Not content to criticize Pope Francis for his "imprudent" encyclical, the Acton Institute decides to publish a piece that trashes Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew. I do not know if there is something in the water in Grand Rapids, but me thinks Laudato Si' has struck a nerve with them.
My colleague Tom Roberts' has a great report on a recent conference, "Founding Padres," sponsored by the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies, where I am visiting fellow. The event was the brainchild of Catholic News Service's Pat Zapor, who is also a visiting fellow at the Institute, and she did a masterful job organizing the event and moderating it. I have not addressed the canonization of Fr. Serra yet in my blog but will do so soon.
Worst news of the week: It looks like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi dealt herself a losing hand and that fast-track trade authority will pass Congress and become law. Politico has the story. As I wrote on Monday, the Democrats need to do some soul-searching on this issue. The President has pushed to keep our party wedded to economic theories that do not work, if by work we mean improve people's lives rather than improve investors' profits.