Rafael Domingo Oslé, who currently holds the Álvaro D'Ors Chair at the Institute for Culture and Society (ICS) of the University of Navarra, serves as editor, together with Professor John Witte, Jr. of Emory University, of the recently released book Christianity and Global Law. The volume was published by Routledge— the third most prestigious publishing house in the world according to the Scholarly Publishers Indicators ranking.

This is the first book published as part of the Álvaro D'Ors Chair. 25 eminent scholars contributed to it from the worlds of law, philosophy, history, economics and theology. These scholars hail from the United States, Canada, Australia, Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Spain. In their contributions, they reflect on the relationship between Christianity and humanity’s common law that has come to be called global law.

According to Rafael Domingo, Christianity’s contributions to the area of ​​global law “are evident, just as they are in the fields of international, criminal, procedural, family, contractual, constitutional, or commercial law. Even though legal systems continue to secularize, they will never be able to renounce their DNA, which is deeply spiritual.”

Solidarity, dignity, subsidiarity, and the common good

The book has three parts. The first studies some of the main architects who shaped the ideas behind global law, from Saint Paul to Jacques Maritain. The second part analyzes the Christian roots and dimensions of global law’s informing principles, including solidarity, dignity, subsidiarity, the common good, etc. Finally, the authors address urgent global problems and challenges that could benefit from this Christian legal perspective, including immigration law, the use of force, and international criminal law.

Professor Domingo highlights 10 of Christianity’s main contributions to global law as follows:

1. A trinitarian framework that illuminates global law starting from God’s love

2. A doctrine of the image of God that is at the basis of human dignity, equality between people and freedom and moral responsibility

3. An anthropology that places people and their human rights at the center of the legal system

4. A deep sense of respect for the universe and all of creation

5. The promotion of spiritual values ​​such as mercy, love and forgiveness that foster unity among political communities

6. A cohesive distinction between Church and State

7. The doctrine and development of religious freedom and all the rights that depend on it

8. A universal conception of the natural moral law

9. The development of Canon Law that is also global in scope and that goes beyond the idea of ​​territory

10. Solid political and social principles, such as solidarity, subsidiarity and participation, among others