Drew Christiansen

From 1991 to 1998 he led the Office of International Justice and Peace, what he then described as the "social policy arm of the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States," when it was called the United States Catholic Conference (USCC).[4] In 1991 for the pastoral "Renewing the Earth," Christiansen served as lead advisor. This writing and research formed a basis for his future work and commentary on the environment. In 1993 he was lead staff member for "The Harvest of Justice Is Sown In Peace," a landmark peace pastoral which established the foundation for the USCCB's policies after the Cold War.[5] From 1998-2004 he was counselor for International Affairs.

He was a frequent consultant to the Holy See on issues that included nuclear disarmament. He also served on the Holy See delegation that participated in the negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons during the summer of 2017.[6] After Pope Francis, under the direction of Cardinal Peter Turkson, hosted a conference--Prospects for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament--at the Vatican in November 2017.[7] Christiansen produced two books based on it, at the direct request of the Holy See.[8] [9]

At the bishops' conference he became more interested in the Middle East. He worked with Michel Sabbah, the Emeritus Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem for many years, and wrote an introduction to his book.[10] Sabbah named Christiansen a Canon of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.[11] He was also a member of the Atlantic Council's Middle East Task Force, as part of his ongoing work in the region.[12]

In broader ecumenical efforts, Christiansen served as a consultant to the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity for the Mennonite-Catholic Dialogue, honoring Mennonites as members of the historic Peace Churches. In a common concluding statement at the Mennonite World Conference 2000, the Catholic and Mennonite participants agreed that "the church is called to live as an efficacious sign and an instrument of peace overcoming every form of enmity and to reconcile all peoples in the peace of Christ".[13] [14]

He served at this national Jesuit publication based in Manhattan, later restyled as America: The Jesuit Review, for 10 years from 2002 to 2012. For the last seven years, from 2005-2012, he was editor-in-chief, succeeding Thomas J. Reese SJ, and he oversaw the magazine's 100th anniversary.[15] After Matt Malone SJ succeeded him as editor-in-chief in 2012, he returned to Georgetown University.

During his tenure as editor-in-chief, he exhorted James J. Martin SJ to travel to the Holy Land for a planned book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage.[16] Martin recalled Christiansen's inspiration for the book both in an article for America and in a homily.[17] The book became a Christopher-award-winning, New York Times bestseller. On April 20, 2022, Martin offered the homily at Christiansen's funeral at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, D.C., the Jesuit parish church next to Georgetown University, accompanying the celebrant, G. Ronald Murphy SJ, and he remembered the incident with great affection and credit to his friend.[18] [19]

In 2013, Christiansen returned to Georgetown University in a full-time role as a senior fellow at the Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and Distinguished Professor of Ethics and Human Development in the School of Foreign Service, posts he held until his death. He continued to advise students and oversee his final book until April 2022.[20] Previously, sometimes between earlier periods of service at Georgetown University, he was associate professor of theology and staff fellow of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame (1986-1990), where he was a member of the founding team. At the Jesuit School of Theology/Graduate Theological Union-Berkeley (now the Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University), from 1981-86, he was assistant professor of social ethics. Additionally, from 1982-86, he was director of its Center for Ethics and Social Policy. The majority of his academic career was spent at Georgetown University.

Christiansen had a deep personal interest in the pastoral needs of people in residential nursing facilities or aging in place at home, and he visited those in long-term care when he was able, hearing confessions and celebrating the Eucharist. His 1982 doctoral dissertation at Yale was titled "Autonomy and Dependence in Old Age: An Ethical Analysis" under the direction of Sister Margaret Farley R.S.M., and he retained a lifelong attentiveness to people experiencing issues attendant with such care.[21] [22]

• Drew Christiansen SJ and Carole Sargent, eds. Forbidden: Receiving Pope Francis' Condemnation of Nuclear Weapons (Georgetown University Press, 2023).
• Drew Christiansen SJ and Carole Sargent, eds. A World Free from Nuclear Weapons: The Vatican Conference on Disarmament (Georgetown University Press, 2020).
• William Bole, Drew Christiansen SJ, and Robert Hennemeyer, Forgiveness in International Politics: An Alternative Road to Peace (USCCB Publishing, 2004); French translation, Le Pardon en Politique Internationale: Un Autre Chemin Vers la Paix (2007)
• Drew Christiansen SJ and Walter Grazer, eds., And God Saw That it was Good : Catholic Theology and the Environment (United States Catholic Conference, 1996).
• Drew Christiansen SJ, Gerard F. Powers, and Robert Thomas Hennemeyer, Peacemaking: Moral and Policy Challenges for a New World (United States Catholic Conference, 1994).

• Roger Bergman, with a foreword by Drew Christiansen SJ, Preventing Unjust War: A Catholic Argument for Selective Conscientious Objection (Cascade Books, 2020).
• Barry Hudock, with an introduction by Drew Christiansen SJ, Struggle, Condemnation, Vindication: John Courtney Murray's Journey toward Vatican II (Liturgical Press, 2015).
• Patriarch Michel Sabbah, edited and with an introduction by Drew Christiansen SJ and Saliba Sarsar, foreword by Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Faithful Witness: On Reconciliation and Peace in the Holy Land (New City Press, 2008).

Over 150 articles (TK) on moral theology, ethics, international affairs, armed conflict, peace, the environment, Catholic social teaching and aging, including his America work, and a longstanding role as an international correspondent for the Jesuits' Rome publication La Civiltà Cattolica. He had begun writing on nuclear disarmament for The Conversation.[28]

Some of his significant articles include "Metaphysics and Society: A Commentary on Caritas in Veritate" (Theological Studies, March 2010) and "The Ethics of Peacemaking," (Journal of Ecumenical Studies, Summer 2010). Other articles appeared in Popoli (Italy), Projet and Christus (France), Razon y Fe (Spain), Mensaje (Chile), Faith in International Affairs, Ecumenical Trends, and Seminary Journal (USA).