R. R. Reno

During his oral argument before the Supreme Court, Ted Olson observed that marriage is a “fundamental right.” This is a confused statement. It’s true that marriage is very important, fundamental, in fact. It’s part of the DNA of society, and for most people the path in life . . . . Continue Reading »

The debates about marriage make clear part of our problem as a society: We’ve lost track of the meaning of marriage. There’s lots to be done to clear up this confusion. One way is to think clearly about what marriage means, both in its natural form and in accord with its supernatural symbolism… . Continue Reading »

A friend sent me a recent piece in the New York Times about super-athlete Kilian Jornet Burgada. He leaps tall buildings in a single bound, etc. Super-extreme sport, the athletic hero, the perfected body . . . are we seeing signs that our post-Christian culture is reverting to classical ideals? . . . . Continue Reading »

I continue to be fascinated by the Argentine reactions to the election of Cardinal Bergoglio. Jorge Fernández Díaz titled his recent column ” El papa peronista .” Juan Domingo Perón is the defining personality in modern Argentine history. He was a protean figure, hard to . . . . Continue Reading »

News flash: The revolutionary left does not like the new Pope. An interview with Brazilian sociologist and Marxist philosopher Michael Lowy offers a particularly pure example of the reasoning behind the Latin American Left’s efforts to discredit the new pope . His reasoning is . . . . Continue Reading »

The Argentine left doesn’t like the new pope. Horacio Verbitsky, a leftist journalist and author in Argentina, responded to the election of Pope Francis with a bitter column in Página/12 . He describes former Cardinal Bergoglio as “a conservative populist,” who, like Pius XII . . . . Continue Reading »

Like most of us I’m scrambling to learn more. Here’s what I do know: Francis is a conservative Jesuit, but in some ways a revolutionary, as almost all modern Jesuits are. He’s like Benedict in the sense of not having any restorationist impulses. He recognizes that the idea of . . . . Continue Reading »

Obama’s victory in November reflects an important trend. Our political culture is now being shaped by liberals. That’s not because their ideas are sound. They’re often not. But conservatives largely don’t have ideas, or at least not ones that can animate national campaigns… . Continue Reading »

I want to follow up on Matthew Schmitz’s observations about the New York Times/CBS News poll of Catholics. Two cohorts jump out. The first is made up of those who attend Mass weekly and think their faith is very important in their lives. They consistently express greater support for the . . . . Continue Reading »

After recent public accusations of sexual misconduct with seminarians, Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Scotland not only resigned as archbishop but also announced that he would not attend the conclave to elect the next pope. I wish some of the other Cardinals would give up the privileges of their . . . . Continue Reading »