Posted in Books & Films, News & Commentary on Apr 26th, 2011
During my visit to Madrid, I made it a point to visit the basilica of Nuestra Señora de Atocha. Most historians believe that this was the final resting place of Fray Bartolomé de las Casas before his death in 1566. When I arrived to the basilica with my family, I was pleased to be greeted by […]
Posted in Research & Reflections on Apr 18th, 2011
Francisco de Vitoria is arguably considered a pioneer in the formation of modern international law (see, for example, Georg Cavallar’s The Rights of Strangers). His Renaissance retrieval of the concept of ius gentium served as a basis for the following claim: “Amongst all nations it is considered inhuman to treat strangers and travelers badly without some […]
Posted in Research & Reflections on Apr 9th, 2011
Ever since Pope John Paul II’s 1987 social encyclical, Sollicitudo rei socialis (On Social Concern), the term “solidarity” has become a key principle of Catholic social doctrine. In paragraph 40, the pope writes: “Solidarity is undoubtedly a Christian virtue… In light of faith, solidarity seeks to go beyond itself, to take on the specifically Christian dimension of […]