New Book on Catholic Social Justice

From CathNews:

A collection of 18 essays published this week counters Tony Abbott’s recent dismissal of social justice as “socialism masquerading as Justice”.

Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Secretary Archbishop Philip Wilson has written the foreword, and chapters are written by a range of writers including Cardinal George Pell’s private secretary Dr Michael Casey, and Jesuit theologian Fr Andrew Hamilton.

The book, which is titled Life to the Full: Rights and Social Justice in Australia, is published by Connor Court Publishing. It is edited by University of NSW Mathematics lecturer Dr James Franklin.

In the book, traditional Christian social justice theory is explained as being neither socialist nor free-market, neither naïve nor utopian.

The full range of human rights are surveyed, from the right to life to the rights to education, to association and to a living wage.

Dr Franklins wrote in the introduction that the regulated and generally stable capitalism of the last few decades has delivered prosperity more reliably than the unrestrained capitalism of the Depression.

“With Workchoices threatening rights to collective bargaining, it is especially important to recall the centerpiece of Christian social theory that separates it from socialism,” Dr Franklin wrote.

“That is its commitment to organizations between the individual and the state, from the family to unions, companies, lawcourts and professional associations,” he wrote.