Salesian Pontifical University

About: Salesian Pontifical University is a education organization based out in Rome, Italy. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Human rights & Context (language use). The organization has 65 authors who have published 79 publications receiving 560 citations.

Matthew 19,3-12 and Celibacy. a Redactional and Form Critical Study:

Abstract: celibate /2/, despite some recent suggestions to the contrary /3/, and there are but few contemporary discussions of the marital status of Jesus /4/. The most probable reason for this comparative lack of scholarly interest in a subject which stands at the centre of so many current cultural and religious questions is that there appears to be no New Testament evidence either for or against the celibacy of Jesus. Most recently Bruno Proietti has written: &dquo;The Gospels do not affirm whether he was celibate or married. However, in this case their silence must be interpreted as an affirmation of his celibate state&dquo; /5/. This last statement is a little too

Dying in the Cause of God: The Semantics of the Christian and Muslim Concepts of Martyr

Abstract: This article examines the Christian concept of a martyr and the Muslim concept of shahīd. It delineates the similarities and differences between them and provides an explication of each concept using the Natural Semantic Metalanguage Method (NSM). The explications make use of simple, universal concepts, which renders the explications highly translatable into all languages, as well as accessible to cultural outsiders.

Religion and civil rights in Italy: An empirical exploration among secondary school students

Abstract: What is the role of religion in building up a culture of civil rights in Italy? According to Marzano and Urbinati (2013), the privileged status of the Catholic Church in Italy can result in a negative role of religion towards civil rights issues; according to these sociologists, Habermas’ theory of a public role of religion in a post-secularized society is not applicable in Italy, because of the virtual Catholic religious monopoly. The present study shows the historical background of this debated relation between church and civil rights in Italy. It points out the reasons why both a negative and a positive role of religion toward civil rights can be expected. It presents the results of an empirical investigation among Italian secondary school students (N = 1087), carried out in order to explore the role of religion about civil rights among this portion of public opinion, which will shape the future of this debate in Italy. The questions of this empirical research are: What understanding of civil rights is present among the sample of students? Are there significant differences in support for civil rights in student groups as defined by their religious affiliation and practice? Is there a correlation between the students’ views on civil rights and their religious attitudes? Is there a correlation between the students’ views on civil rights and their background characteristics? What is the predictive strength of the students’ religious attitudes and background characteristics with regard to views on civil rights?

Extending political rights to immigrants and refugees. Empirical study among Christian, Muslim and Hindu students in the context of Indian secularism and the politics of inclusion

Abstract: Secularism in the Indian context does not require that the State ignore, let alone oppose, the religious traditions that form part of the civil society; rather that the State, with its politics of inclusion, guarantee a symmetric treatment of all religions and disadvantaged groups. Viewing the question from the other angle, we might wonder to what extent religions can influence the political ideas of their followers. Can the diverse religious traditions inspire their followers in matters of political rights that come under the purview of the State? More specifically, we wish to examine the extent to which Christian, Islamic and Hindu beliefs and practices can solicit and legitimize the extension of citizens’ political rights to immigrants and refugees. The universal nature of human rights and the contemporary process of globalization seem to call for a more open view of political rights. Do religions differ in supporting this? We focus on the factors of personal and contextual religious attitudes, the value of human dignity and the functioning of state and democracy, and analyse their impact on the perception of political rights of citizens and non-citizens. We also take into account the background variables of personal profile, religious socialization and psychological and socio-political traits. The paper presents and discusses the significant findings emerging from the data collected among 1215 Christian, Muslim and Hindu college students in Tamil Nadu, India.

Impact of Religion on Socioeconomic Rights: An Empirical Study of Italian Students’ Attitude

Abstract: Amidst the process of globalization and the unsettling phenomenon of migration, diverse factors intersect and determine the socioeconomic situation in Italy. Besides the religious factor, the political, historical, geographical, ideological and illegal organizational factors (mafia, camorra, ‘ndrangheta, etc.) have shaped the north-south socioeconomic divide of Italy since its unification in 1861 and continue to do so after its configuration as a republic in 1946. Amidst such intricacies, the socioeconomic concern of Catholicism – the religious denomination of the majority in Italy – can be grasped from the local and universal Church documents and the initiatives of some lay associations and religious congregations. In this paper we explore empirically the impact of the religious profile of a sample of Italian secondary school students (N = 1087) on their attitudes towards socioeconomic rights. We examine the influence of variables related to personal and contextual religious attitudes, as well as that of some background variables such as personal profile, religious socialization and psychosocial traits. The analysis shows that although all students are in agreement with socioeconomic rights, Catholic churchgoers are found to differ significantly from Catholic non-churchgoers. Lesser agreement with social dominance and greater empathy emerge as strong predictors of favourableness to socioeconomic rights. Interestingly, young women are predictably more sensitive to socioeconomic rights than young men are. We discuss these and other significant findings.