Vatican II: On Religious Liberty and Human Rights

Holy Family Parish in Concord, Massachusetts, will be hosting noted theologian, David Hollenbach, SJ speaking on Dignitatis Humanae, a document of the Second Vatican Council.   This is part of year long educational effort at Holy Family exploring the documents and implications of this Council fifty years later.

 Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Liberty is close to the center of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ current engagement in U.S. public life.  So how Vatican II’s approach to religious freedom should be understood has great relevance to the public role of the church in the U.S. today.  David Hollenbach, S.J., will speak on the current debates about religious freedom in light of the Council’s teaching.  He holds the University Chair in Human Rights and International Justice and is Director of the Center for Human Rights and International Justice at Boston College, where he teaches Christian social ethics.  His most recent books include Driven from Home: Protecting the Rights of Forced Migrants (2010), Refugee Rights: Ethics, Advocacy, and Africa (2008) and The Global Face of Public Faith: Politics, Human Rights, and Christian Ethics (2003).

 Join us in exploring these challenging questions. The presentation will be held on Thursday, April 25 at 7:30 PM at Monument Hall in historic Concord Center.  A donation of $5 – 10 is deeply appreciated.