Journal | JoMaCC
Monographic journal issue | 2 | 2 | 2023
Research Article | Neoconservatives’ Reading of Catholic Social Teaching
Neoconservatives’ Reading of Catholic Social Teaching
The political debate over the encyclical Centesimus Annus
Abstract
Pope John Paul II’s 1991 publication of the encyclical Centesimus Annus sparked a lively debate that lasted for years. Neoconservative Catholics promptly showed great enthusiasm for the encyclical, which they saw as the Church finally embracing economic liberalism. On the other hand, progressive Catholics rejected the neoconservative analysis and put an entirely different interpretation on the encyclical. This article examines some of the main neocon interpretations of John Paul II’s social thinking, primarily focusing on the encyclical Centesimus Annus. We consider the analyses of Michael Novak and Richard Neuhaus, who show partisan bias in their interpretation of Centesimus Annus. John Paul II’s encyclical soon became a battlefield on which the conflict between neoconservative and progressive Catholics was played out, and a landmark in the debate on Catholic social teaching and its various interpretations.
Submitted: Sept. 8, 2022 | Accepted: April 2, 2023 | Published Oct. 31, 2023 | Language: en
Keywords Michael Novak • Richard Neuhaus • Neoconservative Catholics • United States • Catholic Social Teaching • John Paul II
Copyright © 2023 Fulvia Dellavedova. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/JoMaCC/2785-6046/2023/02/003
