Faith-Specific Programs

A conversation with Linda McClain about her book Who’s the Bigot? Learning from Conflicts over Marriage and Civil Rights Law.

A panel discussion on Adrian Vermeule's book

A talk and panel discussion on Massimo Borghesi's book

On April 29, 2015 CU Professor Lucia Silecchia, Villanova Professor Michael P. Moreland and US District Judge Richard J. Sullivan explored how Pope Francis and the Catholic Social Teachings of the Church impact the practice of law and the lives of lawyers.

On February 12, 2015 Msgr. Hilary C. Franco presented his book "Bishop Sheen, Mentor and Friend". In this conversation with the author, Susan Whelan discussed the last twelve years of Archbishop Sheen’s life and his prophetic observations on the Church in the United States following Vatican II.

On November 12, 2014 Fordham Law School's Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer's Work continues its focus on the work of Pope Francis with a conversation between Fordham Professor Christine Hinze and author Susan Whelan of the challenges faced by young, highly-educated professionals in achieving success in their public and private lives. In her book The Scholar and The Housewife, Whelan, a lawyer and mother of six children now in their twenties, discusses events and people that have informed her personal and professional choices, sharing insights and guiding principles for living out moral ideals and religious beliefs in a modern world.

On October 14, 2014 Fordham Law School’s Institute on Religion, Law and Lawyer’s Work introduced a new series on Pope Francis and his contribution to religious, policy, and legal conversations. On October 14, the inaugural program in the series focused on Pope Francis’ first year as leader of the Catholics in the world.

On October 6, 2014 The second session of the series Evangelii Guadium: the challenges of today's world took place on October 2014. The discussion about “The Common Good and Peace in Society” was directly related to lawyer's daily work. Professor Kathleen Scanlon brought an extraordinary contribution to the event, presenting a thoughtful and concrete relation between the pillars proposed by Pope Francis and the legal profession. Here some of the questions discussed: "Conflict cannot be ignored or concealed. It has to be faced." - how a lawyer helps their clients when conflict arises? and how can we avoid the temptation of becoming "prisoners of conflict"? "Globalization and localization" - How this innate tension connects with our work as lawyers? How a life of a community connects with my Law School community and my legal career?"

On February 13, 2020, the Agunah panel discussion concentrated on the particular problem of Jewish women whose husbands refuse to grant them a bill of divorce (Get) and who are, therefore, unable to remarry under Jewish law. The discussion aimed to highlight the problem's scope and raise awareness of current practices available for its amelioration.

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On January 12, 2015 Rabbi Blanchard presented how legal decisions often aim at certainty and sometimes even at finality. Most decisions however will settle for good arguments that provide predictability within the legal system, learning to tolerate “seeing through a glass darkly”. In contrast, the Jewish legal system as a whole and over time appreciates and values multiple positions and approaches to both cases and issues of law. This lecture explored this open and tolerant quality of Jewish legal texts in civil, family and religious law.

Zaid Hydari, co-founder of Refugee Solidarity Network, and Professor Zahra Takhshid discussed the battle of Karbala and Imam Hussain's legacy and the crisis of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. They widely tackled how institutions such as Refugee Solidarity Network are helping Rohingya immigrants.

On September 23, 2014, the Institute co-sponsored with the Feerick Center a discussion led by Faiza Patel, the co-director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, which seeks to ensure that our counterterrorism laws and policies respect human rights norms and fundamental freedoms. The discussion focused on the American Muslim civil rights after 9/11.