William Stoeger, SJ, a highly influential proponent of theistic evolution, maintained that scientific understanding of the three major phases of evolution—cosmic, prebiotic, and biotic—all indicate that the universe is marked by an intrinsic tendency to produce novel kinds of entities, greater and greater organized complexity, intensified interconnectedness between organisms and their environments, and an unimaginable

The influence of Vatican II and the conciliar era on Virgilio Elizondo’s theology is insufficiently acknowledged. In particular, he contended Dei Verbum teaches that the Scriptures and Christian tradition not only testify to the past words and deeds of God, but also instruct us in divine pedagogy. He further insisted that the poor and marginal

Karl Rahner had a pivotal influence on Vatican II during the preparatory phases, at the Council itself, and subsequent to the Council. This article asks how Rahner shaped the ecclesiology of the Council. It shows how many of the council’s emphases bear the hallmark of Rahner: the church as sacramentum mundi, the importance of the

Nostra Aetate inaugurated a new era of interreligious dialogue in the Catholic Church, but the theological foundation it provided for such dialogue is complex. This article traces two different heuristic trajectories: a universalist trajectory revealed in Nostra Aetate 1–2 and reflected in the work of Bernard Lonergan, and a particularist trajectory in Nostra Aetate 4

According to the so-called “religio-ethical” model of disability accepted in some sense by Aquinas, disability is fundamentally a punishment for wrongdoing. Duns Scotus rejects this view and holds that disability could simply have been part of God’s plan, and that its presence could have been explained simply by virtue of God’s finding beauty in some

The essay presents an argument for critical retrieval of the framework of cooperation with evil used by the moral manualists who dominated Catholic moral theology in the first part of the 20th century. Both “liberal” and “conservative” Christians are concerned with cooperation but differ as to which issues deserve attention and when cooperation becomes problematic.

This article challenges the current scholarly consensus that John Henry Newman wrongly interpreted Martin Luther’s theology of justification by faith alone in his Lectures on Justification. It contends that what Newman primarily opposed in his Lectures was not Luther himself, but “popular Protestantism” and its teaching of justification by mere imputation. The charges against Newman

A national election provides an opportunity to take a reading of the mood and issues in society. The nomination and election of Donald Trump amounted to a political earthquake that disrupted the establishment of a major political party and set a direction for national leadership that remains uncertain. The rise of populism pushed the issue

Reviewing the literature on conscience, Catholicism, and politics, especially from the last ten years, the author argues that there are two views of conscience emerging: the ecclesial view and the personalist view. The author also discusses the significance of historical context for the development of theological thought about conscience in relation to politics.

The papal exhortation Amoris Laetitia has prompted questions about the way it develops doctrine, prioritizes the Gospel value of mercy, and calls for an accompaniment of and a respect for the discerning consciences of those in “irregular situations.” In their response to these questions, bishops and theologians in Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Belgium, South Africa,