Leonardo Mendoza
2nd Year PhD - Ethics
Leonardo D. Mendoza is a doctoral student in Integrative Studies in Ethics and Theology at Loyola University Chicago. His research engages the intersection of ethics and theology, with an emphasis on Christian Social Ethics, Christian Nationalism, and the lived religious experiences of the Queer Latine community in the United States. By examining how theological discourse shapes ethical imagination and communal identity, his work contributes to critical conversations on religion, politics, and marginalized identities. He aims to bring theological ethics into dialogue with contemporary struggles for justice, with particular attention to how faith communities can both challenge and perpetuate systems of exclusion.
Research Interests
Christian Social Ethics, Ethics and Society, Christian Nationalism, Social Movements, Queer Theologies, Latin American and US Latinax Theologies
Professional/Community Affiliations
Associate Member, Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States
Publications/Research Listings
Mendoza, Leonardo D. (2023) Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual (LGBTQIA+) U.S. Latinx Catholics and the U.S. Catholic Church: A Critique of Certain Aspects of Roman Catholic Moral Teaching in Light of a Latinx Theological Anthropology. Perspectivas Online. 14 de julio de 2023. https://perspectivasonline.com/downloads/lesbian-gay-bisexual-transexual-lgbtqai-u-s-latinx-catholics-and-the-u-s-catholic-church-a-critique-of-certain-aspects-of-roman-catholic-moral-teaching-in-light-of-a-latinx-theological-anthro/
Mendoza, Leonardo "Global Bioethics and Indigenous Peoples," Journal of Hispanic / Latino Theology: Vol. 23 : No. 2 , Article 7. (2021) :231-244
Available at: https://repository.usfca.edu/jhlt/vol23/iss2/7
Selected Presentations
Paper Presentation, “The Reign v. The Anti-Reign of God: The Catholic Church in the U.S. as Both Sacrament and Obstacle of and for Social Engagement” at The European Academy of Religion (University of Vienna), July 2025.
Invited Presentation, Enlaces Session - “40 Years of US Hispanic/Latina/e/o/x Theology: Attentive to the Signs of the Time Then and Now” at the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States 2025 Colloquium, Portland, Oregon, June 2025.
Paper Presentation, “Queering US Latinax Theology: A Thorn on the Side of the US Catholic Church and Latino Theologians” at The Graduate School's 18th Annual Interdisciplinary Symposium, April 2025.
Paper Presentation, “Faith and Culture: Theologizing for and with Queer Latinax Bodies,” Graduate Theology Colloquium hosted by Loyola University Chicago, Marquette University, and St. Louis University in Chicago, Illinois, February 2025.
Panel Moderator, “En Conjunto Session 2: U.S. Document for the Synod’s Continental Phase- Priority 2,” 2024 ACHTUS Colloquium at the Connors Center at Boston College, June 2024.
Poster Presentation, “LGBTQ+ Latinx Catholics and the Roman Catholic Tradition: A Critique of Certain Aspects of its Moral Thought,” 2022 ACHTUS Colloquium at the University of San Diego, June 2022.
Paper Presentation, “Religious Liberty and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ignoring Social Responsibility in the Name of Freedom During a Public Health Crisis,” Pandemic and Religion Graduate Student Conference (Virtual) hosted by the Boisi Center for Religion in American Public Life at Boston College, February 7, 2021.
Awards
Samuel A. Attoh Fellowship