Rev. Robert A. Sirico speaks at the 2013 Law Day Celebration

May 1st was Law Day across America, and here in Grand Rapids, the Acton Institute joined the Catholic Lawyers Association of West Michigan to sponsor a Law Day Celebration at the St. Cecilia Music Center. The chosen theme for Law Day this year was “Realizing the Dream: Equality for All,” and responsibility for delivering a keynote address on that theme fell to Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico, who reflected on the role of faith in the legal profession in a time of great turmoil in society, in part because of the way that the law is currently being used to effect social change.

Read more on Audio: Sirico on Law and Virtue…

Rev. Robert Sirico was recently featured in El Salvador’s newspaper El Diaro de Hoy. Consuelo Interiano interviewed him about the free market, and social mortgage.

Sirico begins by saying that private property isn’t just important for businesses to thrive, it’s absolutely necessary for their existence. He goes on to say that businesses and private companies are the best way to help individuals escape poverty. Companies, large or small, create opportunities for work and offer individuals a means to elevate themselves out of poverty.

Read more on Rev. Robert Sirico on ‘Social Mortgage’…

Acton University is just two months away and we’ve just confirmed our featured lecturers for the big event. Check out their bios below.

The four featured speakers are:

Rev. Robert Sirico

He is president and co-founder of the Acton Institute.  Fr. Sirico serves on the staff of Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Grand Rapids, Michigan. His writings on religious, political, economic, and social matters are published in a variety of journals, including: the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the London Financial Times, the Washington Times, and more.
Read more on Acton University’s Featured Speakers Announced…

The Montreal Economic Institute produces a “Free Market Series” of videos interviewing experts such as Michael Fairbanks and Steve Forbes. This video highlights the Rev. Robert Sirico discussing the role of free markets in economics, and the false sense of utopia offered by other economic systems.

Read more on Video: Rev. Sirico on Avoiding Economic Disaster…

Something new and something a bit older today for our PowerBlog readers. First of all, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, President of the Acton Institute, joined host Mary Jones of The Mary Jones Show in Connecticut to discuss the Inaugural Mass of Pope Francis as well as how he is likely to handle some of the issues he will confront as he takes the helm at the Vatican.

Read more on Audio/Video: Rev. Robert A. Sirico on Pope Francis…

On the popular Italian news portal Ilsussidiario.net, Rev. Robert A. Sirico is interviewed about the social and political views of Pope Francis. To a question about Francis’ rejection of liberation theology, even as many of his fellow Jesuits embraced it, the Acton Institute president and co-founder replied that “it was a very brave thing that Pope Francis did at that time in Argentina, and all the more difficult because he had to confront his brother Jesuits who were attempting to politicize the Gospel and service to the poor.”

Read more on Rev. Sirico: Option for the Poor Not Neccessarily an Option for the State…

The bureaucracy of the Roman Curia is nothing new. When Pope John XXIII was asked how many people worked at the Vatican, he replied, “About half.” A great chuckle, but an unfortunate truth.

The National Post’s Scott Barber shares the mess that Pope Francis is going to have to deal with:

A poisonous combination of corruption, incompetence and tradition could stifle Pope Francis’ ability to rid the Catholic Church of scandal, Vatican analysts say.

“This whole mess needs to be excavated like the site of a toxic contamination,” said Michael D’Antonio, author of Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime and the Era of Catholic Scandal.

Read more on Can Pope Francis Deal With Toxic Contamination?…

Last week, Acton president and co-founder, Rev. Robert Sirico, and operations manager of Istituto Acton, Michael Severance, were featured on Reuters TV discussing Pope Francis’ humility and frugality.

KNOP-TV featured a report earlier this week in which it interviewed Acton president and co-founder, Rev. Robert Sirico describing the tough decision the Cardinals faced when choosing a new pope.

Read more on Video: Rev. Sirico on the Papal Conclave…

New Delhi TV recently published a Agence Franch-Presse report describing the former pope’s “invisible presence at conclave:”

Retired pope Benedict XVI is gone but far from forgotten as cardinals begin voting for candidates to replace him, with his personal secretary Georg Gaenswein one of the last to leave the Sistine Chapel before the start of the conclave.

Rev. Robert Sirico addresses Benedict’s influence on the conclave:

Read more on Rev. Sirico: Don’t Underestimate Benedict’s Silent Influence…