Keynote Speaker(s)
- Daniel K. Finn
Professor of Theology and the William E. and Virginia Clemens Chair in Economics and the Liberal Arts
St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN.
Conference Statement
Twenty years ago, Pope John Paul II in the document Centesimus Annus examined 100 years of CST in light of the rapid globalization of the 20th century. Twenty five years ago, the U.S. Catholic Bishops published Economic Justice for All. In that document, the Bishops required us to shape economic life by answering three questions: “What it does the economy do for people? What does it do to people? And how do people participate in it?”
As we enter the second decade of the 21st century, these documents challenge us to live in solidarity and practice subsidiarity as we attempt to overcome the great inequalities in wealth, income, consumption, and access to resources throughout the world.
This conference examines the conditions and the attitudes necessary for the common good –“the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily.” (GS 26 S. 1.) The three essential elements of the common good are “respect for the human person; social well being and development; and peace”. The principles of solidarity and subsidiarity will also be explored as they support stewardship in social and economic justice.
Through the perspective of Catholic Social Thought and the Vincentian Tradition, we will view the role and responsibility of governments, civil society, businesses, and even individuals to eradicate poverty and advance sustainable prosperity with intergenerational justice for all.
