Some may think that pediatrics, moral philosophy and climate change do not have anything in common, but Rev. Andrea Vicini S.J would disagree.
The Center for Catholic Studies will be hosting a lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 20 titled, “Saving Earth: Ethics, Health Care and the Common Good.” Open and free to all members of the community, the Bellarmine Lecture will take place in the Dolan School of Business Dining Room at 7:30 p.m.
The lecture will be given by Vicini, a pediatrician and member of the Society of Jesus. According to the article released by Fairfield University, these credentials are, “roles which have shaped his strong opinions about how theological bioethics can support healthcare professionals, activists, political leaders and believers in the pursuit of global health and environmental sustainability.”
Vicini is the director of the Sacred Theology Doctorate program at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, along with being an associate professor of moral theology. His lecture will focus on the consequences of of climate change on Earth if the problem is not given more attention.
Though agreed upon by 80 percent of scientists, the effects of climate change are still widely disputed, especially in the political sphere. President Donald Trump infamously announced that he felt that climate change was only a hoax invented by the Chinese. Vicini’s lecture plans to bring to light the consequences of such beliefs on the future of the Earth.
“Fr. Vicini brings a unique perspective to the question of the future of life on earth,” chair of the Center for Catholic Studies Paul Lakeland, Ph.D., commented. “He may indeed, for all I know, be the only Jesuit priest who is both someone whose academic specialty is Christian ethics and at the same time a pediatrician. And if you add to that the fact that he has research interest in astrobiology, which is the study of life throughout the universe, then we can surely expect a point of view that is a little different from what one normally hears.”
According to the News@Fairfield article, Vicini also was apart of co-editing two collections of work, “Just Sustainability: Technology, Ecology, and Resource Extraction” (with Christiana Z. Peppard) and “The Legacy of Vatican II” (with Massimo Faggioli). Coming soon is his his work on “Emerging Issues in Theological Bioethics: Global Health, Regenerative Medicine, Neuroscience, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology”.
The Center for Catholic Studies hosts a variety of events such as this throughout the year, though Lakeland felt that there are none quite like this one.
“I am not sure that there is anyone else quite like Vicini, but Catholic Studies sponsors three or four lectures each semester, bringing in major figures from around the country.” Lakeland continued. “Later this semester we will have a talk on art, religion and poetry, a talk on how female rabbis and religious sisters collaborate and a talk from the editor of the New York based Catholic journal, Commonweal, entitled “The Last Catholic
Boyhood.” The line-up for the fall includes a professor from Georgetown who has authored a book on Jesuits and music, and—in collaboration with the Canisius Academy—a visit from Fr. Greg Boyle, a west coast Jesuit famous for his work with former street gang members. All the details will show up on our website, www.fairfield.edu/cs.”
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