“Integral Human Development” (IHD) is a term coined by Louis-Joseph Lebret OP and then used by Paul VI in his encyclical Populorum Progressio in 1967. It is, in a way, the Catholic approach to human development and has been adopted by Catholic Relief Services. Pope Francis has emphasized the idea with the creation of a special dicastery of which Cardinal Czerny is the new Prefect. Similar to Enacting Catholic Social Teaching, the book emphasizes practice and examples without being a simple “how-to” book.
Clemens Sedmak is professor of social ethics and interim director, Nanovic Institute for European Studies, University of Notre Dame. His recent books include The Capacity to Be Displaced: Resilience, Mission, and Inner Strength, and Enacting Catholic Social Teaching.