The European Union and the Catholic Church: Political Theology of European Integration (Central and Eastern European Perspectives on International Relations)

As the first comprehensive monograph on the relations between the Catholic Church and the European Union, this book contains both a detailed historical overview of the political ties between the two complex institutions and a theoretical analysis of their normative orders and mutual interactions. The European Union and the Catholic Church is the first comprehensive monograph to explore the political relations between the Catholic Church and the European Union. Building on the insights of political theology, it connects the analysis of the political interactions of these two institutions with their broader normative outlooks and the analysis of their ideational orders. This study contains both a concise overview of the historical evolution of the relationship and analysis of the politico-theological strategies the two institutions employ in their interactions, which range from mutual legitimisation to direct normative conflict. This book will be of significant interest to those who wish to familiarise themselves with the Catholic approach to the integration process and to those who are interested in the interactions of the European Union with religious organisations in general, and the Catholic Church in particular "The role of the Catholic Church in European integration is a controversial and newsworthy topic. This book, the product of a great deal of research, is an excellent addition to the small but now growing literature on this topic."--Jeff Haynes, London Metropolitan University "Now that the academic frenzy surrounding religious radicalism has run its course, scholars can turn to analyzing the far more significant 'normal' politics that constitute the lion's share of religion's role in the contemporary world. Kratochvil and Dolezal take on no less daunting a challenge than the religious politics of the two largest players on the European continent, the Catholic Church and the EU. Their analysis is multifaceted, systematic, and fascinating, uncovering remarkable insights about the spirituality and civil religion of the EU and the political values of the Church." - Ron E. Hassner, U.C. Berkeley "This meticulously researched slim volume covers a great deal of ground and will be of much interest and use to a number of audiences: not just Catholic theologians and political theologians but theorists of IR, political scientists as well as sociologists and anthropologists. It resonates with the shift from the state-centric view to the view of the plural world of civilizations and cultures, differently defined." - Vendulka Kubalkova, University of Miami Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 List of Figures and Tables 9 Acknowledgements 11 Introduction 12 Part I Relations between the EU and the Catholic Church: An Overview 21 1 The Study of Religion and European Integration: The State of the Art 22 2 Catholicism and European Integration: A Historical Overview 46 Part II Political Theologies of European Integration 91 3 Institutions and Embedded Ideational Orders 92 4 Discourse of the Catholic Church and European Integration 111 5 Discourse of the European Union and the Catholic Church 132 6 Competing Ideational Orders and EU Politics 156 Conclusions 169 Notes 181 References 191 Index 217 Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-9 Front Matter....Pages 11-11 The Study of Religion and European Integration: The State of the Art....Pages 13-36 Catholicism and European Integration: A Historical Overview....Pages 37-81 Front Matter....Pages 83-83 Institutions and Embedded Ideational Orders....Pages 85-103 Discourse of the Catholic Church and European Integration....Pages 104-124 Discourse of the European Union and the Catholic Church....Pages 125-148 Competing Ideational Orders and EU Politics....Pages 149-161 Conclusions....Pages 162-173 Back Matter....Pages 174-217