HHS “compromise” is Unacceptable, says former Vatican ambassador, Catholic University of America president, and others

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

(HT: Catholicvote.org) The following public letter was issued today by Mary Anne Glendon (former United States Ambassador to the Vatican), John Garvey (President, Catholic University of America), Princeton scholar Robert P. George, Notre Dame law professor Carter Sneed, and Yuval Levin of the Ethics & Public Policy Center. Right now the letter is being circulated and in the process of acquiring many more signatories. I am proud to say that I signed it only moments ago when it was sent... Read more

Best explanation of the HHS “compromise”: it’s a shell game

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

It is the intellectual version of being short-changed. Here’s what Ace says at Ace of Spades HQ: So here’s how this works. I’m an insurer. Here were your two options, before Obama’s brilliant solution: I could cover your employees for x dollars. If you want birth control/abortifacient coverage, we’ll add that rider for y dollars. So this option is x + y dollars. Obama’s genius solution is: Hey, we’ll cover your employees for x + y dollars as a baseline. But... Read more

Not a Good Argument for the HHS Birth Control Mandate

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

In response to the new HHS regulations, about which I have written several entries (see below), some have responded by pointing out that most Catholics practice birth control in defiance of the teachings of their Church. I’ve got news for you: Catholics also commit adultery, lie, cheat, steal, and sometimes even become Protestant. I suspect that there are also Mormons who drink coffee, Orthodox Jews who sneak bacon bits on their salads, and Southern Baptists who make the occasional visit... Read more

Planned Parenthood’s Hostages

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

That’s the title of a piece that was published in this morning’s Wall Street Journal. It is authored by two friends of mine, Robert P. George and O. Carter Snead. Robby is the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program at Princeton University. Carter is professor of law and the incoming director of the Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. You can read it here. Read more

The New Anti-Catholicism: Occupy the Vatican

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

That’s the title of my latest column over at The Catholic Thing. Here’s how it begins: The old anti-Catholicism found its expression in the mid-nineteenth century when the first large wave of Catholic immigrants arrived in the United States. Some of these immigrant groups had set up their own private religious schools. Many non-Catholic Americans, however, believed that Catholic schools indoctrinated students in superstitions that were inconsistent with the principles of American democracy. Therefore, in order to make sure that... Read more

Francis Schaeffer at 100, and Edith Schaeffer’s wonderful note to me

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Today, January 30, 2012, is the 100th birthday of Francis A. Schaeffer. He was an important influence on my intellectual formation while I was in college. Although given my return to the Catholic Church I would now part ways with Schaeffer on several philosophical and theological questions, I still retain a healthy appreciation of the role he played in making American Evangelicals aware that the Christian faith is a rational knowledge tradition that simply cannot be relegated to the realm of... Read more

Too Many Ironies in the Fire

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Newt claims that Mitt has character issues, and now Herman Cain is endorsing Newt. Looks like Newt has too many ironies in the fire. Read more

The Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas – January 28

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

The following was issued by Pope Benedict XVI in 2007 on the feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas (28 January): Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today the liturgical calendar commemorates St Thomas Aquinas, the great Doctor of the Church. With his charism as a philosopher and theologian, he offered an effective model of harmony between reason and faith, dimensions of the human spirit that are completely fulfilled in the encounter and dialogue with one another. According to St Thomas’ thought, human reason,... Read more

Honoring my mother-in-law, Peggy Dickerson

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

My mother-in-law, Peggy Dickerson, died two years ago today, on January 27, 2010. My wife misses her so much. What follows is the text of the eulogy I delivered at her memorial service. Eternal rest, grant unto her O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon them her. I would like to now say a few words about my mother-in-law, Peggy Dickerson. She was born August 31, 1924 in Los Angeles, California. She was one of three children of Frankie Bernice... Read more

An Uncomfortable and Awkward Question for Conservative Christian Gingrich Supporters

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 1:28 pm By Francis J. Beckwith

Are you prepared for America to have a First Lady who was a home wrecker and was once the President’s mistress (if Gingrich were to become President)? Many Christian conservatives–smitten by Newt’s rhetorical flourishes, as they are of any “good preaching”–seem not to have the imagination to entertain this question. It crossed my mind weeks ago, but I thought it churlish to raise it online, until I witnessed Gingrich’s retort to John King when the CNN correspondent brought up the... Read more