Action for a Fairer World

Featured unit in Semester 2, 2021

The unit explores the influences on Pope Francis and his collaborators, including leading thinkers involved in developing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Monday evenings 6pm-9pm 26th July – 25th October

Pope Francis continually urges vigorous ecumenical and inter-faith action to help tackle global warming and extreme inequality. These issues are even more urgent after COVID. Francis strongly promotes the UN Sustainable Development Goals as our best hope to abolish chronic hunger and extreme forms of poverty, to feed increased population until it levels off, and to offer all people hope for a more fulfilling life. The unit considers the roles of religion, values and economics in shaping a fairer world. We examine Pope Francis’s moral critique of economics today, especially extreme inequality resulting from neoliberal policies, and highlight the climate crisis compounding the challenge of how an increasing population can live sustainably.

Dr Bruce Duncan CSsR studied economics and politics at the University of Sydney, and has taught at YTU since 1986.

Yarra Theological Union

Yarra Theological Union is an inclusive and welcoming community, Catholic by tradition and ecumenical in spirit. We are committed to being a community of scholarship, prayer and pastoral care. We offer theological education and ministerial formation, open to those who seek educational and personal transformation in changing contexts. Our mission is to equip people for various ministries in the churches: parishes, schools, hospitals, church agencies and in the world at large.

ytu.edu.au/