Faith and Freedom - Hardcover

Forcades, Teresa

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1509509755 ISBN 13: 9781509509751

Publisher: Polity, 2016

Synopsis

 Teresa Forcades, Spanish Benedictine nun, theologian, physician and political activist, is one of Europe’s leading radical thinkers. Marrying her Catholic faith with a passion for social justice, she came to prominence for her eloquent condemnation of the abuses of some of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies. She has gone on to found a leading Catalonian anti-capitalist independence movement and is one of the leading voices in the world today against the injustices of capitalism and the patriarchy of modern society and of her own church.

In Faith and Freedom, her first book written in English, she skilfully weaves together her personal experiences with a reflection on morality, religion and politics to give a trenchant account of how the Christian faith can be a dynamic force for radical change. Placing herself in a powerful tradition of Catholic social doctrine and Liberation Theology, she applies her perspective to the issues most precious to her: freedom and love, social justice and political engagement, public health, feminism, faith and forgiveness.

Structured around the five canonical hours that give its peculiar rhythm to the monastic day, this book is a thoughtful and bold polemic against the exploitation and injustice of the status quo. Its call for liberty, love and justice will resonate with anyone disaffected with a savage and destructive political and economic system that marginalises and murders the poor and undermines the very fabric of social life.

About this title

About the Author

Teresa Forcades i Vila is a physician, theologian and Benedictine nun in the mountain monastery of Sant Benet de Montserrat in Catalonia, Spain.

Review

“Teresa Forcades offers a lucid and inspiring reflection on the mutually enriching relationship between contemplation and action, the spiritual and the political, faith and feminism. Structuring her book around the liturgy of the hours, she shows how the Christian life can be lived in a way that is deeply rooted in prayer and tradition, but also radically engaged with the contemporary world.”
Tina Beattie, University of Roehampton

“Sister Teresa's meditations, gracefully woven out of the daily Benedictine cycle of prayer, confront some of the most profound personal challenges of contemporary life. Let noone say that the religious life is a-political: Sister Teresa combines fearless intellectual analysis, radical resistance to injustice, and an unwavering commitment to the mystery and power of Christian forgiveness.”
Sarah Coakley, University of Cambridge

“Eye-opening and invigorating, Faith and Freedom demonstrates the power of faith combined with inquiry.”
Foreword Reviews

"It should be read slowly and prayerfully; there are spiritual gems on almost every page..."
Franciscan

About this edition

• Publisher: Polity
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1509509755
• ISBN 13: 9781509509751
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112