American author and political and social activist. Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Weigel was the Founding President of the James Madison Foundation.
Each summer, Weigel and several other Catholic intellectuals from the United States, Poland, and across Europe conduct the Tertio Millennio Seminar on the Free Society in Krakow, in which they and an assortment of students from the United States, Poland, and several other emerging democracies in Central and Eastern Europe discuss Christianity within the context of liberal democracy and capitalism, with the papal encyclical Centesimus Annus being the focal point.
He is a member of the advisory council of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.
An excellent introduction to Catholic theology and culture, told through visits to meaningful Catholic sites around the world, this unique book was engaging and informative.
The format of the book took some getting used to. Once you realize that each chapter is compartmentalized and separate from the others the book starts to be more interesting. Interesting use of travel/locations to point out certain observations about the Catholic faith. The arguments presented in the book feel more esthetic than citational, although there are smatterings or references interjected here and there. Some chapters were a lot more interesting and applicable than others. Overall, it was well worth reading.
"Critics often say that the Catholic Church is all about denying the world and ourselves; G. K. Chesterton insisted that atholocism was about thick steaks, cigars, pubs, and laughter... to miss that is to miss something crucial about the Catholic world... it's a world in which those pleasures can be fully enjoyed, because they're understood for what they really are--anticipations of the joy that awaits us in the kingdom of God."