The Detroit News

September 26, 2018

Tribalism and the dangers of identity economics

Occasioned by some local controversy over a political endorsement by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce, in the Detroit News today I have a piece worrying about the implications of what might be called ‘identity economics,’ or “where we only agree to economic transactions with those who agree with us on an ever-growing list of moral or even political shibboleths.” Continue Reading...

April 07, 2016

Just because something’s popular doesn’t make it prudent

Along with “democratic socialism,” “protectionism,” and “Berning,” the word “populism” has become part of 2016 America’s vernacular thanks to the circus that is the presidential election. Like it sounds, “populism” deals with popularity, in this case among American voters. Continue Reading...

September 09, 2015

Rev. Sirico: Pope’s Trip To U.S. As Pastor, Not Policy Wonk

Just weeks before Pope Francis sets foot on U.S. soil, he’s all ready a sell-out in many places he’ll be visiting. And the media is trying to get a handle on just what the pontiff will be talking about while he’s here. Continue Reading...

February 16, 2015

Rev. Robert Sirico: Remembering The Faith of Oscar Romero

The Rev. Robert Sirico, in The Detroit News today, remembers the faith of slain Archbishop Oscar Romero, whom Pope Francis recently declared a martyr. Rev. Sirico recalls his trip to the church where the Salvadoran archbishop was killed. Continue Reading...

January 15, 2015

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette: Making Progress Against Human Trafficking

In 2013, the State of Michigan published its Report on Human Trafficking. In anticipation of the publication of the Acton Institute’s monograph, A Vulnerable World: The High Price of Human Trafficking, I interviewed Attorney General Bill Schuette last month. Continue Reading...

January 02, 2014

Rev. Sirico: Pope Francis, without the politics

Writing in The Detroit News, Rev. Robert A. Sirico looks at Pope Francis’ recent Apostolic Exhortation, the “much talked about, but little-read” document titled “The Joy of the Gospel” with a special emphasis on how the pontiff understands the problem of poverty. Continue Reading...

May 13, 2013

Shoeing Horses in Detroit: How Unions Are Hindering A City’s Revival

Anyone who’s been to Detroit in recent years knows it’s a mess. Acres and acres of abandoned houses, a population decline of 25% in the past 10 years, an astronomical crime rate, and the city is literally leaking money to the tune of some $200 million in two months. Continue Reading...

March 07, 2013

Sirico: The Drama and Reality of Choosing a New Pope

In today’s The Detroit News, the Rev. Robert Sirico seeks to set aside some of the rumors, skewered Hollywood depictions, and media predictions that swirl around any papal conclave. Of course, this time is decidedly different, as the cardinals are coming together not after the death of a pope, but one’s retirement. Continue Reading...

March 06, 2013

Jayabalan: No Rush on Papal Conclave

Detroit News reporter Oralandar Brand-Williams interviewed Kishore Jayabalan, director of Acton’s Rome office, about preparations at the Vatican to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. A date for the conclave, the assembly of cardinals that will elect the next pope, has not yet been set. Continue Reading...

April 24, 2012

Kishore Jayabalan: Vatican supports dignity of work

The Detroit News editorial page today features Kishore Jayabalan’s commentary regarding the pro-business statement made by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace (PCJP). Jayabalan, Director of Istituto Acton in Rome, says this: It may be easier to describe the contents of the PCJP statement by saying what it is explicitly not. Continue Reading...

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