Online Course: The Biblical Grounding Of The Holy Father’s Thinking

Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti Class

Tuesday Nights at 07:00 PM beginning April 19, 2022 – Pacific Time (US and Canada)

In his role as primary teacher of the Church, Pope Francis has issued recently several important documents.  Chief among them is Laudato Si’ (On Care for Our Common Home) and Fratelli Tutti (On Fraternity and Social Relationship).  The talks in this short series will investigate some of the biblical grounding of the Holy Father’s thinking.

Laudato Si’

April 19
Our attitude toward the rest of the natural world springs from our understanding of what it means to be a human being. (Gen 1:26-28; 3:5)

April 26
At the very foundation of our creaturehood, we are connected with all other Earth creatures (Gen 2:7, 9, 19, 22-23; 9:9-10; Hos 2:20)

May 3
As Earth creatures, we are totally dependent on Earth, and in many ways, Earth is dependent on us (Hos 2:10-11; Exod 20:11 (Deut 5:15); Exos 23:10-11; Lev 25:1-4)

View and download the Vatican Document here: “Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of The Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home” — in the top right side of the Vatican webpage there are options to view the document in different languages, or download the document as a PDF (portable document format).

Fratelli Tutti

May 10
“Who is my Neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-37)

May 17
Differences should not separate us (Gal 3:28)

May 24
“In virtue of their baptism, all the members of the People of God have become missionary disciples” (Matt 28:19; Mark 16:15)  

View and download the Vatican Document here: “Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti of The Holy Father Francis on Fraternity and Social Friendship” — in the top right side of the Vatican webpage there are options to view the document in different languages, or download the document as a PDF (portable document format).

About the Professor

Dianne Bergant, CSA

Dianne Bergant, CSA is Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP Distinguished Professor Emerita of Biblical Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. She was President of the Catholic Biblical Association of America (2000-2001) and has been an active member of the Chicago Catholic/Jewish Scholars Dialogue for the past thirty years. For more than fifteen years she has been the Old Testament book reviewer of The Bible Today, having been a member of the editorial board for twenty-five years.  Five of these years she served as the magazine’s general editor.  She is currently working in the areas of biblical interpretation and biblical theology, particularly issues of peace, ecology and feminism.

Education: MA/PhD, St. Louis University

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Laudato Si and Fratelli Tutti Class

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