R. R. Reno

Those interested in a forceful and substantive response to Robert Orsi’s denunciations of the depravities of the Catholics Church—insufficient solicitude for “reproductive choice,” for example—should click over to read what Notre Dame professor Daniel Philpot has to say . . . . Continue Reading »

I’ve never met Benedict XVI, but I feel as though I have. Or at least I think I have a pretty good sense of how his mind works: clear, to the point, and earthy. OK, maybe not D. H. Lawrence earthy, but for a German university professor very direct, concrete, and capable of a memorable turn of phrase. … Continue Reading »

The opposite of piety is not unbelief; it is sovereign desire. . . . . Continue Reading »

Last week I drew attention to the way in which Robert Orsi, the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University, slammed the Catholic Church in an online tirade . I’m someone who respects (and respectfully disagrees) with a great deal of loyal Catholic dissent. Yes, . . . . Continue Reading »

A friend and I have been corresponding, covering lots of different topics, but lately focusing on the Reformation. A question came up. Did the Reformation need to happen? I don’t like that question (and I told my friend so), because “necessary” and “unnecessary” tend to distort our view . . . . Continue Reading »

I think of myself as a fairly jaundiced academic, unlikely to be taken aback by shrill, politically correct rhetoric. But I guess I’m wrong, because the crude pronouncements of Robert Orsi, holder of the Grace Craddock Nagle Chair in Catholic Studies at Northwestern University, shocked me. . . . . Continue Reading »

Why art? Countless millions cry out for food to relieve their hunger. Many are caught up in wars, praying for some semblance of peace. There are diseases to cure. Environmental disasters to prevent. International institutions to build. Why, indeed, art? … Continue Reading »

A History of Catholic Moral Theology in the Twentieth Century: From Confessing Sins to Liberating Consciences By James F. Keenan, S.J. Continuum, 248 pages, $29.95 The Second Vatican Council created an atmosphere of change that many imagined would sweep away traditional approaches and attitudes, . . . . Continue Reading »

Recently I’ve been musing metaphysically, and today’s article by Stephen J. Heaney on Public Discourse (” Just the Facts, M’am “) struck a chord. Heaney picks up a story about a female college basketball player who has announced that she wants to be thought of as a . . . . Continue Reading »

On the always interesting Public Discourse , James Capretta engages the question of how a pro-life person should think about the ongoing debates about healthcare. The question was raised by Richard Stith in a web article for First Things , who made the arresting observation that a nationalized . . . . Continue Reading »