Christendom College professors Dr. Bracy Bersnak, Dr. Nicolas McAfee, Dr. William Hannegan, and Dr. Alex Taylor traveled to Budapest this past month to present papers at an academic conference hosted by the Association for the Renewal of Catholic Political and Social Thought. Addressing topics such as democracy, the nation-state, and contemporary Catholic political thought, the professors joined scholars from around the world in a shared effort to renew Catholic social and political thought on an international level.
Held this past March, the International Conference on the Renewal of Catholic Political Thought brought together scholars from Poland, Italy, the United States, and beyond for two days of presentations and discussion. Christendom’s four faculty members represented one of the largest contingents at the conference.
Bersnak speaking on one of the panels at the conference.
Bersnak, professor of political science and economics at Christendom and treasurer of the association, presented a paper titled “Jacques Maritain on Democracy and the Nation State.” McAfee, professor of political science and economics, spoke on “Confusion of Political Form in Contemporary Catholic Political Thought.” Hannegan, professor of philosophy, presented “Community vs. Atomization: Why the Collapse in Catholic Practice?” Taylor, professor of English language and literature, concluded the Christendom presentations with “The Place of Art in Catholic Social Teaching: Why Recent Papal Addresses to Artists Should Inform Catholic Political Philosophy.”
The conference also marked the public launch of the association, which Bersnak helped establish in the spring of 2025. Inspired in part by a 2024 lecture at Christendom College by Dr. Ferenc Horcher of Ludovika University, the association includes scholars from Malta, Sweden, Hungary, and beyond, all united in the effort to renew Catholic political and social thought.
All papers from the conference are expected to be published in a collected volume at a later date. Bersnak also hopes the conference will one day be hosted at Christendom College, bringing international scholars to campus in a reflection of the college’s mission to “restore all things in Christ.”
Christendom professors regularly present at conferences around the world, including events at the University of Notre Dame and institutions across Europe, continuing the college’s active engagement in the global academic community.