Should Vance Have Kissed the Ring?
Although our country has Protestant roots and is still predominantly Protestant, we are now accustomed to Catholics in high political office. Unfortunately, many of those Catholic politicians—people such as Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi, and Richard Durbin—aren’t very good Catholics, showing disdain for fundamental Catholic teaching like the dignity of the unborn and the sacredness of marriage. Now, however, we have a Vice President in J.D. Vance who actually takes the Church’s teachings seriously and by all appearances works to integrate his Catholic faith into his political views (no “I’m personally opposed but…” for him). So all faithful Catholics are interested whenever Vance’s Catholic faith publicly intersects with his duties as Vice President of the United States.
One such intersection occurred on May 18, when Vance led the U.S. delegation to Pope Leo’s inauguration Mass in Rome. While the most important aspect of that visit was Vance’s private meeting with the pope, many eyes were on the public greeting between the two that occurred after the Mass. Specifically, many Catholics wondered: would Vance bow and kiss the papal ring?
Let’s take a step back for a moment. Life as a Catholic contains a myriad of customs and traditions handed down for centuries. I’ve taught RCIA (or whatever it is called currently) for many years, and one of the topics of most interest to new converts is these customs. When should I genuflect in a church? Why do I see p
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LewRockwell.com is a libertarian website that publishes articles, essays, and blog posts advocating for minimal government, free markets, and individual liberty. The site was founded by Lew Rockwell, an American libertarian political commentator, activist, and former congressional staffer. The website often features content that is critical of mainstream politics, state intervention, and foreign policy, among other topics. It is a platform frequently used to disseminate Austrian economics, a school of economic thought that is popular among some libertarians.
