Matthew Schmitz

Transcribed from George Weigel’s interview on NBC News this morning: It’s a surprise, obviously. This hasn’t happened since 1296, which is 717 years ago . . .  The pope then was Pope Celestine V. He was 85 years old, too, so there’s an interesting historical symmetry . . . . Continue Reading »

In response to an interview question, Robert P. George previews the argument of his forthcoming book  Conscience and Its Enemies : Contemporary left liberals are hardly relativists! I often wish they were. They are moralists—moralists on a mission. The mission is to shape political and . . . . Continue Reading »

On last night’s episode of Downton Abbey, we heard the unfamiliar Catholic slur “left-footer.” Series creator Julian Fellowes—-himself an occasional target of anti-Catholicism —-has really outdone himself this time. Mackerel-snapper, sure. But left-footer? What could . . . . Continue Reading »

That’s the vision advanced by the Obama administration in their broadened—-but still much, much too narrow—-exemption to the HHS mandate. According to the administration’s factsheet , an employer will be exempt if it: opposes providing coverage for some or all of any . . . . Continue Reading »

Richard G. Stern, writer and educator, died on January 24, 2013 at age 84. John Wilson, editor of   Books and Culture , wrote about Stern’s stories as part of a year-end fiction roundup in our December 2005 issue:  The protagonist of Stern’s story . . . . Continue Reading »

The Machinery of Criminal Justice by stephanos bibas oxford, 320 pages, $75 There are two criminal justice systems in America. This great divide cleaves not white and black, rich and poor, male and female (though such divisions are very real) but rather the criminal justice system of the popular . . . . Continue Reading »

Via the Moscow Times , we learn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has hired ’90s icons Boyz II Men to perform at a concert series promoting higher birthrates: President Vladimir Putin’s crusade to raise the country’s birth rate is set to get . . . . Continue Reading »

We are very pleased to introduce Maureen Mullarkey as our newest blogger. Her blog will take up cultural, artistic, and (of course) religious matters. Here’s a bit of her introductory post : I am a painter, as was my father. He descended from a line of British bricklayers who had taken up . . . . Continue Reading »

Between 15010 and 1512, Leonardo da Vinci drew the human fetus with startling and unprecedented accuracy. According to Arizona State Univeristy’s Embryo Project Encyclopedia , Leonardo is regarded as “the very first in history to correctly depict the human fetus in its proper position . . . . Continue Reading »

From the National Organization for Marriage’s Brian Brown: Not long ago, I sent you an email hinting that NOM was getting ready to launch some major initiatives. Well, after participating in the March for Life last Friday, I am excited to announce that NOM is putting together a March for . . . . Continue Reading »