One of my favorite lines in Laudato Si is when Pope Francis writes, “How wonderful is the certainty that each human life is not adrift in the midst of hopeless chaos, in a world ruled by pure chance or endlessly recurring cycles!” Faith gives us the belief that creation and history are infused with real… Read More Pope Francis: Love is Stronger than Death
Yesterday, the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies (where I am a graduate fellow) co-hosted an event at the AFL-CIO headquarters that brought together Church and labor leaders. The topic was “Erroneous Autonomy: A Conversation on Solidarity & Faith.” The event was a follow-up on last year’s “Erroneous Autonomy: The Catholic Case Against Libertarianism”… Read More Church and Labor Leaders on Solidarity and Faith
Neither the Democratic Party nor the Republican Party has a platform or priorities that fully reflect the principles of Catholic social teaching. Money has infected the American political system, threatening the very foundations of representative government. Politicians run polls so they know to avoid words like poverty and social justice, which don’t win votes. Major… Read More Politics Sucks, But Don’t Check Out
Robert Putnam, one of the country’s premier political scientists, recently sparked a debate over whether or not faith groups have been absent in the fight on poverty, saying: Historically, churches had been major, major movers on issues of social and political equality in America, but as I noted in [my 2010 book] “American Grace,” somewhat… Read More Churches Aren’t M.I.A., But Haven’t Done Enough for the Poor
Pope Francis wasted little time in capturing the public’s imagination. And every day there seemed to be something new: an act of humility, a clever expression, or a challenge for each of us who wishes to follow in the way of Christ. We knew Pope Francis was doing something special, but it still took many… Read More Pope Francis’ Morning Homilies and His Vision for the Church
Over the last couple of years, there has been a growing focus among American Catholics on the fundamental incompatibility of libertarianism and Catholic moral and social thought. Yet few have become familiar with an approach to American politics that is far more compatible with the Church’s approach: communitarianism. In this video, Amitai Etzioni, a leading… Read More What is Communitarianism?
Bill and Denise Richard have taken to the Boston Globe to state their view on the sentencing of the Boston Marathon bomber, who took their 8-year-old son Martin’s life (among other crimes): “…now that the tireless and committed prosecution team has ensured that justice will be served, we urge the Department of Justice to bring… Read More Martin Richard’s Parents: Give the Boston Bomber Life in Prison, Not the Death Penalty
Millennial 