Richard John Neuhaus

I know I reveal my old-fogeyism when I say that I’m only vaguely aware of who Britney Spears is. I’m told that she falls somewhat short as an exemplar of virtuous living. That may well be, but it does not excuse the ruckus over a sculpture being exhibited at the Capla Kesting Fine Art . . . . Continue Reading »

I have great respect for Marc Stern, who has long been the religious-liberty point man for the American Jewish Congress. He describes himself as being "firmly opposed to same-sex marriage on religious grounds." He agrees with the conclusions of a recent conference sponsored by the Becket . . . . Continue Reading »

Just out from Viking is Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal of Building St. Peter’s by R.A. Scotti. It is a lovely book, filled with historical detail and lively depictions of the main players, beginning with the unstoppable Pope Julius II, who in 1505 decided to demolish the basilica . . . . Continue Reading »

The election of Katharine Jefferts Schori as the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church (ECUSA) is an occasion of great sadness for all who care about the unity of Christians. Those who have always been skeptical of the ecumenical effort may well say, “I told you so,” and indulge in a . . . . Continue Reading »

The distinction between pro-Palestine and anti-Israel is often hard to discern, and that between anti-Israel and anti-Semitic is sometimes exceedingly fine. Father Drew Christiansen, editor of America , the Jesuit magazine, is unhappy that some anti-Semites agree with him, but he nonetheless agrees . . . . Continue Reading »

Ramesh Ponnuru has kicked off a very important discussion with his book The Party of Death , and nobody has contributed to the discussion more intelligently than Ross Douthat over on The American Scene . The discussion is most importantly about abortion and the related “life questions,” . . . . Continue Reading »

After dinner, the evening before that conference in Vienna a while back, Christoph Cardinal Schoenborn took George Weigel and me on a private tour of the episcopal palace. The vestiges of splendor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire are inspiring, although today one cannot help but wonder if they are . . . . Continue Reading »

Less than a year ago, on July 7, 2005, four bombs went off in the London underground, killing 56 people. Ah yes, some might respond, Was it really so recently? It seems so long ago, just another of those nasty incidents that don’t bear thinking about. The arrest of 17 Canadian Muslim . . . . Continue Reading »

It is getting the attention it deserves in avowedly conservative circles, but Ramesh Ponnuru’s fine book The Party of Death is being assiduously ignored by the people who most need to engage his arguments. Ross Douthat has this to say over on The American Scene : The official line, so far as . . . . Continue Reading »

Here’s a happy spin. The headline in Catholic New York , “The Nation’s Largest Catholic Newspaper,” reads: “Poll Says Catholics Not Swayed by ‘Da Vinci Code.’” That’s good news, if you don’t read the story. The national survey was done by . . . . Continue Reading »