R.R. Reno is editor of First Things.

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More on the Witch Hunt in Belgium

One of our informed readers—and our readers are thankfully not only informed but also forthright—corrected me yesterday. It’s not the case that the Belgian police went around pulling bones out of crypts. No, they drilled a hole to insert a fiber optic cable. Point taken. But this . . . . Continue Reading »

29 Jun 2010

WASP Decline

Knowing my background, a friend recently sent me a column from the New York Times . Written by Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman, the article provides a short reflection on the decline of WASP dominance—a decline much commented upon in the aftermath of Elena Kagan’s nomination to the . . . . Continue Reading »

28 Jun 2010

More on the Belgian Church

Michael Liccione added a link to his comments about the recent police raid on the Catholic Church offices (and episcopal crypts!) in Belgium. His  posting provides helpful background. Moreover, Liccione makes the persuasive observation that the mainstream media has tended to give a . . . . Continue Reading »

28 Jun 2010

Witch Hunt

Am I the only person astonished by the latest round in the now long simmering sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church in Europe? Belgian police have taken to raiding offices and—I’m not making this up—opening the tombs of former archbishops . Digging up dead clerics? . . . . Continue Reading »

28 Jun 2010

Troubles in the Academy

In the current issue of the Biblical Archeological Review , Professor Ronald S. Hendel announces his departure from the venerable scholarly organization that publishes the journal, The Society of Biblical Literature . The reason? Basically, he thinks that the SBL is being taken over by . . . . Continue Reading »

25 Jun 2010

The Right to Worship Compromised

Jonathan Perfetto is a person convicted of possessing child pornography who is on probation. He wants to go to church. Seems like a good idea, a sign of repentance and amendment of life. Problem: Perfetto’s terms of probation prohibit him from having contact with children under the age of 16. . . . . Continue Reading »

22 Jun 2010

Fake Soccer Fans

OK, there’s just something about the World Cup that keeps me coming back, even though I’m not a fan.  Check out this teaser story about (alleged!) North Korean soccer fans. Have they been specially recruited?  Is North Korea orchestrating a Potemkin village of . . . . Continue Reading »

21 Jun 2010

Religion and Soccer Don’t Mix

I ran across a bizarre story today. The poor fellow wanted to change the channel on the TV, and his wife and children attacked him, evidently banging his head against the wall. End result: death. Yes, strange, but what’s stranger is the reason the family reacted so violently. Evidently . . . . Continue Reading »

18 Jun 2010

Pope Benedict Champions the Angelic Doctor

Pope Benedict devoted the talk at yesterday’s general audience to a full throated commendation of the theology of St. Thomas. After detailing the way in which the Angelic Doctor gets the relation of faith and reason just right, the Pope concludes : St. Thomas offers us a wide and enduring . . . . Continue Reading »

17 Jun 2010

Surviving Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne’s genome is being mapped by scientists to find out how he survived decades of substance abuse. Forget the substance abuse, I want my genome mapped so that I can figure out how I survived Ozzy’s music during the dolorous 1970s. . . . . Continue Reading »

16 Jun 2010