Just received a copy of a book St. Augustine’s Press just published Voices of the New Springtime, which includes a speech I gave to the annual conference of the Fellowship of Catholic Scholars (a cool group of people) in 2002. The speech was on the Catholic Church and the media, and was during the height of the church scandal news.

It was no media slash and burn, by the way: I actually said, “We Catholics have a lot to thank the media for.” (Though it was not without critism, as you can imagine.) My overall point was that “conservative” (annoying word to use in this context, but it makes the point quickest) Catholics need to be more like pro-abortion Frances Kissling, in the way she uses the media.

Anyway, the content is obviously from 2002, but is far from dated. And I’m in incredibly good company: Cardinal Avery Dulles, our friends Robby George of Princeton and Gerry Bradley of Notre Dame, and many more.