From its earliest origins, the Catholic church has tried to influence society and society has, to varying degrees, shaped the church. Recently, with the demise of the Marxist alternative to capitalism, Catholic social teaching has assumed the role of the major international force challenging free enterprise to be more humane. What does the church have to say about the world's current situation and the possibility of a new world order, and how has this message evolved over the past 100 years? The 20 essays in "Catholic Social Thought and the New World Order" reflect on the development and evolution of Catholic social teaching and analyse its practical applications for the contemporary world. Contributors to this volume include many of the foremost leaders and scholars in the Catholic community, as well as several from the Protestant and secular academic worlds. Here, church leaders Archbishop Denis Hurley of South Africa and Archbishop Marcos McGrath of Panama offer reflections from their pastoral experiences. Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, former Vatican Secretary of State, discusses a hopeful future for international institutions. Jean-Yves Calvez, Joan D. Chittister, J. Bryan Hehir, Peter J. Henriot, Richard P. McBrien, Dennis P. McCann, Michael Novak, Theodore M. Hesburgh, George G. Higgins, M. Shawn Copeland, Peter J. Paris and Oliver F. Williams all speak from their respective backgrounds, their discussions ranging from ecclesiology and systematics to women's and minority studies. Richard DeGeorge, John B. Caron, Amitai Etzioni and Paul Sigmund relate Catholic social teaching to other main currents in the contemporary intellectual and business worlds, and journalist William Pfaff raises some provocative questions about nationalism and internationalism today. In the light of heightened awareness that Catholic social thought has an increasingly major role to play in the international forum, these analyses of the past, present and future Catholic social thought and its continuing influence on personal and communal life in our times should appeal to scholars and lay-persons alike.
