Document Type

Article

Publication Title

San Diego Law Review

Abstract

In 1986, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops published a "Pastoral Letter on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy," entitled Economic Justice for All. They addressed the letter to "Brothers and Sisters in Christ," and began as follows: 'We are believers called to follow Our Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim his Gospel in the midst of a complex and powerful economy. This reality poses both opportunities and responsibilities for Catholics in the United States. . . .This letter is a personal invitation to Catholics to use the resources of our faith, the strength of our economy, and the opportunities of our democracy to shape a society that better protects the dignity and basic rights of our sisters and brothers both in this land and around the world. Such a document raises an interesting issue for political philosophy. What part should doctrines and arguments rooted in religious beliefs play in political debate? Is there not something inappropriate or, so to speak, uncivil about presenting such arguments in the public forum in a society that exhibits an enormous variety of religious commitments among its members, and in which citizens have committed themselves collectively and fundamentally, in their constitution, to a doctrine of separation between church and state?

First Page

817

Volume

30

Publication Date

1993

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