Berkley Center

John Courtney Murray was one of few theologians with name recognition and public interest in the mid-twentieth century. In this article, published in the inaugural edition of the Journal of Moral Theology, Senior Fellow Fr. David Hollenbach, S.J.,  describes the impact of Murray's fairly controversial work and its eventual influence at the Second Vatican Council, while focusing his attention on Murray's ideas on the role of the Catholic Church in political morality. Hollenbach then addresses the ways Murray's ideas might continue to shape Church engagement in political life by examining Murray's thought on religious freedom, current Church leadership disputes about civil law and morality, and polarization along religious lines in the United States. Hollenbach argues that a deeper appreciation and application of Murray's approach to religious freedom, morality, and civil law could strengthen the Church's role in public life.