Wilhelm Ketteler and the Birth of Modern Catholic Social Thought A Catholic Manifesto in Revolutionary 1848
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Martin O'Malley
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Wilhelm Ketteler and the Birth of Modern Catholic Social Thought A Catholic Manifesto in Revolutionary 1848
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Herbert Utz Verlag
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9783831608461
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1
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CHF 18.80
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Kulturgeschichte
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English
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205
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DRM
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PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
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PDF
Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler responded to the “Social Question” of 1848 with a series of six sermons, the Advent Sermons, and thereby laid the theoretical groundwork for “Modern Catholic Social Thought.” Taken together, they were a ‘manifesto’ delivered within a year of Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engel’s famous Communist Manifesto. Ketteler’s sermons declared the social principles, concerns and goals for Roman Catholicism as the church confronted both the opportunities and dangers of modern secular politics. He read the signs of the times with remarkable clarity and saw the danger posed by radical social solutions such as communism. His response was distinctively modern in that he refused to hide behind a defensive or nostalgic rejection of representational politics or the emerging democratic institutions. He addressed the public sphere in a way that recognized that governments rule legitimately only if they represent the will and interests of the people. And further, he used a language of rights that recognized the claims of the church and of individuals in a way that was clearly modern.
Yet, Ketteler’s achievement was one that remained essentially rooted in Catholic traditions - especially St. Thomas Aquinas - and specifically rejected the individualism and atomism often associated with liberalism, rights, and democracy. Thus it is fitting to call the sermons a Catholic manifesto and to understand this moment as the birth of Modern Catholic Social Thought.
Preface
(Page 5)
Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler responded to the vacuum of social consensus in 1848 with a series of six sermons, the Advent Sermons, and thereby laid the theoretical groundwork for “Modern Catholic Social Thought”. It was a ‘manifesto’ delivered within a year of Karl Marx’s and Friedrich Engel’s famous Communist Manifesto. Yet, Ketteler’s achievement was one that remained essentially rooted in Catholic traditions as he articulating his forward-looking social theory, used a modern language of subjective rights, and ‘performatively’ acknowledged the value of representational politics. He did this while rejecting the individualism and atomism often associated with liberalism, rights, and democracy.
Ketteler’s Advent Sermons declared the social principles, concerns and goals for Roman Catholicism as the church confronted both the opportunities and dangers of modern secular politics. The Sermons outlined principles that articulated timeless Christian beliefs for a world dealing with revolutionary changes. Ketteler read the signs of the times with remarkable clarity and saw the danger posed by radical social solutions such as communism. And his response was distinctively modern in that he refused to hide behind a defensive or nostalgic rejection of representational politics or the emerging democratic institutions. He addressed the public sphere in a way that recognized that governments rule legitimately only if they represent the will and interests of the people. And further, he used a language of rights that recognized the claims of the church and of individuals in a way that was clearly modern. He set forth the principles, concerns and goals that created a template for the church regarding the ‘Social Question.’ And thus it is fitting to call the sermons a Catholic manifesto and to understand this moment as the birth of modern Catholic Social Thought.
Table of Contents
8
Preface
12
1 A Manifesto with Modern Rights Language in Revolutionary 1848
16
2 The 1848 Frankfurt Parliament:The Emergence of a Unified Catholic Position in a Modern Representational Forum
32
3 The 1848 Advent Sermons: A “Catholic Manifesto” on the Social Question
72
4 The First Sermon on Justice: Catholic Social Principles in a Modern Rights Language
98
5 Love and Courage in Changing Times
138
6 The Pillars of Hope and Temperance
162
7 Final Sermon on Faith: Religious and Public Authority
170
Conclusion
186
8 Bibliography
194
Author
200
