ST. LAWRENCE DEANERY — What does the Catholic Church really teach about the ethical issues facing us today?

A new book — Catholic Ethics in Today’s World — written by Jozef Zalot, an assistant professor of religious studies at the College of Mount St. Joseph, and Benedictine Father Benedict Guevin, a professor of moral theology at St. Anselm College in Manchester, NH, provides insights on various economic, political and social issues. Zalot is also the author of The Roman Catholic Church and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: Voices Yet Unheard in a Listening World.

COURTESY PHOTO

Jozef Zalot

Written for a general audience, Catholic Ethics in Today’s World is meant to address what the authors describe as a "sense of confusion" expressed by many people about what the church teaches on topics such as capital punishment, just war and business ethics, as well as why it teaches what it does.

"Most people don’t have a clue that the church has written or spoken about these issues," Zalot said. "Our goal is to give readers the Catholic moral perspective on the issues."

The authors illustrate the breadth of dialogue among moral theologians regarding church teachings and acknowledge that there is disagreement among faithful Catholics about contemporary ethical issues. The book is structured in a practical way, with the first three chapters providing a basic overview on how one does moral reflection and including a historical overview of Catholic social teaching. The remaining chapters focus on specific ethical challenges, from questions of economic justice to medical ethics and the church’s teachings on embryonic stem cell research and the level of care given to comatose patients. Each chapter concludes with questions for review and discussion.

Zalot’s students read drafts of the book and provided feedback that he feels makes it more accessible to the average reader. He has been using the text in his classes and said student response has been positive, leading to new insights and prompting discussion.

"They seem to really like the book," he said. "It helps them realize there is a wide breadth of issues that the church speaks about. They may come with preconceived ideas about things, then see things in a different light after they read the book. I hope it moves them to get more information, delve a little deeper and take action."

Catholic Ethics in Today’s World is available at www.amazon.com, the website for St. Mary’s Press,www.smp.org, and at the Mount St. Joseph Bookstore. For more information about the book, call the Mount’s Department of Religious and Pastoral Studies at 513-244-4496.