Lecture to Explore Catholicism And Democracy in Times of Political and Ecclesial Division

Saint Francis University will host a Zoom version of its latest lecture in the T.O.R. Franciscan Endowment series, "An Im-perfect Storm: Catholicism and Democracy in Times of Political and Ecclesial Division."

The public is invited to this free virtual webinar at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 24, to explore the intersection of faith and culture, including such topics as: religious freedom, identity politics and the church with porous boundaries. Attendees need to preregister at http://www.francis.edu/imperfectstorm/ to receive a link to log-in.

Dr. Massimo Faggioli, professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Villanova University, will serve as the keynote presenter.

Dr. Faggioli is a church historian and Franciscan scholar who has taught at the University of St. Thomas and now Villanova University for more than 10 years. He received his Ph.D. in Religious History from the University of Turin in 2002. He is considered an expert on the history and administrative inner workings of the Catholic Church and of the papacy.

He writes regularly for newspapers and journals about the Church, religion in general, and the interplay with politics. A prolific writer, he authored “Catholicism and Citizenship: Political Cultures of the Church in the TwentyFirst Century in 2017,” and Dr. Massimo Faggioli's most recent book, “The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis,” was published by Orbis Books in March 2020.