Richard John Neuhaus

I have said that the silly season in Catholic liturgical practices is now passing. It is not definitively past. Witness this suggested “Prayer of the Faithful” for Thanksgiving Day published by Pueblo in New York and found on the Catholic World Report website. We are assured this is not . . . . Continue Reading »

“It’s nothing new.” That’s the judgment widely expressed in response to the instruction from Rome excluding from the seminary and priesthood men who engage in, or are deemed likely to engage in, homosexual acts. It is nothing new. The teaching is as old as the Church . . . . Continue Reading »

Thanksgiving Day. The little community of which I’m part doesn’t have a Thanksgiving dinner. We disperse to the homes of friends and families. I go to a dinner with New York priests, hosted by a bishop at an Italian gun club. It’s great fun and not as sinister as it sounds. . . . . Continue Reading »

I am back from Madrid where I gave the final address at the VII Congreso Católicos y Vida Pública¯the seventh congress on Catholics in public life. My theme was “The Catholic Case for the Secular State.” The lecture was apparently well-received by the thousands of . . . . Continue Reading »

“In Strong Terms, Rome Is to Ban Gays as Priests.” That’s the front page headline in today’s New York Times . The headline and the story is a mix of fact and mendacity of a low order. The long-awaited instruction from the Congregation for Catholic Education, leaked a few . . . . Continue Reading »

As Allen Hertzke spelled out recently in FIRST THINGS (see "The Shame of Darfur," October), one of the great changes of recent years has been the determination of evangelical Protestants in this country to get serious about human rights, and about religious freedom in particular. Michael . . . . Continue Reading »

Monday I was down in Washington, having joined a working study group for an ambitious new project on “Religion and U.S. Foreign Policy.” This is a joint endeavor of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life and the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. Under the leadership of Luis . . . . Continue Reading »

The New York Times regularly serves up a target-rich supply of news and commentary and, as with shooting fish in a barrel, pointing out its gaffs is a sport of which one can quickly tire. Yet from time to time there is an item that makes irresistible the question, “What on earth do these . . . . Continue Reading »

The phone call came on Saturday saying that Fred had died. He was the oldest of the six Neuhaus boys and I the youngest. He died at home in Thousand Oaks, California. It was cancer and, after the usual treatments, the last month was devoted simply to making him as comfortable as possible. He is the . . . . Continue Reading »

For the record: Wal-Mart has apologized for what it describes as “the inappropriate and inflammatory comments” to which I called attention a couple of days ago. The comments had to do with a rather bizarre account of the history and meaning of Christmas. A threatened boycott by the . . . . Continue Reading »