JPIC
Spring
Assembly

2009

Justice, Peace and
Integrity of Creation

'Catholic Social Thought in Troubled Times'

Fr Michael Scanlon, Chairman of the JPIC Commission with Bishop Patrick

Bishop Patrick, Fr Michael Scanlon, the Chair of Justice & Peace, and Terry Brown, Justice & Peace Coordinator, were at The Barn, Aylesford Priory on Saturday May 30th to welcome members of Justice & Peace groups from across the diocese for the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Spring Assembly.

The lively morning session was taken up by group discussions on the Justice and Peace work in parishes, racial justice and the changing face of Britain and the CAFOD climate change campaign. During the lunch break we were delighted to receive a visit from Archbishop Kevin who was in Aylesford for another event.

In the afternoon we welcomed Dr Patrick Riordan SJ, from Heythrop College, who gave a thought provoking and enlightening talk on “Catholic Social Thought in Troubled Times”.

He asked three main questions: Is greed to blame? Has capitalism failed? and Is the Common Good the Answer? A show of hands around the room at the start of the talk showed that most were in agreement with the first and third questions. Dr Riordan then went on to show how these were not simple questions and that he would agree to no more than “maybe a little”.

Dr Patrick Riordan SJ

Archbishop Kevin and Fr Michael Scanlon by the statue of Edith Stein,
the Carmelite Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross