Sarah Stanley

Posts by Sarah Stanley

Cell Phones, Microfinance, and Poverty

A recent report by the United Nations states that out of the world’s seven billion people, six billion have a mobile phone, but only 4.5 billion have a modern toilet. In India, there are almost 900 million cell phone users, but nearly 70 percent of the population doesn’t have access to “proper sanitation.” Continue Reading...

Think Tanks Taking a Stand Against Crony Capitalism

Alejandro Chafuen, president and chief executive officer of Atlas Economic Research Foundation and board member of the Acton Institute, recently wrote a piece for Forbes.com about crony capitalism. Chafuen used to spend his summers in Argentina, so he begins his article with a story about a friend from Argentina. Continue Reading...

What We Can Expect from Pope Francis

Michael Severance, operations manager of the Istituto Acton in Rome, recently wrote an article for the World Catholic Report explaining why Pope Francis was a historic choice and examining  what we can expect from his papacy. Continue Reading...

Video: A Humble Pope

Last week, Acton president and co-founder, Rev. Robert Sirico, and operations manager of Istituto Acton, Michael Severance, were featured on Reuters TV discussing Pope Francis’ humility and frugality. Continue Reading...

Rev. Sirico: Don’t Underestimate Benedict’s Silent Influence

New Delhi TV recently published a Agence Franch-Presse report describing the former pope’s “invisible presence at conclave:” Retired pope Benedict XVI is gone but far from forgotten as cardinals begin voting for candidates to replace him, with his personal secretary Georg Gaenswein one of the last to leave the Sistine Chapel before the start of the conclave. Continue Reading...

Rev. Sirico on the First Day of Papal Conclave

The conclave to elect a new pope began today in Rome.  Guy Dinmore and Giulia Segreti from the Financial Times describe the first day: Cardinals sequestered in the Sistine chapel held their first vote to choose the 266th pope to lead the Roman Catholic church but black smoke emerging from their burnt ballot papers on Tuesday night signalled no one had secured the two-thirds majority needed for election. Continue Reading...