Theology and Power

Questions of power, and its capacity for abuse, have emerged as urgent themes for theoretical and practical reflection within the international Catholic context (and beyond). In large part, this is due to widespread revelations of sexual abuse, and allegations of subsequent cover-ups, mishandlings, and safeguarding failures. But while of the utmost importance, Christian explorations of power are neither limited to, nor prompted by, the sexual abuse crisis alone. And nor is the "logic of human power" (Pope Francis) a temptation confined only to religious settings. In the words of the Filipino Cardinal, Luis Antonio Tagle, "Power in whatever form can harm when misused." Recognizing the gravity, urgency, and global application of these issues, Theology and Power brings together Catholic scholars from three continents for a renewed, practical, and theoretical exploration of power and its (ab)uses. Special attention is given to both the sexual abuse crisis, and the often tense relationships between religion and politics. The wide-ranging contributions to this volume--encompassing biblical studies, moral philosophy, anthropology, pastoral theology, political theology, ecclesiology, social psychology, and bioethics--stem from a collaboration between the European Society for Catholic Theology (ESCT) and the Catholic Theological Society of the Philippines (DaKaTeo). This is an original collection of essays by leading Asian, European, and North American theologians and ethicists, exploring the nature of power, and its capacity for abuse, within both the Church and civil society. +