Humanitarianism

May 29, 2019

Pope Francis on ‘fake charity’

At the recent Vatican meeting of Catholic Charities Pope Francis praised the participants for their concern for the poor and marginalized, but warned them of the danger of “fake charity.” Carol Glatz writes in Catholic Herald: Charity is not a sterile service or a simple donation to hand over to put our conscience at ease,” he said. Continue Reading...

February 23, 2017

DonorSee: A charity app that challenges ‘Big Aid’

For far too long, Westerners have simply accepted the status quo of foreign aid, building ever-larger systems and programs for global charity even as they’re proven to squander resources and disempower the very communities they intend to assist. Continue Reading...

November 12, 2015

Beyond Humanitarianism: Michael Mattheson Miller on the Goal of Human Flourishing

In a recent episode of EconTalk, Russell Roberts chats with Acton Institute’s Michael Mattheson Miller about Poverty, Inc., the award-winning documentary on the challenges of poverty alleviation in the developing world. Continue Reading...

June 17, 2015

Video: Samuel Gregg on Truth, Reason, and Equality at Acton University 2015

Acton University 2015 got underway last night with an opening plenary address by Dr. Samuel Gregg on the topic of Truth, Reason and Equality. Gregg emphasized that the pursuit of authentic equality must be rooted in a deep respect for truth, not in “sentimental humanitarianism.” Continue Reading...

September 08, 2014

The Dangers of Sentimental Humanitarianism

Acton’s Director of Research, Samuel Gregg, recently wrote about ‘Our Sentimental Humanitarian Age’ at the American Spectator. He argues that “soft liberalism is incapable of confronting the evil in man.” Sometimes, however, an event occurs that highlights the more fundamental crises that bedevil a civilization. Continue Reading...

February 12, 2014

Beyond Humanitarianism: Staying ‘Mission True’ in a Culture of Drift

Peter Greer recently wrote a book about the spiritual danger of doing good, encouraging Christians to deal closely with matters of the heart before putting their hands to work. “Our service is downstream from the Gospel message,” he said in an interview here on the blog. Continue Reading...

August 15, 2011

Humanitarian Aid Is Encouraging Famine, Not Ending It

Coverage of the drought in the Horn of Africa has fixated on the amount of aid going into the region and humanitarians’ estimates of how much more will be needed. According to the U.N. Continue Reading...