How can the Catholic Church play a public role in the new global society? No longer in a position to impose its will through the use of force, the Church searches for new ways to be heard in public debates on human rights, development, social justice, and ethics. Considered to be one of the most intelligent writers on Catholicism today, José Casanova argues that the Church must learn to participate in the new global society in a way that does not violate the values of democracy, pluralism, and the integrity of individual conscience.
José Casanova, PhD
Chair of the Sociology Department of New York's prestigious New School for Social Research, José Casanova created a sensation in academic circles with his 1994 book Public Religions in the Modern World (now translated into Spanish, Japanese and Italian). Dr. Casanova (along with co-director Aristide Zolberg) recently received a grant of more than $1 million from the Pew Charitable Trusts to study religion in New York City's immigrant populations. His most recent book looks at the origins of Opus Dei in Spain.