Sustainable Development Goals and the Catholic Church

This book identifies both the consistencies and disparities between Catholic Social Teaching and the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With Pope Francis’ Laudato si’ encyclical, Catholicism seems to be engaging more than ever with environmental and developmental concerns. However, there remains the question of how these theological statements will be put into practice.

The ongoing involvement of the Catholic Church in social matters makes it a significant potential partner in issues around development. Therefore, with the use of the comparative method, this book brings together authors from multiple disciplines to assess how the political and legal aspects of each of the UN’s 17 SDGs are addressed by Catholic Social Teaching. Chapters answer the question of how the Catholic Church evaluates the concept of sustainable development as defined by the Agenda 2030 Goals, as well as assessing how and if it can contribute to shaping the contemporary concept of global development.

Examining the potential level of cooperation between the international community and the Catholic Church in the implementation of the Agenda 2030 Goals, this volume will be of keen interest to scholars of Catholic Studies, Religious Studies and the Sociology of Religion, as well as Environmental Studies and Development Studies.

Katarzyna Cichos works as Researcher and Lecturer at the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University (CSWU) in Warsaw. Her research interests focus on public international law, with a specific emphasis on the legal and institutional aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals and good governance. She is also an active member of local community initiatives connected to good governance and sustainable development. She holds a PhD in Law.

Jarosław A. Sobkowiak is Associate Dean of the Department of Theology and a lecturer in the Institute of Media, Education and Journalism at the CSWU. He is also a board member of the Moral Theologians Association and the Head of the Social and Digital Communication Centre of CSWU. He is the Chief Editor of the scientific half-yearly magazine Studia Theologica Varsaviensia.

Radosław Zenderowski is Professor at CSWU (since 1999), Head of Chair of International Relations and European Studies, and Director of Institute of Political Science and Public Administration. He is a member of the Scientific Board for PhD Studies in Silesian University in Opava (Czech Republic), a member of the Scientific Board of Polish Association of European Studies, and a member of the Committee on Political Science, Polish Academy of Sciences. He is the author of several books and articles on national identities in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), relations between nationalism and religion, ethnic conflicts, especially in the Balkan region, ethic policies of CEE states, and public diplomacy in the cross-border regions.

Ryszard F. Sadowski is Head of Department of Ecophilosophy at CSWU. He is also an editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Studia Ecologiae et Bioethicae, published by the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University Press. His main research interests focus on environmental philosophy, environmental anthropology, ecophilosophical reflection on environmental crisis, and the role of religions in causing and overcoming the crisis.

Beata Zbarachewicz is Lecturer at the Department of Informatics Law and the Faculty of Law and Administration at CSWU. She is also a member of the University Council.

Stanisław Dziekoński, is Professor, has been Rector of UKSW since 2012, as well as the Head of the Department of the Psychological and Pedagogical Foundations of Catechetics. His other work includes acting as a consultant for the Catholic Education Commission and the Scientific Council of the Polish Bishops’ Conference and being an active member of scientific councils for various theological and pedagogical magazines.