"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Lord Acton
Acton Institute President Rev. Robert A. Sirico joined guest host Eric Bolling on Your World with Neil Cavuto on the Fox News Channel on Christmas Eve to discuss the latest Hollywood blockbuster, “The Wolf of Wall Street,” as well as the recent phenomenon of “Tips for Jesus.”
Earlier this week, Rev. Robert Sirico appeared on Fox Business’ Varney & Co with Stuart Varney and Judge Andrew Napolitano to discuss Pope Francis’ comments on economics. Watch the video clip below:
Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico had intended to join host Neil Cavuto in his New York studio to discuss questions of economics and religion, but Friday’s events in Centennial, Colorado prompted a different discussion altogether.
Acton’s busy week of media appearances continued last night with Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico joining guest host Arthur C. Brooks – president of the American Enterprise Institute – on The Hugh Hewitt Show to discuss Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, and the compatibility of Catholic social teaching with free market capitalism. We’ve embedded the interview for you below, and added the video of Arthur Brooks’ 2012 Acton University plenary address after the jump.
Acton Institute President Rev. Robert A. Sirico stopped by the studios of TheStreet.com today and spoke with host Joe Deaux about how Pope Francis differs from his predecessors in his approach to economic issues.
The pope is emphasizing “human solidarity,” Sirico said. “He quoted Benedict by saying that globalization has brought us to be close, to be neighbors, but not to be brothers.” Achieving a sense of fraternity is the goal.
We’ve embedded the video for you below.
Last night, Acton Institute President Rev. Robert A. Sirico joined host Lawrence Kudlow and author Naomi Schaefer Riley on The Kudlow Report to discuss the selection of Pope Francis as Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, the effect he is having on the Catholic Church worldwide, and his views on economics and free markets. We’ve embedded the video of the interview from CNBC below.
Rush Limbaugh kicked up some controversy over the past week with his analysis of Pope Francis’ Evangelii Gaudium:
…the pope here has now gone beyond Catholicism here, and this is pure political. I want to share with you some of this stuff.
“Pope Francis attacked unfettered capitalism as ‘a new tyranny’ and beseeched global leaders to fight poverty and growing inequality, in a document on Tuesday setting out a platform for his papacy and calling for a renewal of the Catholic Church. … In it, Francis went further than previous comments criticizing the global economic system, attacking the ‘idolatry of money.'”
I gotta be very careful. I have been numerous times to the Vatican. It wouldn’t exist without tons of money. But regardless, what this is, somebody has either written this for him or gotten to him. This is just pure Marxism coming out of the mouth of the pope. Unfettered capitalism? That doesn’t exist anywhere. Unfettered capitalism is a liberal socialist phrase to describe the United States. Unfettered, unregulated.
You can read his complete critique at the link above. The Catholic Channel on Sirius XM Satellite Radio responded by calling upon Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico to provide a critique of Limbaugh’s statements. You can listen to that interview via the audio player below:
2013 Novak Award recipient David P. Deavel, Ph.D., will illuminate John Henry Cardinal Newman’s contributions to economic liberty in the upcoming 13th annual Calihan Lecture. The lecture will take place on October 30, 2013 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn., where the 2013 Novak Award will be presented by Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute.
Much of Deavel’s research and writing has been on topics related to the Catholic intellectual tradition, most often reflecting his acquaintance with John Henry Newman and G.K. Chesterton. His writing has appeared in numerous books and a wide variety of popular and scholarly journals including America, Books & Culture, Catholic World Report, Chesterton Review, First Things, Journal of Markets and Morality, National Review, Nova et Vetera, New Blackfriars, and Touchstone.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, to register, and to download a copy of the event poster visit www.acton.org/Novak13.
Last week, the first major interview with Pope Francis was released to the world via a number of Jesuit journals; you can read the interview for yourself at America Magazine. As usually happens, major media outlets reported on the interview, often putting their own spin on it (the New York Times provides an example of this type of coverage here).
This morning, Frank Beckmann of Detroit, Michigan’s WJR Radio called upon Acton President Rev. Robert A. Sirico to discuss what the pope really said, and how Pope Francis’ thinking will shape how the Catholic Church addresses the big issues of our time. You can listen to the interview via the audio player below.
On Sept. 28, Rev. Robert Sirico will participate in a “National Briefing on Religious Liberty.” The Colson Center has partnered with the Truth of a New Generation Conference to bring together this panel discussion. Rev. Sirico is joined by:
Lauren Green – moderator (Fox News)
Dr. Timothy George (Beeson Divinity school),
Jennifer Marshall (The Heritage Foundation),
Eric Teetsel (Manhattan Declaration),
John Stonestreet (Colson Center), and
Eric Metaxas
The panel discussion will be followed by a keynote address from Metaxas. Please click here for more information.
