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Christian charity and the developing world

Concordia graduate Robert Calderisi to discuss Catholic Church’s international role at the Loyola Public Lecture Series on Ethics in Society
April 14, 2014
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By James Gibbons

Concordia graduate Robert Calderisi, BA 68, examines international development from a distinct perspective — a Catholic one.

Robert Calderisi, author of Earthly Mission: The Catholic Church and World Development

Calderisi, the university’s first Rhodes Scholar, will discuss the Catholic Church’s role as part of the Loyola Public Lecture Series on Ethics in Society on April 22, at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre.

The lecture is organized by Concordia’s Advancement and Alumni Relations, the Loyola Alumni Association and the Department of Theological Studies.

“I’m extremely proud to be lecturing at my alma mater,” says Calderisi, former country director of Central Africa at the World Bank, where he worked for over 20 years.

“It’ll feel like a homecoming.”

Calderisi will discuss his latest book Earthly Mission: The Catholic Church and World Development (Yale University Press) at the event.

“The subject is so polarizing,” says Calderisi of the Church’s international role. After the Red Cross, the Catholic Church’s charitable network, Caritas, is the second largest private development organization in the world.

Earthly Mission is an assessment of the Catholic Church’s good deeds and faults. Earthly Mission is an assessment of the Catholic Church’s good deeds and faults.

“People who’ve worked in the developmental field have a more balanced perception of the Church,” says Calderisi.

In some African countries the Catholic Church provides almost half of all basic education and healthcare services.

On the Church’s first leader from a developing country, Calderisi says: “I have deep admiration for Pope Francis.

For younger people, he’ll seem to represent something fresh; older generations will recognize the Church he speaks for.”

Calderisi hopes attendees will take away a better-rounded perspective from the lecture.

“Economics are secular in origin, but there’s no contradiction between developmental economics and Christianity,” says Calderisi.

Robert Calderisi will speak at the Loyola Public Lecture Series on Ethics in Society on Tuesday, April 22. His talk, “Earthly Mission: The Catholic Church and World Development,” takes place from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Loyola Jesuit Hall and Conference Centre, (7141 Sherbrooke St. W.) on Loyola Campus. It is open to the public. The Loyola Public Lecture Series on Ethics in Society is supported by the Loyola Alumni Association and Concordia’s Department of Theological Studies.

  • Find out more on this year`s Loyola Public Lecture Series on Ethics in Society here.

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