R. R. Reno

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

An estimable poet in his own right, C.K. Williams has written an accessible, short study of Walt Whitman’s poetry. Part of a writers-on-writers series recently launched by Princeton University Press, On Whitman is a slight book, an appreciative meditation rather than a critical study… . . Continue Reading »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

You’ve always wanted to visit Rome, but your spouse dreams of hiking in the Alps. Your teenage son wants to go to London, while your daughter lobbies for Paris. But although everybody has substantive reasons for their preferred destination, nobody says so, and you end up in a more and more tedious argument about which place has the most convenient flights… . Continue Reading »