Thesis advisor: Kenneth R. Himes / This project constructs a public theology of Laudato Si' with which Catholics in the United States might shape climate change discourse, policy, and action. Chapter 1 outlines anthropogenic climate change and reviews magisterial Catholic teaching about this issue. Chapter 2 argues that the Christian church should engage with the world through both secular and faith-based language in the forms of public philosophy and public theology. Chapter 3 considers Catholic public theology in the contemporary U.S. Chapter 4 considers LS as a document of public theology and demonstrates how this document both develops Catholic public theology in the social encyclical tradition and is organized according to a modified Pastoral Circle. Chapter 5 analyzes a nationally representative public opinion survey of American adults to discern the likelihood that messages based on LS might move Americans’ climate change opinions more in line with Pope Francis’s ecological vision. Chapter 6 combines these insights with the reflections in Chapter 3 to construct an American Catholic public theology of LS that might help accordingly shape American climate change discourse, policy and action. The project thus combines theological ethics and social science to engage in applied ecological theological ethics and constructively suggest the contents of an evidence-based American Catholic public theology of LS with which the church might advance Pope Francis’s ecological vision. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Theology.

Thesis advisor: R. Shep Melnick / This paper analyzes Pope Francis’s view of politics, particularly politics in the United States. Beginning with his speech before a special joint session of Congress on September 24, 2015, this paper explores many of the themes the Pope introduces in this speech, and compares those themes to those in other works he has published since being elected Pontiff in 2013. Then, this paper applies what he has said about contemporary American politics with the analysis of other scholars of American politics. Ultimately, I find that the Pope is very aware of problems in the United States, but hopes to present a positive alternative to address what he identifies as the contemporary world’s ills. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.

This paper explores how religious elites affect public opinion through focusing on the role of the pope, by asking the question if the publication of a papal encyclical can influence attitudes about religion. Using the Unexpected Event during Survey Design, this paper connects data from the European Social Survey 7 to investigate if respondents' answers about their attitudes towards religion changed, due to the publication of a papal encyclical. Situating itself in the theory of elite cues, the object of this research is to show that religion is an important influence in the shaping of attitudes and that the pope, as an example of a religious elite, is a relevant actor in shaping opinions across Europe. This research finds that the publication of the encyclical does not make a significant difference in attitudes among individuals, however there is an increase in level of religiosity, primarily for countries with strong pre-existing attachments towards religion.

This study extends notions of framing theory by drawing from research analyzing the framing of Pope Francis within coverage from The New York Times. The mass media has, since the election of Pope Francis in 2013, provided him extensive coverage on a myriad of issues. Previous studies have noted Pope Francis' propensity to draw massive amounts of media attention towards his actions and statements, even noting the potential for Pope Francis to control the media narrative through his own implementation of frames. Drawing on framing theory, this study examines the ways in which coverage of Pope Francis is defined by The New York Times by finding relationships between the issues addressed in Papal coverage, the frames implemented within this coverage, the valence of the messages, and the presentation of Pope Francis himself. This thesis yields that coverage of Pope Francis within The New York Times has shifted from positive valence to primarily neutral valence when comparing the first three years of his papacy to second three years. The findings of this thesis could potentially inform future studies which may wish to determine potential for frame transfer due to the content of articles or for studies which may wish to delve deeper into the issue with a much larger sample. / Master of Arts / Since Pope Francis’ election, the mass media has focused heavily on his statements and actions. Previous literature attests to the notion that Pope Francis is unique among his predecessors when it comes to media coverage, primarily due to his propensity to make statements or moral recommendations that seemingly oppose or deviate from traditional Catholic values. This thesis explores the relationship between Pope Francis and the American mass media by analyzing 226 articles published by The New York Times within the first six years of his Papacy. The findings of this thesis point to notions related to the valence of Papal coverage, which began as primarily positive but have shifted in nature from the beginning of Francis’ Papacy. The findings of this thesis also point towards the religious nature of Papal coverage and also the potential for sexscandal coverage to shift representation of the Pope.

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Submitted by Marlene Aparecida de Souza Cardozo (mcardozo@pucsp.br) on 2016-08-27T15:28:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Regina Ribeiro Graciani.pdf: 995635 bytes, checksum: 74dc694947c58c1652281d07a1326df4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-27T15:28:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria Regina Ribeiro Graciani.pdf: 995635 bytes, checksum: 74dc694947c58c1652281d07a1326df4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-06 / ADVENIAT / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This research presents a study of the human being from the perspective of Christian anthropology. It is through the central mystery of the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, in his Incarnation, Passion, Death and Resurrection, which reveals the divine plan for humanity. The Christian faith points out that the encounter between God and human happens unsurpassed way in Jesus Christ and, through Him, and the grace of the Spirit, the human being has the possibility of conformity to God and to share in his divine life. The relationship with God is essential for the achievement of every man, every woman and all mankind. In the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis makes a swing state in which humanity faces today and is an invitation for a return and deepening the encounter with Jesus Christ. It proposes that the joy, the strength of the Risen Lord, is present in the practice of the law of love and shine more in the daily life of Christians and from them to the society. The message of life proclaimed and lived for twenty-one centuries by Master's followers still present in preaching and life of Christians today. It is the joy of the Gospel that illuminates and gives meaning to human life, as evidenced by the Holy Scriptures: "I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly" (Jo 10,10) / Esta pesquisa apresenta um estudo acerca do ser humano sob a ótica da antropologia cristã. E vai apontar que é por meio do mistério central da vida de Jesus Cristo, o Filho de Deus Vivo, em sua Encarnação, Paixão, Morte e Ressurreição, que se desvela o desígnio divino para a humanidade. A fé cristã acredita que o encontro entre Deus e o humano acontece de forma insuperável em Jesus Cristo e, que, por intermédio dEle e da graça do Espírito, o ser humano tem a possibilidade de uma conformação a Deus e à participação em sua vida divina. A relação com Deus é fundamental para a realização de cada homem, de cada mulher e da humanidade toda. Na Exortação Apostólica Evangelii Gaudium, Papa Francisco faz um balanço do estado em que a humanidade se depara hoje e faz um convite para um retorno e aprofundamento no encontro com Jesus Cristo. Propõe que a alegria, na força do Ressuscitado, esteja presente na prática da lei do amor e resplandeça mais na vida cotidiana dos cristãos e a partir deles para a sociedade. A mensagem de vida proclamada e vivida há vinte e um séculos pelos seguidores do Mestre continua presente na pregação e na existência dos cristãos nos dias de hoje. É a Alegria do Evangelho que ilumina e dá sentido à vida humana, conforme atestam as Sagradas Escrituras: “Eu vim para que tenham vida e a tenham em abundância” (Jo 10,10)

In June 2015, the Vatican released Laudato Si’, Pope Francis encyclical focused on environmental issues. Pope Francis acted as an advocate for a binding agreement on climate change at the United Nation (UN) Convention conferences of the parties 2015 (COP21) citing the scientific consensus on the existence and human causes of climate change. This call for action by the Pope raised the question on the role of religion in the political sphere considering whether a religious authority could influence political matters. By building on the analytical framework drawn from the work of Corell and Betsill (2008), on assessing the influence of NGO in international environmental negotiations, this thesis developed an analytical framework for accessing the influence of Religious non-governmental organizations (RNGO) to examine the influence of RNGO on COP21. The findings also shed light on the secularization debate in International Relations.