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The Disappearing Great Plains Blues

Richard Neuhaus told the story (in 1991, I remember it clearly) of going to Kansas to give a lecture. He was met at the Kansas City, Missouri airport and whisked out beyond Topeka across the eventually barren plains that frame the shoulders of Interstate 70. All the plains beyond Topeka eventually become barren. … Continue Reading »

Campaign 2012: The Future of the Pro-Life Cause

“It’s the economy, stupid!””James Carville’s memorable note-to-self during the 1992 presidential race”will be the determining factor in the 2012 campaign, according to the common wisdom. That may be true. But as Catholics consider their responsibilities between now and November 6, it would be good to remember that the future of the pro-life cause in America is also at stake… . Continue Reading »

Clinton Declares Religious Freedom a National Interest

On July 30, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton provided a stalwart rationale for U.S. foreign policy on worldwide religious freedom, which is rooted in the 1998 International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) signed by her husband. Secretary Clinton asserted: “For the United States … religious freedom is a cherished constitutional value, a strategic national interest, and a foreign policy priority.” This statement”of religious freedom as a strategic national interest”is the most powerful statement on this issue made by this administration… . Continue Reading »

3:00 Prayer in the Year of Faith

October 11, 2012 will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. It is perhaps both a tribute to that council and a challenge to it, that Pope Benedict XVI has chosen that date to commence a “Year of Faith” which will continue until November 24, 2013, the Solemnity of Christ the King… . Continue Reading »

Os Guinness’ A Free People’s Suicide

Freedom in the U.S. is poised to collapse sooner rather than later, according to Os Guinness in his new book, A Free People’s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future. The reasons pertain both to external relations”imperial overreach and hubris in particular”but results more particularly from the increasing internal decadence among its people and leaders… . Continue Reading »

Cardinal Martini and the Timeless Church

When Cardinal Carlo Martini, the former Archbishop of Milan, died on August 31st, many must have wondered what kind of leader the Church had just lost. “Progressive Catholic Icon … Dies After Saying Church ‘200 years’ Behind,” headlined CBS news on September 3rd. The following day, the Catholic News Service reported Pope Benedict’s tribute: “The late Cardinal Carlo Maria Martini was a ‘generous and faithful pastor of the church,’ who not only studied the Bible ‘but loved it intensely and made it the light of his life.’” … Continue Reading »

The Importance of ‘Living Dyingly’

The late Christopher Hitchens wanted to be remembered for the excellence of his intellect. No doubt, those hopes will be met. As probably the best contemporary practitioner of the extended essay, he and the views he so pungently expressed will impact our societal discourse for many years to come. After his terminal diagnosis became public, Hitchens wrote, in a characteristic turn of phrase, that he was “living dyingly.” … Continue Reading »

A Case for Classical Education

In a bid to save Catholic education, major Catholic archdioceses are closing many schools and turning others over to the control of regional boards. This sad necessity has become an occasion for soul-searching within the Catholic educational bureaucracy. As Catholic leaders combat the causes of plummeting enrollment, they might look beyond the obvious financial barriers to examine the curricula and culture offered in their schools… . Continue Reading »

Ecclesiadicy

Bad Bishops have been blasted throughout Christian history. St. John Chrysostom is supposed to have said, “The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops” (though he never used the precise phrase). In the Middle Ages in Germany near Bingen am Rhein, a legend arose about Bishop Hatto. Having summoned the poor to buy bread from him at prohibitive prices, he instead locked them in a barn, informed them they would die like rats, and set the barn alight… . Continue Reading »

Campaign 2012: Burke vs. Hobbes?

You likely think, gentle reader, that the 2012 presidential race is a contest between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. That, of course, is true, insofar as the names on our Nov. 6 ballots go. But the 2012 race for the White House is something more, something more profound”something with deeper historical roots in modernity’s wrestling with political power and how that power contributes to the common good… . Continue Reading »

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