Scholars to Discuss Pope's Encyclical

MANILA, June 25, 2010-Scholars from various disciplines will convene this month to discuss Philippine socio-economic issues in the light of Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Charity in Truth).

The congress, entitled "God and Country: Driving Philippine Development in Truth-Filled Love," will be held at University of Asia and the Pacific in Ortigas City on June 25.

Among the speakers are former finance secretary Jesus Estanislao on the vocation to integral human development, and professor Yih-teen Lee from IESE Business School in Spain on how intercultural dialogue can build social capital.

Academic papers based on the insights of the encyclical will also be presented. Topics range from agriculture, microfinance, network governance, population management, to poverty reduction.

The conference is open to a wide range of audiences including educators, policy makers, managers and entrepreneurs, media practitioners, NGOs, and leaders of trade and labor unions.

Caritas in Veritate, published on June 29 last year, is the Pope's first social encyclical. It highlights the indispensability of truth-based love in "building a good society and (achieving) true integral human development."

The encyclical also urges for greater fraternity among nations in the "search for a satisfactory solution to the grave socio-economic problems besetting humanity." (CBCPNews)