The Church and Political Morality

John Kennedy

 

This book:

• critiques books by Australian Cardinal George Pell called God and Caesar Selected Essays Religion , Politics & Society CUA Press and by US Bishop (now Cardinal) Charles Chaput called Render Unto Caesar Doubleday explaining the Church’s policy on its involvement in politics.
  

• comments on the Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, Caritas in Veritate which focuses on the ill eff ects of Free Market Capitalism and Globalisation.
  

• argues that the aims of Free Market Capitalism are diametrically opposed to those of Christianity and contrary to Christian principles.
  

• explains how to decide when government decisions are in accordance with Christian principles and when they are not.
  

• criticises the Church’s lack of clear and eff ective moral leadership in matters political and in matters of general morality.

 

About the Author

John Kennedy was a vice president of the NSW Branch of the Democratic Labour Party in the 1960s and 70s. The party was formed as a result of a split in the Australian Labor Party in 1955 over the involvement of the Catholic Church in politics in opposing Communism. The Catholic Church thereafter reverted to its traditional role of being apolitical. Unfortunately, this also led to it not providing moral leadership in matters political. John’s book seeks to reopen the debate on the Church’s role in matters political in an eff ort to get the Church to revise this policy.