Richard John Neuhaus

The Public Square It is galling when a good friend submits to another publication an article that we would have loved to publish. But then Maria McFadden, editor of the Human Life Review , is also a good friend of his and of ours, and I suppose that evens things out. The article in question is by . . . . Continue Reading »

With stunning abruptness we’re jostled from the Christmas Mass (the Christ Mass) to the feast of St. Stephen, proto-martyr. And then on to the slaughter of the Holy Innocents. It is an antidote to the sentimentality that inevitably attends devotion to the baby Jesus. A sentimentality, let it . . . . Continue Reading »

"I don’t know why he has to spoil the season by bringing that up. For him every day is Good Friday." Her complaint was against Father’s homily, which underscored that the baby Jesus was born to die. Yes, Good Friday, but Easter, too. Although Father insisted that we should not . . . . Continue Reading »

Herewith a few items, definitely not in order of importance: "Group invites world to come together for Orgasm Day ." That’s the headline in the Princetonian . "This year’s winter solstice will be hotter than usual, if a Princeton-inspired movement has its way. The antiwar . . . . Continue Reading »

There they all are, all forty-three of them. Their pictures take up the better part of the front page of this Sunday’s "Week in Review" section of the New York Times . Underneath the pictures is the headline of the story by Adam Nagourney, "The Pattern May Change, if . . . . . . . Continue Reading »

There are so many pieces to Pope Benedict’s visit to Turkey this week that one hardly knows where to begin. In almost all the media coverage, it was quite forgotten that this was, first of all, a pastoral and ecumenical visit. There is a very small Catholic community in Turkey that is as . . . . Continue Reading »

The Public SquareThere are little exchanges that stick in memory. It was a conversation many years ago with Eugene Carson Blake. He was then the oldline Protestant establishment’s main man in just about everything, beginning with the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the National Council of . . . . Continue Reading »

Here, with thanks to Amy Welborn, a reflection to lift the heart and confirm the will . The author, Simon Barnes, is chief sportswriter for the (UK) Times : "So Eddie was born, and I have spent the subsequent five years living with him. Not living with Down’s syndrome: what a ridiculous . . . . Continue Reading »

There has been a lively discussion among the young folks in the office about the morality of going to see the hit movie Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan . I saw a couple of trailers for the film on television and admit that I laughed out loud before . . . . Continue Reading »

This is but an addendum to Robert Miller’s fine reflection on the meaning of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is not easy. It is a very deliberate and specific practice that takes some working at. To cite a recent instance, the revelation that German novelist Günter Grass¯lauded for years as the . . . . Continue Reading »