Holy Cross to Host Symposium on "The Anatomy of Evil"

WORCESTER, Mass. – On Sept. 11 the world was harshly re-awakened to the reality of evil. We have since found ourselves asking such provoking questions as: Where does evil come from? What is the source of the impulses that lead human beings to commit malevolent deeds? How do we respond to evil, especially the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11? What is the role of religion in opposing, or perhaps sometimes inspiring, evil? How must reality itself be conceived if evil is not only a threatening possibility, but an omnipresent reality?

These issues and more will be examined in a symposium, titled "The Anatomy of Evil," held at Holy Cross from Thursday, April 11, through Saturday, April 13. The symposium aims to pose questions about evil in a bold way to a group of distinguished guests who will address them in papers, panel discussions and roundtable dialogues. The open format of the symposium will encourage the exchange of ideas between the speakers and audience.

In addition to Sept. 11, the symposium will focus on other horrific events of the 20th century, such as the World Wars, the Nazi concentration camps, the Soviet Gulag and the Chinese "Great Leap Forward." Participants will discuss how such dehumanizing events have forced society to come to terms with the reality of evil - and how we are to cope with this realization.

The symposium will open with a lecture, titled "Lamentations and Losses: From New York to Kabul," by Rev. Daniel Berrigan, S.J., scholar and peace activist known for his stance against militarism. The keynote speech will be given by Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of the left-wing Jewish magazine, Tikkun, and author of "The Politics of Meaning" and "Spirit Matters: Global Healing and the Wisdom of the Soul." Lerner is considered to be one of contemporary America's most important political and spiritual thinkers.

This event is sponsored by Holy Cross' Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.