Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Science

June 25, 2015

Samuel Gregg: Pope Francis’ Overreach Plagues the Encyclical

Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute, recently wrote for The Federalist that the overreach by the Pope into a wide range of environmental issues plagues the text of the encyclical: Neither the pope nor the teaching authority he exercises is required to comment on every imaginable subject discussed in the public square, whether it is air-conditioning’s environmental impact, contemporary threats to plankton, the effect of synthetic agrotoxins on birds, or how dams affect animal migration (and, yes, all four are discussed in “Laudato Si”). Continue Reading...
June 22, 2015

Pope Francis’ Incoherent Economics

Peter Johnson, external relations officer for the Acton Institute, discusses the muddled economic message in the recent encyclical for The Federalist: While I don’t doubt for a moment that Pope Francis sincerely wants to help the poor, I think it would be difficult for even the most erudite Catholic scholars to find a coherent message in a passage like this. Continue Reading...
June 18, 2015

Samuel Gregg: Pope Francis’ Economic Blind Spots

Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute, spoke with Business Spectator about the economic message of the new encyclical: When you read through the text, you find the free market, and finance in particular, is identified more or less as responsible for many environmental problems, Dr Gregg said.  Continue Reading...
June 17, 2015

Alejandro Chafuen: Pope Francis, Sound Theology, Politicized Science

Alejandro Chafuen, member of the Board of Directors of the Acton Institute, discusses the theology, science, and political impact of Pope Francis’ environmental statements: Although the Pope writes and speaks as he is not an expert on bio-technology—allowing for differences of opinion—when he speaks about political economic topics he does it with conviction and certainty. Continue Reading...