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Books Body of Christ has AIDS; church has some answers
CATHOLIC ETHICISTS ON
HIV/AIDS PREVENTION Edited by James F. Keenan, S.J., with Jon D.
Fuller, S.J., Lisa Sowle Cahill and Kevin Kelly Continuum: 2000, 351
pages, $24.95 |
By WILLIAM F. McINERNY
It is the body of Christ that has AIDS, not an isolated
individual. Therefore, the face of AIDS is global, and the response to
Christs face must be worldwide, bold, creative, humane and faithful to
Roman Catholicisms finest moral wisdom. That theological anthropology
pervades this book. Jesuit Fr. James F. Keenan brilliantly edits an anthology
that analyzes the pandemic from the perspectives of the best that contemporary
Roman Catholic moral theology has to offer.
Wisely, this work stresses the multifaceted issues of
preventing the spread of the HIV virus. And prevention within a
Catholic context includes not only thorny questions about using condoms and
sponsoring needle exchange programs, but also the deeply systemic embedded
problems of exploitive global economic systems, racism, poverty and the status
of women.
Collectively, the authors here gathered work addressing the
theological, social, cultural, economic, gender, medical and pastoral
dimensions of AIDS. Their treatments inform the intellect, excite the
imagination, stir the heart and inspire the spirit to draw from centuries of
accumulated moral wisdom within the Catholic tradition and bring it to bear on
this crushing contemporary reality.
Fuller and Keenans introduction will jolt some and come as
welcome relief to others. They show how contemporary moral theologians, using a
refined casuistry, applying the principles of toleration, cooperation and
double effect, can and do make a credible case for using condoms and needle
exchange programs as steps toward the prevention of the spread of the HIV
virus. They do so while remaining faithful to pertinent official authoritative
church teachings, convincingly demonstrating just how pro-life these measures
can be.
Readers are then treated to the first of two major parts of the
book titled The Cases. Each chapter begins with a detailed case
study representing diverse cultural predicaments arising from the AIDS
pandemic. The spectrum of contexts is global: Ireland, Rakia Africa, Brazil,
Bangladesh and England, for example. The cases are analyzed, revealing the
moral issues and conundrums involved, and then addressed within the context of
Catholic moral theology. Throughout, these chapters present insights, hopes,
frustrations, recommendations for action and questions for further
deliberation.
Part two, Fundamental Moral Issues for HIV Prevention,
does not address specific cases per se but rather lays out conceptual and
experiential moral-theological foundations that help ground the analyses in
part one and direct further reflections and judgments.
Herein we find out how moral tradition progresses and develops;
how justice and the common good relate to AIDS; strengths and weaknesses of
casuistry in connection with this pandemic; a vision for developing the
meaningfulness of sexuality for our worlds youths; and how the challenge
and risks of the reign of God can be applied to the present predicament.
The entire book -- but especially this part -- is an eye-opening
demonstration of how Catholic moral theology works in the concrete. It is a
primer for understanding the terminology and rationales of this proud
tradition. Readers are not only presented with significant terms such as
casuistry, the principles of tolerance, totality, nonmaleficence, subsidiarity
and beneficence. But better yet, they are shown what the terms mean and imply
when put into actual practice -- and how to put them into actual
practice.
In addition, the functions of issues such as context, intentions,
contingencies, and variabilities are shown in concrete reasoning. We are
educated about what moral principles are and how they work in a creative
dialogue between what we understand the principles to be and what our
experiences of reality tell us about them, and vice-versa.
The section also clearly shows why moral principles need an
anthropological anchor so they can operate well. Other treasures of the
Catholic moral tradition are showcased, such as the dignity of the human
person, the common good, the preferential option for the poor, structural sin
and Gods reign. We also encounter the too-often neglected realities of
joy and humor as part of the process of moral adjudication.
The authors show a profound respect and reverence for official
church teachings relevant to the AIDS crisis. They offer a bracingly positive
assessment of the churchs ability to enter into the fray of this pandemic
and constructively participate in worldwide measures to prevent its spread.
Examine this book carefully and see if you agree with these
authors that the Catholic tradition of moral theology is robust, timely,
supple, humane and, most of all, wise enough to make vital contributions to
ongoing global discussions about this current state of the Body of Christ.
William F. McInerny is professor of theology and religious
studies at Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. His e-mail address is
William.McInerny@rockhurst.edu
National Catholic Reporter, September 29,
2000
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