In a recently published scholarly article, former Dunmore resident, Marywood graduate, and Lackawanna College professor John Baldino draws a unique line between the university’s teaching philosophy and Pope Francis’ position on the globalization of society. 

Baldino’s “Pope Francis on the Environment, Technology, and an Open World” was published in the inaugural issue of Charity in Truth: A Journal of Ethics, Religion, and Culture. In it, he recalls Marywood’s pedagogical outcome “living responsibly in an interdependent world” and relates it to the overarching theme of the Pope’s writings on fraternity and social friendship in Fratelli Tutti. 

“When I read the Pope’s encyclical I immediately thought of my years at Marywood and how often we would hear that teaching motto,” Baldino says. “The increasing connection of our global society through communication technology and needs for social justice make our world a smaller place,” he continues.

“Pope Francis recognizes and speaks so well of this in Fratelli Tutti. I just had to weave Marywood’s philosophy into the article to show that Francis’ desires for positive and productive globalization are being realized right here in the greater Scranton area.”   

The inaugural issue of Charity in Truth, published on June 30, features a second article by Baldino: “The Catholic Church and Contemporary Issues of Dignity and Life.”

As described by Editor-in-Chief Dr. Peter DePergola, the critical analysis uses “contemporary examples, Church documents, and Papal teachings from three different centuries [and] logically defends and fully explains the pro-life philosophy far beyond political rhetoric … For the author, dignity must be applied to life, living, and dying with special consideration for issues related to abortion, homelessness, freedom of choice, physician-assisted suicide, and capital punishment.”

John Baldino is a Secular Franciscan and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts with a concentration in digital media and broadcast production from Marywood in 2007. Baldino holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in philosophy and religious studies from Excelsior University in Albany, New York. He is an Assistant Professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Lackawanna College in Scranton, where he also serves as Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Baldino writes often on the relationship between philosophy and theology and is a regular contributor to Catholic Insight Magazine in Toronto, Ontario. In 2024 he will complete his second master’s degree, a Master of Arts in Theology from St. Joseph’s College in Standish, Maine.

Read Baldino’s full articles here: https://charityintruth.scholasticahq.com/section/3790-commentary