tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38405240023107543062024-03-13T14:42:59.470-04:00Fr. Robert SiricoThe official blog for Rev. Robert A. Sirico, president and co-founder of the Acton Institute.Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-67729577618151731052015-12-01T13:34:00.000-05:002015-12-01T13:34:25.860-05:00In Dialogue With Laudato Si’: Can Free Markets Help Us Care For Our Common Home?Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-54393602474079477522015-09-10T09:16:00.000-04:002015-09-10T09:16:45.514-04:00The New Politics of Poverty
The New Politics of Poverty: The Nonworking Poor In America
By Lawrence M. Mead
Reviewed by Robert A. Sirico, CSP
October 14, 1992
Just about everyone, regardless of political stripe, seems to agree that there is a crisis in the welfare system. Even if our conclusions differ as what exactly to do about it, we all agree that the work ethic among Americans is eroding before our eyesFr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-67715246910998409542015-08-20T13:35:00.004-04:002015-09-09T17:07:02.152-04:00The Tragedy of American Compassion
The Tragedy of American Compassion
By Marvin Olasky
Reviewed by Robert A. Sirico, CSP
July 22, 1992
No doubt you have had the experience of being stopped on the street by a somewhat inebriated panhandler. Whether or not you reached into your pocket and pulled out a dollar, perhaps the thought went through your mind, as it has through mine, "Maybe I'm not really doing this guy a favorFr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-68375539831844691842015-08-12T22:05:00.003-04:002015-08-13T10:54:03.086-04:00The Sandinistas' Faithful Pilgrims
The Sandinistas' Faithful Pilgrims
by Robert A. Sirico
March 13, 1990
The story behind the story of the crushing defeat of the Sandinistas is as interesting as the upset itself. Why has this democratic victory surprised so many in the U.S., notably in the religious community?
The answer lies in part in the religious press, which all too frequently towed the Sandinista line imported byFr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-69804033161861800192014-05-21T13:49:00.000-04:002014-05-21T13:49:29.371-04:00Video: ‘Fighting Poverty: We’ve Been Doing it All Wrong’
Yahoo! Finance’s Stock Analyst, Kevin Chupka, recently interviewed Rev. Robert Sirico about the “Cure for Income Inequality” and the work of PovertyCure.
Chupka begins by stating that “close to half the planet lives on less
than $2 dollars a day” and that an alarming number of Americans are
living below the poverty line. He then states that despite all the good
intentions, decades of Sarah Stanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484206911632187553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-14640404509719544742014-04-25T16:32:00.001-04:002014-04-25T16:32:29.389-04:00Sainthood Will Seal Two Pope's Places in History On April 27, the Christian world will change. The largest Christian
denomination on earth, the Catholic Church, will commit itself
irrevocably to the legacy of two men who helped to reform it — Pope John
XXIII and Pope John Paul II — by proclaiming them saints.
John XXIII was the man who stunned his advisers by summoning the Second
Vatican Council, a meeting of bishops from around the world Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-56153409166384411802014-03-28T14:37:00.000-04:002014-03-28T14:37:25.559-04:00Rev. Sirico on President Obama’s Meeting with Pope FrancisIn this short talk, Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of
the Acton Institute, offers some general observations about the recent
meeting between President Barack Obama and Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Rev. Sirico also reflects on the differences in philosophy that make a Presidential/Papal
alliance, such as what occurred during the time of Ronald Reagan and
Pope John Paul Sarah Stanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484206911632187553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-56748708265451778752014-01-03T13:11:00.000-05:002014-01-03T13:11:58.061-05:00Pope Francis, without the politics
Pope Francis has captured the imagination of many people over the
last year-plus -- not all of them Catholics. (ALBERTO PIZZOLI /
AFP/Getty Images
In 2005 I was invited to Rome by the BBC to
provide commentary for the events surrounding the death of Pope John
Paul II and the subsequent conclave that would elect Joseph Ratzinger as
Benedict XVI. On the day the cardinals entered the Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-84116455985211628022013-12-16T11:00:00.003-05:002013-12-16T11:00:59.038-05:00Rev. Sirico Comments on ‘Evangelii Gaudium’ and the Economic Views of Pope Francis Rev. Robert A. Sirico, co-founder and president of the Acton Institute, offers some general observations about the new “Apostolic Exhortation” published Nov. 26 by Pope Francis. Specifically, Rev. Sirico addresses the economic content of the work, titled “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel) and poses some questions for further reflection.
Sarah Stanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484206911632187553noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-47981246574119752512013-06-19T14:10:00.001-04:002013-06-19T14:15:16.099-04:00Video: Sirico Opens Acton University 2013
Watch Fr. Sirico's opening address for Acton University 2013
Sarah Stanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484206911632187553noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-38625593552747752762013-03-28T10:17:00.000-04:002013-03-28T10:17:33.120-04:00Jim Wallis Book Hype: Embracing the Market Economy?
Coming during the week prior to Easter, I naturally thought the email I received from Sojourners
— which I have been reading for my Lenten penance religiously — would
contain some spiritual admonishment. “Just one week until … ” the
subject line said. Am I at fault for thinking my mind was going to be
directed to the good news of human redemption in the Resurrection of the
Lord just a few Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-31130105143568366692013-03-13T15:52:00.000-04:002013-03-13T15:53:16.479-04:00Fr. Robert A. Sirico Comments on the Election of Pope FrancisFr. Robert A. Sirico has released the following statement on the election of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio as pope:
“Pope Francis is a man of great spirituality who is known for his
commitment to doctrinal orthodoxy as well as for his simplicity of
life,” Fr. Sirico said. “Like Benedict XVI, he combines concern for the
poor with an insistence that it’s not the Church’s responsibility to be
Sarah Stanleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16484206911632187553noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-14916031314316810702013-03-12T11:28:00.000-04:002013-03-12T11:28:06.093-04:00Vatican Smoke Signals
Here’s a curious tidbit regarding the fumata, the white or black smoke that will rise from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney signaling whether a pope has been elected or not.
It is sometimes hard to distinguish the actual color of the smoke,
such as in 2005. Back then, I knew for sure there was a successful vote
for pope when I saw the fumata in the middle of the afternoon session, even Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-77590129048914127732013-03-11T14:24:00.001-04:002013-03-11T14:24:37.115-04:00At the Vatican Conclave: The Lull before the Storm
ROME — For all the ‘Vaticanisti’ (journalists specializing in the
Vatican) sitting around Rome and interviewing one another for the last
several weeks, the wholesale consumption of high blood pressure
medication took a precipitous drop on the announcement Friday afternoon
that the Conclave to elect the new pope would occur on Tuesday, March
12, one day later than I had predicted several Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-40919989537233667232013-03-07T15:59:00.002-05:002013-03-07T15:59:55.208-05:00Tradition Guides Selection of New Pope
The whole world is watching as leaders consider new pontiff
Add
to this the rumors of financial and sexual scandals among men vowed to
chastity, the entire scene becomes a veritable perfect storm.
Shakespeare might have condemned it "as improbable fiction" were it
portrayed on a stage (Twelfth Night). But this is real life.
Behind
the sets and grandeur of Bernini's colonnades and Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-82634599815606052242013-02-11T12:13:00.000-05:002013-02-11T12:13:48.318-05:00On the Pope's Resignation
It is a sobering thought
to think that the last time a Pope resigned (Pope Gregory XII in 1415),
American had not yet been discovered. Yes, the possibility of a Pope’s
resignation is anticipated in Canon Law (Canon 332), as long as it is
disclosed “properly” and of his own free will. Pope Benedict met both
the conditions in his statement earlier today to the consistory.
Three things are Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-11463506228934579902013-01-28T12:12:00.000-05:002013-01-28T12:12:52.601-05:00Freedom and Chaos
Freedom is a word that can mean dramatically different things to
different people in different settings. The kind of freedom that leads
to human flourishing—and that is sustainable over time—is freedom in a
much richer sense than what many people mean by freedom today.
Let me take the point even further. True freedom is actually the
opposite of what has been called "freedom" at some times Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-34113446039367017942013-01-07T11:27:00.004-05:002013-01-07T11:27:37.863-05:00 Pope Benedict slams capitalism?
A friend sent me a link to a Reuters story on Pope Benedict XVI’s New Year’s homily. The article carried this headline: “Pope hopes for 2013 of peace, slams unbridled capitalism.”
It is always a good rule of thumb with media reports like this to
read the actual speech or document being cited, and not just go by the
headline. From the Reuters report one gets the impression that the point
of Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-21330275520734000672012-12-19T14:57:00.001-05:002012-12-19T14:57:21.368-05:00Something Vastly More Powerful Than EvilIt was a painful irony – some might call it a cruel irony – one noted
to my congregation: On a Sunday so close to Christmas, when the
Catholic Church admonishes her children in the words of the opening
antiphon Gaudete (Rejoice!), we found ourselves just a few
short days past the horrific and inexplicable violence which occurred in
Newtown, Connecticut.
How can we speak of joy Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-75753917795873638372012-12-11T16:17:00.002-05:002012-12-11T16:17:45.200-05:00Big Gains for the Union Liberation MovementThe Michigan legislature passed right-to-work legislation today, a landmark event that promises to accelerate the state’s rebound from the near-collapse it suffered in the deep recession of 2008. The bills are now headed to Gov. Rick Snyder’s desk. The right-to-work passage was a stunning reversal in a very blue state -- the home of the United Auto Workers union. Following setbacks for Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-91312347998268531392012-12-10T10:55:00.001-05:002012-12-10T10:57:13.605-05:00New book: A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey
I've written a new book with Jeff Sandefer, an entrepreneur and founder of Acton Academy, entitled A Field Guide for the Hero's Journey. The description is below. You can find out more by visiting the official website for the book.
Do you feel trapped, bored, stuck in a meaningless routine? It may be you think you’re too ordinary to ever do something special. Perhaps Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-7640624925417495282012-05-25T15:49:00.001-04:002012-05-25T15:49:59.028-04:00"Defending the Free Market: the Moral Case for a Free Economy"
My new book has been released. You may purchase your copy at Amazon and book sellers everywhere. Here are a few kind words from others:
“I’ve been eagerly anticipating such a book from Father Sirico for a
long time. The man has delivered magnificently. Defending the Free
Market does more than the title suggests. It celebrates the miracle of
freedom and points a lost generation back to the Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-48226105280582392352012-04-03T14:42:00.001-04:002012-04-03T14:42:39.930-04:00Prayers for Chuck ColsonFriends and supporters of the Acton Institute will want to know that our dear friend and collaborator Chuck Colson, Prison Fellowship Ministries founder, is recovering well from a surgery that removed a blood clot from his brain Saturday morning. I recently spoke with Rev. Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellowship, and he asks for our prayers. Please join me and the staff of the Acton Institute inFr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-40499237025289016022011-10-27T12:26:00.001-04:002011-10-27T12:26:33.241-04:00My Latest Op/Ed in the WSJ<!-- Converted from text/plain format --> In the Wall Street Journal, I look at the recent “note” on economics released this week by the Vatican. The document, titled “Toward Reforming the International Financial and Monetary Systems in the Context of a Global Public Authority,” was published with an eye toward the upcoming G-20 meeting in Cannes, France, on Nov. 3-4. This Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3840524002310754306.post-59198808504940635712011-09-15T11:35:00.001-04:002011-09-15T11:50:49.797-04:00Jobs & Deficits - The Moral EquationMy column in today’s Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
Jobs & deficits — the moral equationBy Rev. Robert A. SiricoThursday, September 15, 2011The Genesis account of creation tells us that from the beginning, humanity was created to work. God puts Adam in the garden to "work and watch over it." The Scripture provides an insight into our nature: We are all, man and woman, called into this life to Fr. Robert Siricohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10648498409242551268noreply@blogger.com0