COVID-19, Catholic Social Teaching,
​and the Path Forward

Dr. John Sniegocki

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Let us not be afraid to say it: we want change, real change, structural change. This system is by now intolerable.”
~Pope Francis

Update July 8, 2020 
We apologize for the technical issues we had after the storm Monday evening.  The recording is now available below!

If you are interested in dialogue with Dr. Sniegocki and one another after watching the recording, we are hosting a virtual Meatless Meet Up and Conversation on the pandemic and Catholic Social Teaching next Monday, June 13, 6:30 PM.  
Please complete this webform to RSVP and receive the Zoom link.


Overview
Catholic social teaching advocates economic equity and concern for the most vulnerable, providing a valuable lens for exploring the coronavirus crisis and its effects. Professor Sniegocki will draw on Catholic social teaching to consider the disparate impacts of the Covid crisis and what these impacts reveal concerning the need for structural changes in the United States and the broader world. He will show that Catholic social teaching offers critical insights for the path forward in this challenging moment.
More information can be found on the flyer here.

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Presentation Slides

John Sniegocki is an associate professor of Religious Ethics and has taught at Xavier University since 2001. His main areas of interest include Catholic social teaching, globalization, economic ethics, war and nonviolence, grassroots social movements, ecology, food ethics, contemplative spirituality, and Buddhist-Christian dialogue. He is the author of Catholic Social Teaching and Economic Globalization: The Quest for Alternatives (Marquette University Press, 2009), as well as various journal articles and book chapters. John serves as director of Xavier University’s Peace and Justice Studies minor.

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Submit a question

The Bellarmine Chapel Healthy Earth Team will follow up this livestream with a virtual Meatless Meetup and Conversation with Dr. Sniegocki and one another on Monday, July 13, 6:30 PM.  You prepare your own vegetarian meal, and we eat together while we discuss this important topic in more depth.  You can RSVP on this form to receive the Zoom link and start asking your questions now!

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Resources on the Coronavirus Crisis

For a regularly updated version of this list of resources, see: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KZEIrTniu3qpf0kQRihiQ_SJdhTyw5KLwEVdd1QAa3k/edit?usp=sharing


Resources on Catholic Social Teaching

Basic Principles of Catholic Social Teaching (including quotes from Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XlP1lNojo5TdHxuOshksO-0-yOOVP5v4HkBK7euYCmQ/edit?usp=sharing  

Quotes from Pope Francis https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xak1027wdQKbi5q1W3WQZDl4poB-mWxrADKBRZHe0j0/edit?usp=sharing


​Current State of the Crisis
 
‘The Pandemic is Accelerating,’ Says WHO Chief, Warning of ‘New and Dangerous Phase’ of Coronavirus Crisis   (June 19, 2020)
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/06/19/pandemic-accelerating-says-who-chief-warning-new-and-dangerous-phase-coronavirus
 
US Hits Highest Single Day of New Coronavirus Cases (on June 24th), Breaking April Record
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/u-s-hits-highest-single-day-coronavirus-cases-36-358-n1232065
 
Other Countries Are Winning Against the Virus. We Are Quitting.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/08/other-countries-are-winning-against-virus-we-are-quitting/
 
 
Pope Francis on the Coronavirus Crisis
 
COVID-19 is not God’s Judgement, but a Call to Live Differently, Pope Says
https://www.ncronline.org/news/vatican/covid-19-not-gods-judgment-call-live-differently-pope-says
 
Pope Francis Warns of ‘a Viral Genocide’ if Governments Put the Economy Before People Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2020/03/29/pope-francis-warns-viral-genocide-if-governments-put-economy-people-amid
 
 
Constructive Responses to the Crisis
 
This is How We Can Beat the Coronavirus
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/how-we-beat-coronavirus/608389/
 
The Kind of Coronavirus Response Package We Need
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/20/kind-coronavirus-response-package-we-need
 
‘Far More to Do,’ Say Progressives After House Passes and Trump Signs Corporate-Friendly Coronavirus Relief Act  
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/28/far-more-do-say-progressives-after-house-approves-and-trump-signs-corporate-friendly
 
Women’s Group Says Senate Stimulus Package is Insufficient for Women Who Are Bearing the Brunt of the Coronavirus Epidemic 
https://www.commondreams.org/newswire/2020/03/26/womens-group-says-senate-stimulus-package-insufficient-women-who-are-bearing
 
Alternatives to Killing People for the Economy
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/05/16/alternatives-killing-people-economy
 
 
President Trump’s Handling of the Coronavirus Crisis
 
COVID-19 in the USA -- editorial from the highly respected medical journal The Lancet, criticizing the “absence of cohesive national strategy, and volatile, incompetent leadership” as key contributing factors to the massive spread of the virus in the United States
https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(20)30863-1.pdf
 
David Wallace-Wells, America is Broken
https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/03/coronavirus-shows-us-america-is-broken.html
 
I’m a Doctor: The US Response to Coronavirus Has Been Nothing Less Than Criminal
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/doctors-covid-19-united-states-response_n_5e74ba42c5b63c3b648e9014
 
What Exactly Has Trump Done – or Not Done – to Receive Such Harsh Criticism for His Coronavirus Response?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/03/27/what-exactly-has-trump-done-or-not-done-receive-such-harsh-criticism-his-coronavirus-response/
 
As US Death Toll Hits 100,000 People, Here’s a Simple Guide to 12 Things Trump Did to Make COVID-19 Much Worse
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/05/27/us-death-toll-hits-100000-people-heres-simple-guide-12-things-trump-did-make-covid
 
George Packer, We Are Living in a Failed State: The Coronavirus Didn’t Break America. It Revealed What Was Already Broken
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261/
 
 
Addressing Systemic Injustices Related to and Exposed by the Crisis
 
The Coronavirus Effect: Pandemic Exposes Structural Violence
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/26/coronavirus-effect-pandemic-exposes-structural-violence-us-ruling-class
 
Every Aspect of the Coronavirus Pandemic Exposes America’s Devastating Inequalities
https://www.vox.com/2020/4/10/21207520/coronavirus-deaths-economy-layoffs-inequality-covid-pandemic
 
The Pandemic Will Cleave America in Two
https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/04/two-pandemics-us-coronavirus-inequality/609622/
 
The Coronavirus Crisis and the Crisis of Poverty
https://kairoscenter.org/coronavirus-crisis-of-poverty/
 
Our Response to the Coronavirus Demonstrates How Far America Has Careened Off Track
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/04/20/our-response-coronavirus-demonstrates-how-far-america-has-careened-track
 
Why Coronavirus is Humanity’s Wake-Up Call
https://www.yesmagazine.org/opinion/2020/03/18/coronavirus-wake-up-call/
 
Why is the United States Exporting Coronavirus? – how deporting immigrants who are infected with the virus in US detention facilities is spreading coronavirus throughout other countries
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/18/opinion/trump-immigration-covid19-deportations.html
 
Coronavirus is a Historic Trigger Event—and It Needs a Massive Movement to Respond https://www.commondreams.org/views/2020/03/19/coronavirus-historic-trigger-event-and-it-needs-movement-respond
 
Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin: To Heal from COVID-19 We Must Imagine a Different World
https://truthout.org/articles/chomsky-and-pollin-to-heal-from-covid-19-we-must-imagine-a-different-world/
 
 
 
Coronavirus and Our Relations with Animals and the Natural World
 
Coronavirus Should Be a Wake-up Call to Our Treatment of the Animal World
https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/488295-coronavirus-should-be-a-wake-up-call-to-our-treatment-of-the-animal
 
Jane Goodall Says ‘Disrespect for Animals’ Caused Pandemic
https://news.yahoo.com/jane-goodall-says-disrespect-animals-caused-pandemic-091036641.html
 
Coronavirus a ‘Clear Warning Shot’ from Nature to Humanity, Top Scientists Say
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/03/25/coronavirus-clear-warning-shot-nature-humanity-top-scientists-say
 
Coronavirus: Nature is Sending Us a Message, Says UN Environment Chief
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/25/coronavirus-nature-is-sending-us-a-message-says-un-environment-chief
 
George Monbiot, COVID-19 is Nature’s Wake-Up Call to Complacent Civilization
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/25/covid-19-is-natures-wake-up-call-to-complacent-civilisation
 
If COVID-19 Frightens You, You Should Be Terrified by Climate Change
https://www.ncronline.org/news/earthbeat/faith-seeking-understanding/if-covid-19-frightens-you-you-should-be-terrified-climate
 
Delay is Deadly: What COVID-19 Tells Us About Tackling the Climate Crisis
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/mar/24/covid-19-climate-crisis-governments-coronavirus
 
 
 
Christian Theological Reflections
 
Valerie Cooper, Being a Resurrection People in a Time of Death
https://religionnews.com/2020/04/12/being-a-resurrection-people-in-a-time-of-death/
 
Jim Wallis, Staggering
https://sojo.net/articles/staggering
 
Liberation Theologian Leonardo Boff on Coronavirus
https://novenanews.com/liberation-theologian-coronavirus-individualism/
 
For the Love of God (Literally), Stay Home, Be Safe, and Pray: Love of God and Love of Neighbor in the Time of Coronavirus
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/faith-seeking-understanding/love-god-literally-stay-home-be-safe-and-pray
 
COVID-19: Responding Faithfully – a collection of resources
https://divinity.duke.edu/initiatives/covid-19
 
COVID-19 and Catholic Social Teaching
https://educationforjustice.org/covid-19-catholic-social-teaching/
 
 
 
Resources from the Buddhist Tradition
 
Practicing in a Pandemic – a collection of resources
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/coronavirus-meditations/
 
Pandemic Resources – Compassion in a Time of Coronavirus
https://jackkornfield.com/pandemic-resources/
 
Buddhist Reflections on COVID-19: Love in the Time of Coronavirus
https://www.lionsroar.com/tag/covid-19/
 
 
VIDEOS
 
Poor People’s Campaign – Poverty Amidst Pandemic: Everybody’s Got the Right to Live
https://www.facebook.com/anewppc/videos/254758782329188/
 
Poor People’s Campaign -- The Moral Response to COVID-19 
https://www.facebook.com/anewppc/videos/526372518264810/
 
Catholic Social Thought and the Coronavirus Crisis
https://www.facebook.com/catholicsocialthought/videos/vb.245031678978018/205395647417198/?type=2&theater
 
Video Messages from Jane Goodall on COVID-19
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOkBBMFlTpM  (2 min.)
and   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TbkN5BkxFg  (5 min.)