No, it's not a new beach novel. It's a very abstruse theological doctrine--with new relevance in today's world.

When can Catholics --institutions and individuals--contribute to wrongful actions on the part of other agents? Moralists in the Catholic tradition have discussd this under the heading of "cooperation with evil."

Fr. Greg Kalscheur, SJ, has organized an interdisciplinary panel on the topic at Boston College Law School on October 11, as part of BC's Church in the 21 Century Program. We'll be talking about the general terms and history of the doctrine (Fr. Keenan), the application to Catholic hospital systems (Fr. Smith), the application to Catholic judges and lawyers (Prof. Hartnett) and the broader theological context that makes it work (me).

So if you're in Boston, and not busy, stop by!