On October 22, 2021, Catholic Law Professor Lucia A. Silecchia participated as an expert panelist in the “Symposium on Natural Property Rights.” Hosted by the Texas A&M Journal of Property Law at Texas A&M University School of Law, Silecchia presented the paper “Property and Moral Duties: Some Reflections on Modern Catholic Social Theory. The paper suggestions that a focus on property rights may make a good deal of sense from a legal perspective, there are also affirmative responsibilities and duties that come with property ownership that involves more than complying with law or acquiescing to pulling some of the proverbial sticks out of the proverbial bundle of rights. The paper reflects on what modern Catholic social theory since Rerum Novarum has to say about the moral responsibilities that accompany the right to property. This is not a substitute for natural property rights but, rather, a way to supplement these legally defined rights with a moral perspective. It argues that the more focused we are on a rights-based view of property from a legal perspective, the more important it becomes to look at the moral frameworks proposed outside the legal regime to ensure a healthy vision of property.

More information about the conference is available here.