‘Unternehmergeist’: The enterprising spirit of East Berlin escape artists
Without warning, in the middle of a pleasantly warm August 13 night in 1961, German Democratic Republic authorities hatched and executed their stealthy plan: 10,000 soldiers were ordered to race to...
View Article‘Inclusive capitalism’? Why not simply ‘capitalism’
I like the word inclusive. Who doesn’t? My colleague certainly likes the word inclusive, especially when I include more money in her paycheck. My wife likes the word inclusive, when I include her...
View ArticleWhy Scruton matters
The late Sir Roger Scruton, the eminent philosopher of aesthetics, politics, liberty, and culture, returned home to his Creator last Sunday. Scruton was famous, among other things, for running an...
View ArticleDashed hopes in crisis? Be like Charles Borromeo
When the Israelites wondered aimlessly in the desert, often they got lost, were scared and worshiped false idols to abate their worries. They abandoned Yahweh, but the Lord did not reciprocate....
View ArticleBy God’s Grace we will win the COVID-19 race
“By God’s Grace we will win the race.” I love this optimistic expression used by some of my African priest friends in Rome. It is true that only by way of our teamwork with God and earning His Grace...
View ArticleCoronavirus quarantine: pontifical universities become enterprising in their...
Long gone are the days of packed aulae magnae with 300+ students attending a lectio magistralis or an international conference, as Acton organizes each year with extraordinary success. These are the...
View ArticleApril Fools’ Day: Italians are not joking around anymore as civil unrest builds
Culturally the first of April – April Fools’ Day – is the same in Italy as in America. It’s a day of practical jokes and laughs. Only here it’s called April Fish Day, because it is related to the...
View ArticleService is love for our God and our clients
For the Italian Nuova Bussola Quotidiana media outlet, I am publishing a series of short reflections on economics, virtue and spirituality during Lent entitled Lentenomics (go here for the first...
View ArticleThe Great Gaetano Rebecchini: Italy’s hero succumbs to the coronavirus
Today was the first time I learned of someone I know and respect who lost his battle to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). He was a 95 year-old political warrior and defender of freedom: Gaetano...
View Article‘They want to punish the Church’: Italian priest fined for procession to...
The following translation is an exclusive interview that appeared in the weekend edition of the northern Italian daily La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana, which has fiercely defended Italy’s religious freedom...
View ArticleHope: the theological, economic virtue
On Holy Saturday, I wrote the last of my series of “Lentenomics” articles on virtues and the good economy for the Italian daily La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana. I invited readers to reflect on “Hope: In...
View ArticleWhy I worked this May Day
Today, I am working from Rome. It is Labor Day here–La Festa dei lavoratori–one of those many guaranteed Italian holidays which we are not supposed to spend in the office. Continue Reading... Related...
View ArticleFor St. John Paul II’s 100th birthday, Italy gets gift of religious freedom
Today, May 18, is a very good day, indeed. It is a heroic day for the Italian Catholic Church on the 100th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II’s birth. There could not be a better birthday gift from a...
View ArticleProfitable Vatican museums postpone opening during phase 2
In an article I published today in Catholic World Report, “The profitable Vatican Museums remain closed, look toward a June opening,” I posed some tough questions to Rev. Kevin Likey, a priest of the...
View ArticleActon online conference: “Banned” wagon? Why dissenting freethinkers are...
The Acton Institute’s Rome office is sponsoring an online seminar on Thursday, May 28, at 7 p.m., Central European Time: “‘Banned’ wagon? Why dissenting freethinkers are censured on social media.” The...
View Article“Minneapolice” state creates its own monster
In a May 30 article I published for the Italian media outlet Nouva Bussola Quotidiana, “Minneapolice”, repression and anger behind the violence, I explain that plenty of kindling was laid during...
View ArticleJubilee and Social Justice: A dangerous quest to overcome social inequalities
Kim Tan. Jubilee and social justice: A dangerous quest to overcome inequalities. Abingdon Press. 2021. 102 pages. Kim Tan, the co-founder of the Transformational Business Network, has just published...
View ArticleSome very good reasons you should attend Acton University Online
“Should I or shouldn’t I do AU?” That is the question I have heard hundreds of times regarding attending Acton University Online 2021. More than 2,400 people have already made up their own minds and...
View ArticleDreher: A virtuous resistance against totalitarianism must challenge the...
What’s the foundation of a good education system? Creativity and courage, according to Rod Dreher, author of the bestselling book “Live Not By Lies: A Manual for Christian Dissidents.” Dreher argues it...
View ArticleCardinal Urosa: Venezuelan freedom fighter loses final battle against COVID-19
On Sept. 24, the Archdiocese of Caracas announced the passing Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino of Venezuela. The Sept. 24 press release stated he was “one of the most influential people” in a majority Roman...
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