Catholic Research Articles

Religion as a strategy for Ukrainians to overcome difficulties at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022

This study is about those Ukrainians who chose faith аs their dominant survival strategy at the beginning of the war. The multifunctionality of the religious strategy (according to K. Pargament) can manifest itself in religious behavior, which is also observed among the respondents: passive, active, in the development of personal relationships with God and interpersonal — in the middle of church communities, focused on solving problems and the emotional calm that religious practices bring — prayer and participation in divine services. A religious coping strategy helps to find hope through faith and trust in God and build a more positive vision of your future and your country. How did Ukrainians use religion to deal with the fear and trauma of war? This study shows how some Ukrainians, feeling the fear and trauma of war, turned to religion and faith not only in the traditional spiritual sense, but also in a broader interpretation as a hope and trust for a better future, victory and the forces of good. In order to identify strategies that help Ukrainians survive difficult trials, we conducted the interviews in April and May 2022 with 31 Ukrainians from different regions of Ukraine and abroad. Our research particularly highlights the spiritual experience of the Roman Catholic community of Ukraine. Religious coping mechanisms included physical activities such аs evening prayer with the family and attending church services. Metaphysical actions included communicating with God in everyday life or "giving everything to God." Religion was singled out as one of the strategies for overcoming difficulties by Ukrainians in extreme situations. Using thematic analysis, several strategic areas for dealing with stress were identified from the interview. In a brief linguistic analysis, It was noted that the word ‘faith’ appears in various meanings, not only faith in God, but also faith in victory, faith in the forces of good, faith in a better future for their children. Verbal concepts that reveal respondent’s religious worldview — faith in God (4 mentions), prayer (4), God (3), religious community (2), hope in God (4), faith (2), Lord God (2), church (1), trust in God.

The Fall, Rise, and Fall of Faith: Catholic Lapsing, Belief, and the New Evangelisation in Japan

This paper explores the phenomenon of lapsing among young Japanese Catholics, highlighting how both local and translocal experiences of Roman Catholicism shape the ebbs and flows of faith for our interlocutors. While global Catholic events such as World Youth Day can reignite faith by fostering a sense of belonging to a larger, global Church, the contrast with the small and socially isolated Catholic community in Japan often precipitates lapsing. This study examines the influence of the New Evangelisation, which promotes active belief and translocal unity, and argues that this movement can both strengthen global Catholic identity and exacerbate feelings of alienation in local, non-Catholic societies. Ultimately, we stress, in the context of Roman Catholicism, that lapsing should not be seen as simply a rupture in faith but as part of a continuous, if turbulent, Catholic identity, mediated by translocal flows of belief and institutional authority.

Religious service attendance and consumer financial outcomes: Evidence from a longitudinal survey

Previous literature has pointed to strong links between religion and economic outcomes. However, little is known about how individual consumers ’ religiosity is related to their financial management outcomes. Using longitudinal data from a national representative survey of households in Poland (more than 90% of believers declaring Roman Catholic religious denomination), we examine the associations between religious service attendance (RSA) and three subsequent consumer financial outcomes: savings, debt, and financial satisfaction. Social contacts, general trust, and risk tolerance have been tested to mediate these associations. The results indicate that RSA is prospectively associated with all three consumer financial outcomes: savings (positive), debt (negative), and financial satisfaction (positive). Only one mediation effect was found: the association between RSA and savings is mediated by social contacts. This implies that religiosity, as measured by RSA, is prospectively associated with financial outcomes, and socialcontacts have some potential to mediate the process.

Kin networks and quality of government: a regional analysis

AbstractThis paper examines the relationship between kin-based institutions and quality of government in the regions of Spain, France, and Italy. The results show that the rate of cousin marriage during the twentieth century is a strong predictor of the modern-day quality of government in the regions of these three countries. Regions characterized by a higher prevalence of cousin marriage tend to have on average worse governance outcomes. This finding holds after accounting for country fixed effects and different variables that may be correlated with both consanguinity and regional quality of government, including an extensive array of geographical, historical, and contemporary factors. The observed association between cousin marriage and quality of government persists when I utilize an instrumental variable approach that exploits regional variation in the degree of historical exposure to the marriage laws of the medieval Catholic Church to address potential endogeneity concerns. Furthermore, the paper also provides evidence consistent with the idea that the effect of cousin marriage on the quality of government operates through its impact on a series of cultural traits such as impersonal trust, fairness, and conformity-obedience.

Odinala Traditional Religion as Part of Igbo Catholic Christian Identity

Although recent statistics indicate that the majority of the Igbo – an ethnic group living mainly in West African Nigeria – claim to be Christian (of various denominations), their religious identity is in fact more complex: the Igbo do not forget their traditional Odinala religion and practice it together with Christianity without intermingling (multiple religious identity) or in syncretism with Christianity. Odinala is, in short, a polytheistic religious system where the highest reverence belongs to the god Chukwu. The aim of this article is firstly to give an introduction to the traditional Igbo religion of Odinala and secondly its influence on the co-formation of the identity of the Igbo – we choose for the purpose of this article – Catholic Christian. Through the ontological categories of Odinala religion, the paper examines how Odinala shapes the Igbo worldview, how it co-constitutes Igbo identity and helps to establish the ontological category of the human person. The topic is developed through a field research method, reinforced by a comparison of relevant literature.

On the crossroads of faith: the catholic church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia through the eyes of US ministers and consuls in Belgrade and Zagreb

On the crossroads of faith: the catholic church and the Serbian Orthodox Church in the Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes/Yugoslavia through the eyes of US ministers and consuls in Belgrade and Zagreb

Faith and Reason: Reinventing Scholasticism in Postmodern Philippine Catholic Education

This paper aims to present the necessity of a new scholastic movement as an intellectual and religious movement and to reinvent it in the context of 21st Century Philippine Catholic Education. This reinvention of Scholasticism aims to design a curriculum for Senior high school students in order to equip them in understanding and defending the Catholic Faith and Teachings. Since the Catholic Church is facing the problems given by postmodernism and atheism, there is a need for another scholastic movement to counter these problems. This paper uses in-depth and comprehensive analysis of texts related to reinvention of scholastic movement in the 21st Century. The researcher used Purposive Sampling technique to carefully select the articles based on their relevance to the reinvention of scholastic movement. This paper uses updated and relevant research papers for analysis. In addition, to argue that there is a need for a new scholastic movement in Philippine Catholic education, the Hegelian dialectic was used, the idea of history repeating itself became the start point of this paper to argue that this is philosophical sound and valid. This paper examines the necessity of the 21st Century Philippine Catholic Education to the reinvented scholastic movement and it also offers a comprehensive curriculum design to reinvent scholasticism in education. Since, it aims to craft a curriculum which is anchored to apologetics and scholasticism, this proposed curriculum can equip the students to be effective Christians who will defend the church and its teachings. With this, the Religious Education for Grade 11 and Grade 12 will be a strong foundation of Catholic Faith in the 21st Century Philippine Education for Catholic schools.

Сучасний геноцид українців крізь призму концепції совєтського геноциду Рафала Лемкіна

In his speech delivered in New York in 1953, the famous international lawyer, the author of the term “genocide”, Raphael Lemkin proposed his own vision of the policy of the USSR towards Ukrainians as genocide. He believed that not only the extermination of Ukrainians by famine in 1932–1933 should be seemed as genocide, but also more broadly all actions of the Kremlin aimed at the Russification of the Ukrainian nation. The lawyer spoke of four “strikes”, “prongs” of the attack on the Ukrainian nation. Even after Ukraine became independent in 1991, the Russian pressure directed against the Ukrainian statehood continued. The events escalated in 2014 with the occupation of Crimea and Russian invasion to the Donetsk and Luhansk region. The purpose of the repressive measures the pro-Kremlin forces (such as physical attacks against active people, exclusion of the Ukrainian language from all spheres of social life, etc.) took on the occupied territories was to break the “spine” of the Ukrainian resistance there. Importantly, R. Lemkin’s concept can also be applied to the events of the Russian-Ukrainian fullscale war, which has been ongoing since February 24, 2022 and which many countries of the world have already recognized as genocidal. At the same time, the scholarly discussions about the genocidal nature of this war and ways of using of this term in international law and politics are ongoing. In particular, the Russian occupiers destroy the “brain of the nation”. They kidnap, imprison and kill Ukrainian intellectuals, journalists and writers, confiscate Ukrainian-language books from libraries as “Nazi literature” and burn them down, and deny children access to education in the Ukrainian language. The invaders are also attacking the “soul of the nation”, destroying churches and repressing the clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Instead, the Kremlin uses the Russian Orthodox Church under its control to popularize anti-Ukrainian ideas among the general public. The occupiers are also massively destroying the “body of the nation” – the population of the occupied territories, “average Ukrainians”. This happens due to the killing of civilians, physical, psychological and sexual violence against them, creation of conditions incompatible with life (humanitarian disasters) on the temporarily occupied territories, systematic shelling and destruction of critical infrastructure, etc. In addition, we should mention the confiscation of crops from Ukrainian farmers, which is reminiscent of the actions of the Bolsheviks during the Holodomor. Finally, the enemy fragments the Ukrainian nation by Russifying and deporting the inhabitants of the temporarily occupied territories, including children, to Russia and populating the captured Ukrainian lands, cities and towns with representatives of other nations. Therefore, the analysis of current events through the prism of R. Lemkin’s concept reveals the tenacity of the Russian misanthropic policy towards the Ukrainian nation and Moscow’s boundless imperial ambitions. In particular, the actions of Russian troops in the occupied territories (systematic violence, repression, attack on the Ukrainian language and culture, encroachment on religious freedoms, forced deportations, etc.) pose a serious threat to the Ukrainian identity of the residents and lead to theRussification of the temporarily occupied territories. As in the times of the USSR, the current leadership of the Kremlin manipulates information, hiding its crimes from the world and using propaganda to create a positive image of the government among the population. Putin’s regime already objects to comparing the events of a full-scale war with the Holodomor, and this tendency is probably going to increase in the future. In conclusion, our approach also demonstrates a certain universality of R. Lemkin’s ideas regarding the actions of the Kremlin against enslaved nations. Keywords: genocide, Holodomor, Raphael Lemkin, Russian-Ukrainian war, crime, Ukrainian nation.

The Development of the Structure of Feeling in the Brazilian Liberation Theology Movement

Raymond Williams’s concept of the “structure of feeling” aims to describe the shared experiences, attitudes, and emotions of social groups at specific historical moments. However, this theory has been criticized for lacking a rigorous theoretical framework, clear definitions, and boundaries, as well as for failing to adequately explain its interaction with mainstream ideology. This paper attempts to address these issues through the lens of the Brazilian Liberation Theology movement. The “structure of feeling” established by Brazilian Liberation Theology departed from the traditional hierarchical system of the Church, aligning itself instead with emerging cultures and the practices of grassroots church communities. Under the repression of the military government, the mainstream Church began to accept certain aspects of Liberation Theology rather than viewing it solely as radical and threatening. Although Liberation Theology gradually waned after the fall of the military regime, its adjusted “structure of feeling”—devoid of its radical elements but still focused on social justice and poverty—profoundly impacted the global Catholic Church. The experience of the Brazilian Liberation Theology movement illustrates that a “structure of feeling” can transcend the dichotomy between consciousness and materiality and the crux lies in individuals discovering and asserting their own existence; such a “structure of feeling” can either emerge from within existing ideologies or challenge them directly; its relationship with mainstream ideology is significantly shaped by specific historical contexts; certain facets of emerging emotions are selectively incorporated into mainstream ideology, typically in ways that mitigate their more radical implications.

What About the Child? Toward a Catholic Soteriology of Aborted Fetuses.

In this essay, I utilize a historical methodology into Catholic thought on abortion, looking toward the foundational viewpoint of original sin as justification for the need to baptize infants for the sake of their salvation. Then, I highlight how abortion has developed and shifted throughout the twentieth century vis-à-vis Papal Encyclicals and Vatican II. Strikingly, there is a resounding silence on the soteriology of aborted fetuses in Canon Law. Finally, I return to the clinical context to indicate the theological tension between the Catholic Church's foundational belief on the need to baptize and their procedural ethic on the soteriology of aborted fetuses, resulting in the uncertainty of the salvation for unbaptized aborted fetuses.

The stagnation of leadership in Catholic religious universities in Indonesia

This study demonstrated the connection between leadership and the underdevelopment of the Catholic Pastoral College (Sekolah Tinggi Pastoral Katolik (STPK)). This qualitative study was conducted in five STPKs located in Malang, Semarang, Pontianak and Medan. It involved leaders of four parties: (a) the Bishop; (b) the Directors of Catholic Education representing the Government; (c) members of the Ministry of Religious Affairs representing the Indonesian Catholic Church; (d) representatives of the management of the Colleges alongside teachers. Data was collected via Google forms, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews with the Bishop, government, chairperson and foundation of STPK. The research findings revealed that: the elements of leadership are ineffective and lack coordination and cooperation with bishops and the government; the cultural influence of the Catholic hierarchy is strong; an effective pattern of communication relations is not established; and human resources are not yet professional. This report advised that a higher education commission be established to facilitate the formation of a collaborative task force to address critical challenges and ensure that STPK remains adaptable to changing times. Thus, the efforts and aspirations to transform STPK into a high-quality and competitive educational institution take shape.

The Roman Catholic Church and Interreligious Dialogue

Pope John Paul II contributed more than any other Pope in Christian history to interreligious dialogue. This article reviews the pastoral approach of Pope John Paul II (1978-2005) to interreligious dialogue (IRD) and its application in the Archdiocese of Mombasa, Kenya. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) embraced IRD during the Vatican II Council (1962-1965) convened by Pope John XXIII, who passed on in 1963. While his successor, Pope Pius VI, guided the council and laid grounds for IRD by shifting from its exclusive theology of the pre-Vatican period, Pope John Paul II directed and shaped the pastoral approach of the RCC on IRD and social cohesion. This article analyses Pope John Paul II's magisterium and encyclicals on IRD and its pastoral application by the Archdiocese of Mombasa in moderation of religious and social extremism. It argues that the Archdiocese of Mombasa adopted interreligious dialogue to strengthen interreligious relations and build social cohesion.

The Church and African Mortuary Rites

There is no doubt that there is an existential conflict between African funeral rituals with certain Christian religious beliefs and social norms. Conflict over burial rituals and especially among the Agiriama people has led to tension between the community and Christian churches andparticularly the Catholic Church in Kilifi, Kenya. In order to avoid such conflicts, this article set out to explore the possibilities of enculturating some funeral rites, such as ‘Nyere za Mwezi,’ a cardinal post-burial ritual among the Agiriama community. The latter has continued to practice their traditions and culture associated with burial and funeral despite their conversion to Christianity and Islam, the two dominant religions in the region. This article primarily aims to analyze the Agiriama funeral rites, their symbolic meanings, and their significance to the community.It extends the discussion by examining the Roman Catholic Church's interpretation of those rituals such as ‘Nyere za Mwezi.’ It concludes by examining the challenges and opportunities for inculturation of‘Nyere za Mwezi,’ one of the most significant post-burial rituals that enhanced the community well-being. The article relied on both secondary and primary data based on informed interviews with 30 respondents, mainly priests, Kaya elders, and lay Christians.

Relations Between the Holy See and Lithuania: a 100-Year History

The Article provides the analysis of the relations of the Holy See and the Republic of Lithuania from the beginning of the State’s independence until the current period. At the outset, the authors give an overview of different stages and key legal issues of the development of the said relations. Further, the research deals with typical provisions and specific features of a concordat as an international agreement. The following part of the article is devoted to the analysis of the provisions of current four agreements between the Holy See and Lithuania, adding comparison with the treaties concluded by the Holy See with other two Baltic States, namely Latvia and Estonia. The research focuses on key legal issues of the cooperation between the Holy See and Lithuania with minor aspects of the intersection of the historical, political, international, and religious context. The authors conclude that in the complex international political landscape, the Holy See has remained one of the most credible partners for Lithuania and a moral authority for the nation, dominated by Catholics. The recognition of Lithuania as a State shortly after its Independence Declaration of 1918 as well as non-recognition of its 50-year occupation significantly contributed to the restoration of the State’s independence in 1990. Although the reestablishment of the independent State of Lithuania being based on the continuation of the State’s identity opened door for securing the validity of the Concordat concluded by the Holy See and the Republic of Lithuania in 1927, it was no longer capable of reflecting new realities, and new fundamental changes required the conclusion of new treaties between the parties. In 2000, the Agreement concerning Juridical Aspects of the Relations between the Catholic Church and the State, the Agreement on Cooperation in Education and Culture, and the Agreement concerning the Pastoral Care of Catholics Serving in the Army were concluded between the Holy See and the Republic of Lithuania, while in 2012, the Agreement on the Recognition of Qualifications Concerning Higher Education occurred. These bilateral agreements reflect typical provisions of concordats arising from their unique nature of combining both political (legal) and ecclesiastical matters and securing autonomy of both parties: they regulate the legal status of the Catholic Church and numerous issues, encompassing institutional matters, religious freedom, religious education, family life, cultural heritage, pastoral care, and many others. These provisions are also similar in the agreements concluded by the Holy See and other two Baltic States, all having no state religion. However, the treaties of the Holy See concluded with Lithuania and Latvia have more common and more elaborated provisions than the agreement with Estonia, while some issues are relevant and, therefore, regulated in respect of merely a particular state.

Legal entity of the Catholic Church as a participant in Land and Mortgage Register proceedings in Polish law – selected issues

This article evaluates the legal norms related to real estate trading by legal entities of the Catholic Church in the context of land and mortgage register proceedings. First, the issue of the legal entity of the relevant church legal entities is presented. Next, the principles of the representation of church legal entities by the competent authorities is analysed. This is important both for the capacity to undertake a substantive legal action, the subject of which is real estate, and for examining the effectiveness of procedural steps taken in the course of land and mortgage register proceedings. The last part is devoted to real estate trading with the participation of church legal entities in the context of the principles resulting from the regulations of land and mortgage register proceedings. The research leads to the conclusion that for land and mortgage register proceedings, it is of fundamental importance to assess the effectiveness of a legal act in the context of the specific requirements of canon law, examples of which are Canons 1281 § 1 of the Code of Canon Law with regard to acts exceeding the limits and manner of ordinary management, and Canons 1292 § 1–2 of this Code making the validity of alienation dependent on the consent or authorisation of the competent entity. The absence of the consent or authorisation required by the provisions of canon law should lead to dismissal of the application for entry, which can possibly be remedied by a subsequent confirmation of the legal act performed by applying the instruments of civil law, as exemplified by Articles 39 and 63 of the Civil Code. In addition, the implementation of the principle of the autonomy of the Catholic Church is expressed in leaving to the church authority regulation of the appointment of the competent bodies of church legal persons; the land and mortgage register court cannot question the effectiveness of the appointment of these bodies, the assessment of which is left to the Catholic Church and its organisational units.

The Effect of Meaning in Life and Emotional Intelligence on Work-Related Psychological Well-Being Among Roman Catholic Priests in Indonesia

The Effect of Meaning in Life and Emotional Intelligence on Work-Related Psychological Well-Being Among Roman Catholic Priests in Indonesia

The Catholic Church and Its Hospitals

In this conversation from a recent episode of SoundPractice, the discussion focuses on Patricia Gabow’s book *The Catholic Church and Its Hospitals: A Marriage Made in Heaven?*. We delve into the role of bishops and Ethical and Religious Directives (ERDs) in shaping policies within the Catholic health system. We reveal surprising statistics about the reach and influence of Catholic healthcare and discuss the implications for patient care and physician understanding, especially regarding reproductive and end-of-life care. Gabow’s book also addresses considerations for the Catholic health system’s return to mission fidelity.

Engendering a Future for the Catholic Church

The future of women in the Catholic Church, and indeed of the Church itself, is a point of heated contention. This article explores how the climate emergency is causing Catholics not only to reposition the human subject in relation to the natural world, but to re-evaluate and redefine the nature of the actors within it. Within this emerging sphere of Catholic environmentalism, institutional priorities have been slowly reconfigured, allowing arguments for greater liturgical inclusivity to resurface in novel ways. This process has been particularly pronounced in the Church of Latin America, where questions of sex and gender have become more polarized than ever.

Who is a Child and Who Can a Child Become: Recalling the Educational and Pro-social Achievements of Father Franciszek Blachnicki

The subject of the study described in this article is primarily the perception of a child by Father Franciszek Blachnicki (1921–1987), the founder of the Light-Life Movement, the Crusade for the Liberation of Man, and the Christian Service for the Liberation of Nations, among others. Based on an analysis of the works of this educator and theologian, his vision of childhood is also outlined. The research results have been supported by an appropriate structure for the article, which describes the methodological basis, places the research problems among the disciplines and subdisciplines of science, provides the basic concepts, and portrays Blachnicki in a broader historical context. The article also resolves research problems concerning his perception of a child and childhood (following the teachings of the Catholic Church) and his educational, pro-social and ethical suggestions addressed to contemporary people and found in his works.

Appalachia - Bridging the Opioid Epidemic Amid the Fentanyl Crisis.

Although the opioid epidemic and fentanyl crisis are nationwide problems of immense proportions, calming the storm raging across the isolating geo-economic framework of Appalachia demonstrates the need for courageous, culturally effective programs that have the power to address and overcome the grave situation of addiction in this region. In the Appalachian region, unjust social structures are embedded in the communities' socio-economic conditions. As this reality poses even greater barriers to addressing the opioid epidemic in these communities, the restoration of social relationships within a community becomes vital to the development of a broader approach to social functioning and human flourishing. Faith traditions and faith communities can play an important role in helping to establish and support such social cohesion through attention to the individual, social, and spiritual needs of the community. This essay explores the complex problem of the opioid epidemic compounded by the fentanyl crisis. It considers the importance of public health research within the regional geo-economic framework of Appalachia to (a) inform policies that improve health inequities and promote social cohesion, (b) develop social solutions with a spiritual dimension, and (c) reveal remedies capable of informing moral norms in support of building a more just society. Reflecting on the virtue of solidarity, this essay also highlights the witness of the Catholic Church's response to the suffering experienced within the communities and the societies within the Appalachian mountains. While there may be considerable interest in viewing this article as a research document, foundationally, this essay utilizes a literary narrative approach through a Catholic lens to inform ethical deliberations, reasoning, and practice while supporting ethical reflection and consideration of the responses raised. Further, the reader is strongly encouraged to reference the comprehensive footnote system provided for extension and verification of the data presented.