U.S. must embrace Holy See: Column

The governing body of the Catholic Church has moral influence and promotes important values. The past few years have seen cordial but cooling relations between the United States and the Vatican. Since President Obama took office, he has visited the Vatican just once, and the administration has demonstrated little more than a perfunctory interest in…

The global Vatican: The Catholic Church’s role in world affairs

Although frequently unacknowledged and misunderstood, the relationship between the US and the Holy See can play an important role in soft-power dynamics. During Monday’s Bradley Lecture at AEI, Francis Rooney, former ambassador to the Holy See, illustrated the importance of the Vatican as a force for good, equality, and free enterprise in the diplomatic world,…

What the GOP could learn from Pope Francis

Pope Francis is a hit. In July, he drew three million people to Mass at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach. A Pew Research Center poll released this month shows that 79 percent of Catholics have a favorable view of him, compared to only four percent who view him unfavorably. It’s not only Catholics who approve. “Seldom has…

Catholic Church works to stop shopping on Sundays in Italy

SALT LAKE CITY — The Roman Catholic Church, along with trade unions and small business associations, is working to save Sundays by pushing for a ban on shopping in Italy. Other countries, meanwhile, are already onboard. Religion News Service reports that in an attempt to encourage economic growth, outgoing Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti supported a…

Will Obama Save Catholic Schools?

One of the quirks of President Obama is that he appears liberal, but is strikingly pragmatic. This idiosyncrasy may benefit Catholic schools. Obama supports charter schools, even though this view is opposed by teachers’ unions. For those who need a refresher course, charter schools are run by independent agencies, are funded with public dollars, but…

Lutheran pastor meets Pope Francis in Rome

The head of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany, Dr Nikolaus Schneider, has said he is hopeful for future Christian unity after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican. Dr Schneider had been scheduled to meet Pope Benedict XVI during an early April trip to Rome. Instead, he spent about 30 minutes with Pope…