Religion & Law

John Allen's newest column describes a very promising initiative to draft a Catholic template for business ethics in the 21st Century, something analogous to the "Sullivan Principles", which worked so effectively to focus the world on practical steps that could be taken to pressure South Africa to abandon apartheid.  This initiative was kicked off last week by a conference hosted by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, co-sponsored by St. Thomas's John A. Ryan Institute for Catholic Social Thought of the Center for Catholic Studies.  (The initiators of this effort include Bob Kennedy, who co-directs the Murphy Institute with me.)  As Allen describes it:

As [Michael] Naughton [director of the Ryan Institute] put it, the idea would be to produce a short ?primer? on Catholic social principles as they apply to concrete business challenges ? maybe ten pages, designed to appeal to business people who won?t read Caritas in Veritate or the recently published ?Compendium? of Catholic social teaching, but who are nevertheless eager to bring their moral and spiritual convictions to bear on their business activity.

Though the Sullivan Principles are likely the best-known model for such a project, Naughton said there are other examples to draw upon, including the U.N. Social Compact and the principles of the ?Caux Round Table,? an international organization of business executives that aims to promote ethical practice.

As Naughton laid out the argument, the Catholic church has unique resources to get the job done. Three in particular stand out:

• Arguably the most extensive tradition of social thought, teaching and practice of any religious body in the world.
• A extensive network of groups and associations of Catholic business professionals, such as the Brussels-based ?International Christian Union of Business Executives,? founded by Catholics in the early 20th century though now ecumenical;
• More than 1,000 Catholic colleges and universities around the world, most of which have business schools ? though many, Naughton said, don?t actually draw upon the Catholic social tradition in any systematic way.

Naughton said the Vatican?s Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace is the logical aegis under which a Catholic set of ?Sullivan Principles? ought to be elaborated. Business is a global reality, and the Vatican is a global institution. Moreover, he said, such a ?primer? would be a template for how the church can engage culture, of which business is one key expression.