The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice Annual Lecture 2023 focused on the theological underpinnings of the Centre’s homelessness advocacy. The lecture was held on Tuesday, 25th April in the beautiful surroundings of the Ignatian Chapel of St Francis Xavier Church on Gardiner Street, Dublin. Dr Suzanne Mulligan », a moral theologian from the Pontifical University in Maynooth drew on Catholic Social Teaching (CST) in addition to the work of theologians from the other Christian traditions, to make a persuasive argument for why homelessness in our society affects not only the dignity of the people enduring it, but of us all.

Human dignity

In Catholic Social Teaching, the notion of human dignity is rooted in the belief that all human beings are made in God’s image, therefore possessing an innate dignity that is not dependent on race, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, or economic status.

One of the most interesting elements of Dr Mulligan’s lecture was her framing of the idea of ‘vulnerability’. Vulnerability, she argued, is inseparable from human dignity and is necessary as the basis for ethical action. Without vulnerability, we cannot fully engage with the other, in this case, people who are homeless. Solidarity arising from a deeper awareness of our shared vulnerability and our shared precarity could act as a catalyst for change in relation to homelessness. The refusal to be vulnerable to the vulnerable other ultimately produces a callous society.

Integral human development

The second theme of the lecture was that of integral human development “a framework that allows us to critique the conditions, the attitudes, and the values that either support human dignity or detract from it.”

Spiritual accompaniment

Beyond the necessary work of striving for social justice and an environment in which people can thrive, the third theme of the lecture explained the need for spiritual accompaniment of people who are homeless. Homelessness erodes a person’s dignity in many ways, and can have a “profoundly negative spiritual and psychological effect on people”, often leaving them with feelings of shame and eroding their sense of self-worth. Because of this, it is vital that the spiritual needs of homeless people are attended to in addition to their material requirements. It is only in this way that they can receive the healing, reconciliation and God’s love that they need.

Jesuits in Ireland