Political Quotes

“I rise today to honor one of the most distinguished Catholic intellectuals of our generation. Michael Novak of the American Enterprise Institute was honored yesterday with the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion--and this award was richly deserved. Michael Novak rose to prominence as a liberal theologian in the 1960's. He sought to explain to Americans the deeper meaning of the openness to the world that was the hallmark of the Second Vatican Council. In the spirit of ``aggiornamento,'' or renewal, that was launched by Pope John XXIII, he sought to read the signs of the times in an effort to demonstrate the relevance of the eternal truths of religion in a time of rapid change. I believe that his more recent work--his efforts to outline a spirituality of liberal capitalism--are entirely of a piece with his earlier theological writings. Surely one of the greatest signs of the times in our century has been the achievement of American-style economic freedom in raising the material standard of living of millions of people the world over. In important works like ``The Spirit of Democratic Capitalism,'' Novak attempted to capture the essence of this achievement.”