VATICAN - 4th Course in the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, for priests and religious, beginning April 20

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On Monday, April 20, the 4th Course in the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church, for priests and religious, will begin. Registration is open until April 8. The Course is promoted by the Vatican Foundation “Centesimus Annus - Pro Pontificias” in collaboration with the Italian Bishops' Conference and the teaching staff of the Pontifical Lateran University, and will take place in Rome. The course lasts 4 weeks (non-consecutive) from April to October 2009. The people participating in the course will have classes one week per month, for a grand total of 120 hours of classes. The first three weeks will be attended by 55 priests from 45 different dioceses and at the end of the class, there will be an exam at the Pontifical Lateran University, offering participants the opportunity of earning a diploma in the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church.
Cardinal Attilio Nicora, President of the Administration of the Patrimony of the Apostolic See, in the letter sent to the Italian Bishops, mentioned the Course objectives: “the goal of this proposal is to enrich the preparation of priests dealing with issues related to evangelization.” Among the many topics of the program are: the Church's social Magisterium, the Biblical perspective, the Social Doctrine of the Church (SDC) and the economy, the SDC and evangelization, the social issue in the Fathers of the Church, the social formation of the laity, SDC and pastoral ministry, SDC and the priesthood, and more. (SL) (Agenzia Fides 3/4/2009)