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May 30, 2019

Alejandro Chafuen in Forbes: European elections

Alejandro Chafuen, Acton’s Managing Director, International, comments in Forbes today on the results of the European Parliament elections that concluded this past Sunday. Many European countries showed gains for nationalist, Euroskeptic and environmentalist parties at the expense of more traditional centrist groups and of socialist parties. Continue Reading...
May 30, 2019

5 Facts about Coptic Christians

This Saturday is the inaugural Global Coptic Day, a day that commemorates the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt and that celebrates “the Coptic Orthodox Church’s rich heritage, including its indelible history of martyrdom and persecution, theological education and monasticism.” Continue Reading...
May 30, 2019

Tocqueville and Novak at the Heritage Foundation

This week, I gave a public lecture at the Heritage Foundation as part of its speakers’ series on the theme “Free Markets: The Ethical Economic Choice.” At a time in which many Americans, at least according to opinion polls, say that they are attracted to socialism, I thought it would be helpful to consider what two observers of socialism, the French political philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville and the American theologian Michael Novak, had to say about this subject. Continue Reading...
May 30, 2019

Rev. Robert Sirico on socialism and the religious left in the Detroit News

The Detroit News has published an opinion piece by Fr. Robert Sirico on our increasingly contentious public discourse, socialism, and the religious left titled ‘The dangers of creeping toward socialism’: The popes have traditionally condemned socialism in the strongest possible terms as being incompatible with Christianity, because its concept of society itself is utterly foreign to Christian truth. Continue Reading...
May 30, 2019

Author of ‘Aquinas and the Market’ wins Vatican’s Economy and Society prize

  Yesterday, Prof. Mary Hirschfield of Villanova University received the prestigious “Economy and Society International Prize”, a €30,000 biennial award given by the Vatican’s Centesimus Annus Foundation. The dual doctoral degree holder in economics and theology was granted the prize money for her groundbreaking book Aquinas and the Market: Toward a Humane Economy (Havard University Press, 2018). Continue Reading...
May 29, 2019

Bernie Sanders’ socialist utopia crumbles

When asked to name a successful example of democratic socialism, one nation always rises to the top of the list: Denmark. However, a Reuters news story shows that the socialists’ model nation is providing fewer and fewer services to citizens despite its hefty tax bill. Continue Reading...
May 29, 2019

Aldi and the virtues of ‘brutal efficiency’

In recent years, we’ve witnessed a food revolution of sorts, leading to expansive consumer choice and an increasing emphasis on healthy or specialty foods that are locally and ethically sourced. In turn, a flurry of grocery chains have capitalized on such trends, with some stuffing their aisles with countless brands as others focus on “socially conscious” goods at luxury prices. Continue Reading...
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...