Richard John Neuhaus

Today is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, a holy day of obligation for Catholics. It is an amazement how many people, including otherwise thoughtful Catholics, think the immaculate conception of Mary means that she was not conceived by the natural means of procreation. Immaculate . . . . Continue Reading »

“When men stop believing in God they don’t believe in nothing; they believe in anything.” Umberto Eco said that observation is commonly attributed to G.K. Chesterton, and I flatly asserted in response that it is attributed to him because he wrote it. I may have been wrong about . . . . Continue Reading »

A good general rule for preachers is this: If a story does not serve the gospel, it will distract from the gospel. Too often, homiletical "illustrations" employed to illuminate the scriptural text displace the text. How often have you gone away remembering the cute story but forgetting . . . . Continue Reading »

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Totalitarianism takes many different forms, writes Pope Benedict XVI in his article in the forthcoming issue, “Europe and its Discontents.” In the course of his reflection, there is this: "This scientific façade hides an intolerant dogmatism that views the spirit as produced . . . . Continue Reading »

The flood of commentary on the Vatican instruction on homosexuality and the priesthood will not likely abate for some time. Here is William Saletan at Slate targeting what he views as the pope’s hangup about homosexuality, imaginatively titled “Gland Inquisitor” : “Notice . . . . Continue Reading »

The Public Square It is a commonplace that American public life is today “polarized” to a degree it has never been before. A short definition of polarization is that people no longer view one another as neighbors but as opponents; conversation is displaced by political combat. The unprecedented . . . . Continue Reading »

Once upon a time”it was the 1976 bicentennial of the American founding, to be precise”I wrote a book on the American experiment and the idea of covenant. Time magazine picked up on it and reported, “On the day of judgment, Neuhaus wants to meet God as an American.” . . . . Continue Reading »

There is lively interest, to put it gently, in the instruction from Rome regarding the admission of those with strong same-sex attractions to the seminary and priesthood. The instruction, which is not officially released until today, was leaked last week to an Italian newspaper and has since been . . . . Continue Reading »

In the Washington Post ( November 18 ), Michael Kinsley returns to the complexity of abortion politics. “Machiavellians of my acquaintance believe that it is the anti-abortion folks who are getting conned. The last thing in the world that Republican strategists want is repeal of Roe . If . . . . Continue Reading »