than 170 articles, book chapters, and book reviews.泭泭His monograph,泭Racial Justice and the Catholic Church, received a First Place Book Award from the Catholic Press Association of the U.S. and Canada.泭泭He frequently addresses issues of racial and sexual justice in venues such as National Public Radio (NPR), A51做厙 News, the PBS NewsHour, the Huffington Post, Canadian Public Radio, the South African Times, and the Associated Press.泭泭He is an active participant in a network of Catholic thought leaders advocating the full inclusion of LGBTQ persons in both society and the faith community.

Maureen H. OConnell, Ph.D.
Maureen H. OConnell泭is Associate Professor of Christian Ethics in the Department of Religion and Theology at La Salle University. She authored泭Compassion: Loving Our Neighbor in an Age of Globalization泭(Orbis Books, 2009) and泭If These Walls Could Talk: Community Muralism and the Beauty of Justice泭(The Liturgical Press, 2012). Her newest book,泭Undoing the Knots: Five Generations of American Catholic Anti-Blackness泭(Beacon Press 2021) explores the interplay of her Catholic and racial identities across her familys history in the City of Philadelphia. She is a member of POWER (Philadelphians Organizing to Witness, Empower, and Rebuild), an interfaith coalition of more than 50 congregations committed to making Philadelphia the city of泭just泭love through faith-based community organizing and serves on the Boards of Cranaleith Spiritual Center, a ministry of the Religious Sisters of Mercy. She is also a member of the Presidents Commission on the Legacy of Slavery at Rosemont College.泭

Elyse Raby, Ph.D.
Elyse Raby is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Santa Clara University. Her research focuses on the intersections of ecclesiology, embodiment, and gender. She has written on metaphor in ecclesiology (Horizons, 2022), on theologies of the diaconate (Ecumenical Trends, 2022) and on priesthood and ministry (U.S. Catholic, April 2019), and on intersex and theologies of creation (Theology & Sexuality, 2018). Her first book will analyze the metaphor of the church as a body in nineteenth and twentieth-century Catholic theology and, in particular, how different understandings of embodiment shape our understandings of the church, its ministry, and its relationship to the world. She holds a Ph.D. from Boston College.

Andrea Vicini, S.J., M.D., Ph.D., S.T.D.
Andrea Vicini, S.J.泭(MD, PhD, STD) is Michael P. Walsh Professor of Bioethics and Professor of Theological Ethics in the Boston College Theology Department (Boston, MA). Recent publications include two co-edited volumesReimagining the Moral Life: On Lisa Sowle Cahills Contributions to Christian Ethics泭(2020);泭Ethics of Global Public Health: Climate Change, Pollution, and the Health of the Poor泭(2021)and, among the articles:泭COVID-19: A Crisis and a TragedyWhats Next?,泭Theological Studies泭(2021);泭Healthcare Practice at the End of Life: Addressing Opposite Attitudes and Diverse Contexts, Concilium泭(2021);泭Posthumanism in Popular Culture: Ongoing Challenges,泭Concilium泭(2021); Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare: Bioethical Challenges and Approaches,泭Asian Horizons泭(2020);泭Preserving the Earth and Promoting Health: Challenges for the Common Good,泭Studia Moralia泭(2020).泭
Campus Map and Parking
Parking is available at the nearby Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue Garages.
Boston College is also accessible via public transportation (MBTA B Line - Boston College).
Boston College strongly encourages conference participants to receive the COVID-19 vaccination before attending events on campus.