Contents; Preface; 1. Early Historical Context and Taking Care of Our Own; 2. The Social Mission of the Church in the First Part of the Twentieth Century; 3. The Understanding of the Church after Vatican II; 4. Vatican II and a New Understanding of the Social Mission; 5. Post-Vatican II Development of Three Earlier Instances of the Social Mission; 6. Three Significant Issues in the Post-Vatican II Church; 7. Roles of the Church in Supporting the Social Mission; 8. U.S. Bishops and Abortion Law; Conclusions: Looking Backward and Forward; Index
Summary
How does the Church function in the world? What is it called to do, and what does it actually do? Charles E. Curran explores the social mission of the U.S. Catholic Church from a theological perspective, analyzing and assessing four aspects: the importance of social mission, who carries it out, how it is carried out, and the roles that the Church and individual Catholics play in supporting these efforts. In the early and mid-twentieth century the Catholic Church in the United States tended to focus its social mission on its own charities, hospitals, and schools. But the Second Vatican Council
