Notre Dame Conference "The Truth Will Set You Free" Q&A

Following Fr. Carron’s closing address at Notre Dame’s Center for Culture and Ethic’s Fall Conference is the question and answer session.

Question: I understand that our problem in the West may be in facing men and women who are afraid of their freedom, or who misunderstand or misuse their freedom. But there is another conflict going on outside of the West, with people who probably don’t disagree with your assertion that freedom does not mean the absence of ties; on the contrary, they believe in community and in serving God in the manner of their understanding. So for this reason I am curious why you discussed together the attacks in Paris and the school shooting in Oregon. The school shooting in Oregon makes sense to me as an act committed by someone afraid of freedom, a life of emptiness. But the attacks in Paris don’t seem to be motivated by the kind of problem with freedom that you’re describing. I’m wondering, then, if you can talk about how that problem fits into this theme as well, if in fact it does. Thank you.

Fr. Julián Carrón: It’s a problem of freedom because of this: the people who arrive in Europe or the United States or wherever, even people corrupted by this kind of radicalism—can they encounter something that challenges their way of thinking? Because that’s how Christianity started. The Roman Empire wasn’t more secure than our own society (we know very well), but Christianity faced this situation and challenged people in their way of life. The question is whether or not we have something to offer: this is the challenge that Christian faith puts in front of us. Are we really convinced that the Christian method, the method chosen by God to save people, His choosing of Abraham—is it a realistic way of changing the world or not? [full text]