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[T]he growing conflict between traditionalists and progressives is causing stress, with divisions exacerbated by social media. In this context, there are signs of the West shifting towards collectivism. This will bring security — but with a regrettable loss of liberty.

The 13 June 2019 Catholic Herald carried a provocative article by a colleague whom I greatly respect: Matthew Schmitz. Entitled “Longing for lost worlds won’t convert America,” it roused rather conflicting feelings in me — which was very odd.

When John Lukacs died in May 2019 at the age of 95, he left behind a massive body of work spanning more than 60 years. “That admirable historian” (as Russell Kirk called him) wrote two works about himself: Last Rites (2009) and the more substantive Confessions of an Original Sinner (1990) …. one of the richest and most rewarding of his works.

Is it possible to define the Lega [led by Matteeo Salvini] as a genuinely conservative party?

Although some have called it a ‘far right’ political force, it is actually a post-ideological party — capturing not only voters who formerly supported the traditional centre-right parties but also those who supported the left-wing parties.

President Donald Trump’s former strategic adviser predicts an “existential crisis of trust” in the Church will worsen, especially if Pope Francis fails to dialogue with those he considers to be his opponents.

I have suggested that Voegelin’s approach to interpreting Plato’s dialogues has the double aspect of being guided by the assumptions just discussed and of being a basis for the formulation of those same assumptions. Given the importance of Plato’s writings to Voegelin’s philosophic endeavor, the difficulty is especially pronounced in Voegelin’s treatment of Plato’s dialogues.

Eric Voegelin was a first-rate scholar whose many writings span disciplinary divisions to speak to concerns ranging from politics and history to philosophy, psychology, and theology. Although Voegelin’s writings have received attention among limited groups of scholars and philosophers, their complexity and unique trajectory has often proved to be an obstacle to a more widespread familiarity with this important force in 20th century political and philosophical thought. This is unfortunate …

In the past few decades, Europe seems to have lost its moral compass. Numerous signs of hopelessness are apparent. It is less a matter of competing visions of Europe than of a deep moral crisis that threatens its survival as a civilisation. The question is whether this crisis is an opportunity for rebirth — or a sign that Europe is coming to an end.

In January 2019, state-sponsored abortion services became available in Ireland. The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act  2018 (the 2018 Act), provides that ‘termination of pregnancy’ is available on demand in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.  … These changes to the law were made notwithstanding the duty of doctors in Ireland to practise ‘evidence-based’ medicine.

Roman law was the law of the city of Rome and subsequently of the Roman Empire. The influence of Roman law on modern legal systems has been immense: several legal systems of the world (including the civil law system of Europe) have been shaped significantly, directly or indirectly, by the concepts of Roman law.

The deep crisis in which Europe finds itself has not been imposed from outside. It comes from within. We are finally living the consequences of a danger that Robert Schuman, one of the EU’s ‘Founding Fathers’, warned about more than half a century ago — namely that a unified Europe must not merely remain an economic and technocratic enterprise: “It needs a soul, an awareness of its historical roots and its present and future obligations.”

Cultural symbols matter — and what they now suggest is that the West is in retreat. This is a retreat in every aspect of life, from religion to popular culture.