FAIRFIELD—If asked to name the most urgent challenges facing the survival of humankind and the flourishing of our planet, what would our responses be? The answers to this critical question will be the focus of Rev. Andrea Vicini, S.J.’s remarks when he delivers the 2019 Bellarmine Lecture in Fairfield University’s Barone Campus Center, in the Dogwood Room on Tuesday, April 16.
Fr. Vicini is both a pediatrician and a member of the Society of Jesus—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 public health and environmental sustainability. In his lecture, Fr. Vicini will explore how our failure to address today’s most pressing societal challenges could lead to dire consequences for our common home—the Earth—and for our ability to live on it.
An associate professor of moral theology at Boston College, Fr. Vicini is also the director of the Sacred Theology Doctorate (STD) program at the Boston College School of Theology and Ministry. Specializing in fundamental moral theology, bioethics, sexuality, medical ethics, and environmental issues, he has published numerous articles and book chapters.
In 2015, Fr. Vicini co-edited two collections: Just Sustainability: Technology, Ecology, and Resource Extraction (with Christiana Z. Peppard) and The Legacy of Vatican II (with Massimo Faggioli). Forthcoming are his volume Emerging Issues in Theological Bioethics: Global Health, Regenerative Medicine, Neuroscience, Synthetic Biology, Nanotechnology, and essays on sustainability, the common good, and ethical issues in global health. During the academic year 2015-2016, Fr. Vicini was a fellow at the Center of Theological Inquiry in Princeton, N.J., where his research focused on the societal implications of astrobiology.
Sponsored by the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University, Fr. Vicini’s “Saving the Earth: Ethics, Health Care, and the Common Good” lecture is free and open to the public. It will take place on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:30 pm in the Dogwood Room of the Barone Campus Center at Fairfield University, located at 1073 North Benson Road, Fairfield, CT 06824. For more information, visit fairfield.edu/cs.
