Religion & Liberty Online Archives

Public Policy

June 22, 2015

Pope Francis’ Incoherent Economics

Peter Johnson, external relations officer for the Acton Institute, discusses the muddled economic message in the recent encyclical for The Federalist: While I don’t doubt for a moment that Pope Francis sincerely wants to help the poor, I think it would be difficult for even the most erudite Catholic scholars to find a coherent message in a passage like this. Continue Reading...
June 22, 2015

A Healthy Dose Of Skepticism For Scientific Consensus

My husband and I had a conversation about science on the way home from church yesterday. Since he is a scientist, it drives him a little buggy when people talk about “consensus” as a way to come to a scientific conclusion, or that scientific facts can be “bent” to uphold a particular opinion or viewpoint. Continue Reading...
June 19, 2015

Fr. Sirico in the Wall Street Journal: The Pope’s Green Theology

In an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal, Fr. Robert Sirico writes about the encyclical, the role of free markets and the need for continuous conversation about the environment: Let’s cut to the chase: Much of what is in Pope Francis’ encyclical on environmental stewardship, Laudato Si’, poses a major challenge for free-market advocates, those of us who believe that capitalism is a powerful force for caring for the earth and lifting people out of poverty. Continue Reading...
June 18, 2015

Samuel Gregg: Pope Francis’ Economic Blind Spots

Samuel Gregg, director of research at the Acton Institute, spoke with Business Spectator about the economic message of the new encyclical: When you read through the text, you find the free market, and finance in particular, is identified more or less as responsible for many environmental problems, Dr Gregg said.  Continue Reading...
June 17, 2015

Evangelicals and Pope Francis’s Encyclical on the Environment

When Pope Francis releases his encyclical tomorrow there is a group of Christians that will be eager to respond: American evangelicals. Rather than responding based on what we read in the headlines, says Spence Spencer, evangelicals should read the encyclical in light of historic Roman Catholic teaching: Whatever the content of the new encyclical is, we must read it in concert with previous teachings of the Church.  Continue Reading...
June 17, 2015

Alejandro Chafuen: Pope Francis, Sound Theology, Politicized Science

Alejandro Chafuen, member of the Board of Directors of the Acton Institute, discusses the theology, science, and political impact of Pope Francis’ environmental statements: Although the Pope writes and speaks as he is not an expert on bio-technology—allowing for differences of opinion—when he speaks about political economic topics he does it with conviction and certainty. Continue Reading...
June 17, 2015

Rev. Sirico: Encyclical Exposes Political Rifts

Speaking to the New York Times, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, Acton Institute president and co-founder, addresses the potential political fallout from the Pope’s encyclical statements on climate change: From the moment he steps into that chamber and talks about climate change, it’s going to be taken as a political statement,” said the Rev. Continue Reading...