Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Vatican

November 15, 2018

Debunking the durable Malthusian myths

On his show yesterday, Rush Limbaugh discussed the famous bet between Julian Simon and Paul Ehrlich in 1980 over the question of whether or not the Earth had sufficient natural resources to sustain the growing global population. Continue Reading...
October 12, 2018

YouTube powers Brazil’s conservative Catholic wave

Father Paulo Ricardo is a very sympathetic man. Always smiling, he is tall, thin, and balding. His austere appearance reminds us of priests portrayed in the films of the 1960s. Father Paulo could easily pretend to be Dom Camilo, the wise Italian priest created by Giovannino Guareschi and immortalized in the cinema by the brilliant French actor Fernandel. Continue Reading...
October 09, 2018

The suffering of Cardinal Zen

This article is written by Moris Polanco, originally published by Instituto Fe y Libertad and republished with permission. The elderly cardinal Zen Ze-kiun, bishop emeritus of Hong Kong, said in his blog on February 5, 2018, “The brothers and sisters of mainland China are not afraid of being reduced to poverty, of being put into prison, of shedding their blood. Continue Reading...
July 23, 2018

30 key quotes from ‘Humanae vitae’ (Of human life)

Fifty years ago this week, Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae, an encyclical on marital love, responsible parenthood, and artificial contraception. Because contraception profoundly influences so many areas of life—from the family to national policies—this statement on human anthropology and sexuality has become a one of the most significant documents of Catholic social thought. Continue Reading...
June 19, 2018

Video: Rev. Ben Johnson on First Things blaming democracy and capitalism for abortion

Rev. Ben Johnson, editor of the Acton Institute Religion & Liberty Transatlantic project, appears on the Stephen Herreid Show on YouTube to talk about his critique of First Things editor Matt Schmitz’s essay which blamed democracy and capitalism for Ireland’s repeal by referendum of its 8th Amendment, which “recognizes the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn.” Continue Reading...
May 17, 2018

How the Vatican misunderstands finance

Earlier today, the Vatican released Oeconomicae et pecuniariae quaestiones, a statement on “ethical discernment regarding some aspects of the present economic-financial system.” The document outlines sound general principles, says Acton research director Samuel Gregg, but also reflects the Church’s present struggle to comprehend modern finance: Over the past decade, various Vatican offices have produced several documents addressing the vexed topic of finance and banking. Continue Reading...