The Foundations of the Free Society
May 2, 2007
Lateran Pontifical University
Speakers:
- Bishop Rino Fisichella
- Fr. Thomas Williams, L.C.
- Dr. Andrea M. Schneider
- Prof. Russell Hittinger
- Prof. Mary Ann Glendon
- Mr. Francois Michelin
- Mr. Timothy R. Busch, J.D.
- Dr. Anton G.O. Smitsendonk
In the Press:
- “Catholic Social Doctrine More Than Mere Policy: Interview With Professor Russell Hittinger” Zenit News Agency (2007/05/04)
- “A szabad társadalom alapjai – római konferencia az Acton Intézet rendezésében” Vatikáni Rádió (2007/05/05)
H.E. Bishop Rino Fisichella is Rector of the Pontifical Lateran University (2002). Professor emeritus of fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, he is considered the “chaplain” of the Italian parliament. He was one of the primary contributors to the 1998 papal encyclical Fides et Ratio. As an auxiliary bishop of Rome, Fisichella is the President of the Commission for Ecumenism and Dialogue and has worked to strengthen relations with Rome’s Jewish community.
Fr. Thomas D. Williams, LC, is dean of the theology school and professor at Rome's Regina Apostolorum University where he teaches moral theology and Catholic social doctrine. He also serves as consultant on Vatican affairs for NBC and MSNBC. Fr. Williams studied business administration and managerial economics at the University of Michigan, ancient and modern languages in Salamanca, Spain, and received both a license in philosophy and a doctorate in moral theology from the Regina Apostolorum University. Fr. Williams has authored numerous books and articles on theological topics, including Who Is My Neighbor: Personalism and the Foundations of Human Rights, and the recently published Spiritual Progress.
Dr. Andrea M. Schneider is an advisor to the office of Germany’s federal chancellor, Angela Merkel. She is the winner of the 2007 Novak Award and its associated $10,000 prize. Dr. Schneider studied economics at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, where she taught and worked for the chair for economic policy in Nuremberg. Her dissertation received both the Hermann-Gutmann Foundation Award and the Wolfgang-Ritter Award. She went on to work as director of the Konrad-Adenauer Foundation’s economic policy group. Dr. Schneider has published and taught on many topics, including the social market economy, welfare reform, and social ethics. Additionally, she is a member of the Central Committee of German Catholics, the preeminent organization for lay Catholics in Germany.
Dr. Russell Hittinger is the William K. Warren Chair of Catholic Studies at the University of Tulsa, where he is also Research Professor of Law. He is the chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion. Dr. Hittinger received an M.A. and Ph.D. in philosophy from St. Louis University. He serves on several boards and boards of advisors, including First Things, the American Journal of Jurisprudence, Nova et Vetera, and the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. Dr. Hittinger has also written a great deal on natural law and public life, including his most recent book, The First Grace: Rediscovering the Natural Law in a Post-Christian World.
Prof. Mary Ann Glendon is the Learned Hand Professor of Law at Harvard University Law School, where she teaches in the fields of human rights, comparative law, constitutional law, and legal theory. In 1994, she was appointed by Pope John Paul II to the newly created Pontifical Academy of Social Science; she was appointed president of the Academy in 2004. Prof. Glendon received her B.A., J.D., and master of comparative law degrees from the University of Chicago; she also has received honorary doctorates from several universities. Other accomplishments include authoring numerous books, heading the delegation of the Holy See to the U.N. Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, and serving on the U.S. President’s Council on Bioethics.
Mr. Michelin is a French entrepreneur and former CEO of the Michelin Group. He began working at his family’s firm in Clermont-Ferrand in 1951. He served there in various capacities before assuming the responsibilities of managing partner in 1955, from which he retired in 2002. Mr. Michelin’s achievements include promoting the development of the radial tire, which revolutionized the tire industry and establishing Compagnie Générale des Etablissments Michelin (CGEM) as a global company and the world’s largest tire manufacturer. Mr. Michelin is also the author of And Why Not?: The Human Person at the Heart of Business.
Mr. Timothy Busch is an active entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of The Busch Firm and Pacific Hospitality Group; he is also president of Advanced Materials Group, Inc. Mr. Busch founded two private Christian schools in California: St. Anne School of Laguna Niguel and JSerra High School. Mr. Busch received a J.D. from Wayne State University of Law, and a B.B.A. from Western Michigan University. Mr. Busch serves on a number of private and public boards including The Catholic University of America, Patrons of the Vatican Arts, and the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington DC.
Dr. Anton Smitsendonk is currently commissioner for Thailand and Indonesia in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and was previously Ambassador of the Netherlands to China and later to the OECD in Paris. Born in Utrecht, Dr. Smitsendonk studied law at the University of Utrecht, banking at the Nederlands Instituut voor het Bank en Effectenbedrijf (NIBE, Amsterdam), and also took courses on creation of new enterprises (UCLA, Los Angeles). He obtained a doctorate in law on the interface of competition law and labor law. From 1990-1998 he led the Académie Diplomatique Internationale de Paris, a working group of official and non-official political figures from several countries on the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. His primary research areas include: Chinese and European diplomacy, Chinese financial markets, trade and investment opportunities, and relations with the ICC.
