Between Inculturation and Natural Law: Comparative Method in Catholic Moral Theology

Abstract

In a post-Vatican II Church finding itself in an increasingly globalized world, a spirit of ecumenical generosity is not only possible but necessary. Lantigua and Clairmont argue that Catholic moral theology flourishes when it is brought into contact with comparative religious studies. Such instances in the Church’s theological history when this contact has been made have been fruitful. This is so because such an interaction forces Catholic theologians to have “their traditional vocabulary tested, refined, and further articulated” in response to certain pastoral issues. Reflections on how natural law and the gospel-culture relationship are fruitful in this regard.