Degrees
S.T.D., Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University (2000) Doctorate of Moral Theology with highest distinction.
Ph.L., Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University (1995) License in Philosophy with high distinction.
Certificate of post-graduate studies, Colegio de Ciencias Humanísticas (1988) Ancient and Modern Languages with high distinction.
B.B.A., University of Michigan (1985) Bachelor of Business Administration and Managerial Economics with high distinction.
Professional Positions
January 2001-present: Dean of Theology and Professor of Moral Theology and Catholic Social Thought, Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University, Rome.
December 2004-present: Consultant on Vatican Affairs for NBC and MSNBC.
October 2002-present: Vatican Analyst for Sky News, London.
2001-present: Appearances as analyst for CBS, ABC and Fox News.
2001: Visiting Professor of Theology for summer courses for seminary formation personnel: Caracas, Venezuela; Trujillo, Peru; Leggiuno, Italy.
2001: Vatican spokeperson for the Synod for Bishops for the English-language media, Vatican City.
2000: Visiting Professor of Theology for summer course for seminary formation personnel, Leggiuno, Italy.
1994-1999: Superior of the Generalate House of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, Rome.
1997: Vatican spokeperson for the Synod for America for the English-language media, Vatican City.
1991-1994: Vice-Rector of the Generalate House of the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, Rome.
January-October 1984: Cash and Investment Analyst, Libbey-Owens-Ford Company, Toledo, OH.
Director of numerous 8-day sessions of Ignatian spiritual exercises for lay people, religious, and priests.
1994-present: Spiritual director for numerous lay people, religious, priests.
Personal data
Birth: 10/02/1962 (Pontiac, MI) Entered the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ in September, 1985, and ordained a priest on November 25, 1994 in Mexico City. Languages: conversant in English, Spanish, Italian, French, and German; working knowledge of Portuguese, Latin, ancient Greek.
Books
Who Is My Neighbor? Personalism and the Foundations of Human Rights (Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 2005)
Servants and Witnesses of Hope (ed.) (Rome: Logos Press, 2001)
Rights and the Person (Rome: UPRA, 2001)
Springtime of Evangelization (ed.) (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1999)
Building on Solid Ground (Staten Island: Alba House Press, 1995) (also published in French and Spanish)
Scholarly Publications
“La pena capital: Un análisis ético” Ecclesia, 19/2 (2005), pp. 181-201
“Ethics Accessible to Reason: A Synopsis of the Natural Law Question in Moral Theology” Alpha Omega 7/1 (2005), pp. 163-98
“Beyond Distributive Justice” Logos 8/1 (Winter 2005), pp. 90-101
“‘Rights Talk’—Right or Wrong? Aquinas, Wojtyla and Love” Sacerdos 11/54 (November-December 2004), pp. 18-25
“On Refusing Holy Communion to Anti-Life Legislators: Canonical, Moral and Pastoral Considerations” Alpha Omega 7/3 (2004), pp. 377-92
“La doctrina social de la iglesia” Sacerdos (edición en lengua española) 11/53 (September-October 2004), pp. 30-36
“What Is Thomistic Personalism?” Alpha Omega 7/2 (2004), pp. 163-97
“Animal Welfare and Christian Stewardship” Sacerdos 11/51 (May-June 2004), pp. 20-25
“Francisco de Vitoria and the pre-Hobbesian Roots of Natural Rights Theory” Alpha Omega 7/1 (2004), pp. 47-59
“La dignidad de la persona humana,” Ecclesia, XVII/1 (January-March, 2003), pp. 29-36
“Some Ethical Reflections on Reproductive and Therapeutic Cloning,” Alpha Omega 5/3 (September-December 2002), pp. 391-396
“The Question of Human Dignity,” Catholic Dossier 6/4 (July-August 2000), pp. 22-29
“Capital Punishment and the Just Society” Catholic Dossier 4/5 (September -October 1998), pp. 28-36
“Values, Virtues, and John Paul II” First Things 72 (April 1997), pp. 29-32
“The Year of Tolerance” Homiletic and Pastoral Review (August-September 1995), pp. 6-13
“El Problema de la inducción” Sapientia (May-Aug 1993), pp. 152-66
“St. Augustine’s Vision of Happiness” Sapientia (Sept-Dec 1992), pp. 263-72
Academic Lectures and Papers
“The Inner Workings of the Conclave” lecture to students of Duquesne University (Rome, April 2005)
“The Least of my Brethren: The Ethics of Heterologous Embryo Transfer” paper in the academic conference Global State of Stem Cells and Cloning in Science, Ethics and Law (Rome, March 2005)
“Why Socrates Was Wrong: Moral Theology and Original Sin” paper in the academic conference Il peccato originale: Una prospettiva interdisciplinare (Rome, March 2005)
“The Renewal of Mariology” lecture for the presentation of Father Paul Haffner’s book The Mystery of Mary (Rome, December 2004)
“Terrorism and International Law: A Catholic Perspective” lecture at the academic conference Revitalizing International Law to Meet the Challenge of Terrorism, sponsored by the United States Embassy to the Holy See and the Pontifical Gregorian University (Rome, April 2004)
“Libertà, maturità, coscienza: Sfide per la nuova evangelizzazione nel terzo millennio” (Padua, November 2003)
“Animalismo, difesa dell’ambiente e diritti umani” (Rome, November 2003)
“Lo sviluppo sostenibile dell’etica sociale” paper to the Second World Forum on North and South (Rome, October 2003)
“Perché una dottrina sociale della Chiesa?” paper to the 21st international meeting of theologians for the permanent formation of the clergy organized by the Pontifical Congregation for the Clergy (Rome, September 2003)
“The Catholic Human Rights Tradition: Francisco de Vitoria and the Salamancan School” paper to the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association (Philadelphia, August 2003)
“The Christian Roots of Europe” meeting of European youth with politicians (Rome, January 2003)
“La dignidad de la persona humana como fundamento de los derechos del hombre y principio rector del bien común” international meeting of Ecristians (Barcelona, December 2002)
“Il tacchino di ieri sera ed i diritti degli animali” (Rome, November 2002)
“Human Cloning and the Law” paper to members of the New York State Bar Association (Rome, October 2002)
“The Contemporary Relevance of Catholic Social Teaching” paper to international meeting of priests (Rome, June 2002)
“The Specificity of the Various Ecclesial Vocations” paper o an international group of Christian businesspeople (Boncourt, Switzerland, March 2002)
“The Church Since the Second Vatican Council” paper to an international group of Christian businesspeople (Boncourt, Switzerland, February 2002)
“The Contribution of Veritatis Splendor to the Development of Catholic Moral Theology” paper for the conference Pope John Paul II and the Christian Proposal in the 21st Century (Rome, February 2002)
“La teoria della guerra giusta e le sue applicazioni attuali” (Rome, January 2002)
“La Centesimus Annus dopo 10 anni” (Verona, Italy, March 2001)
“The State of the Church in the United States: Antecedents and Perspectives” (Laguna Niguel, California, February 2000)
“Ethics of Duty and Ethics of Responsibility” (Rome, July 1999)
“El depositum, fidei, defensa de la fe y disenso” (Rome, February 1998)
Popular Publications
“Four Things about Benedict” National Catholic Register 81/19 (May 8-14, 2005), pp. 9
“The Uncomfortable Pope” National Catholic Register 81/9 (February 27-March 5, 2005), pp. 9
“Hate the Song, Love the Singer: A Catholic Response to Peter Singer’s Position” National Catholic Register 81/8 (February 20-26, 2005), pp. 13
“Another Passion Controversy” National Catholic Register, 80/47 (November 28-December 4, 2004), pp. 9
“When the Eucharist Isn’t the Eucharist” National Catholic Register 80/37 (September 19-25, 2004), pp. 9
“Agonizing Over Ethics” National Catholic Register 80/31 (August 8-14, 2004), pp. 9
“La tenerezza di Dio” Maria di Fatima 6/7-8 (July-August 2004), pp. 7-9
“Bishops and the Communion Conundrum” National Catholic Register 80/24 (June 13-19, 2004), pp. 9
“Terrorism and International Law: A Catholic Perspective” ZENIT News, May 15, 2004
“Why Makers of Abortion Laws Cannot Receive Communion” National Catholic Register 80/18 (May 2-8, 2004), pp. 5
“Vedrete, comunque ci farà bene” interviewed by Saverio Gaeta in Famiglia cristiana 74/15 (April 11, 2004), pp. 33
“Why Communion Could Be Denied to Anti-Life Legislators: Interview With an American Theologian in Rome” ZENIT News (April 6, 2004)
“Kad nas ova istina udari i takne duboko u srce, mi ne mozemo ostati isti” Kvarnerski Vez 4/85 (April 2004), pp. 6-7
“Nem detektívtörténet, hanem elmélkedés: A teológiai tanácsadó Mel Gibson filmjéro˝l” Új Ember LX/12 (March 21, 2004), pp. 1, 3
“Objections to The Passion: Is It As It Was?” National Catholic Register 80/10 (March 7-13, 2004), pp. 1, 14
“Art at the Service of Evangelization” Denver Catholic Register 80/8 (March 3, 2004), pp. 2
“Die Grundlagen der Soziallehre der Kirche” Katholische Wochenzeitung 49/2003 (December 5, 2003), pp. 3
“Los fundamentos de la Doctrina Social Cristiana” Boletín Eclesiástico de la Arquidiócesis de Guadalajara LVI/11 (November 2003), pp. 856-64
“The Debate Over Iraq,” Inside the Vatican (November, 2002), pp. 74-5
“Did you Hear What the Bishop Said?” Sacerdos, 9/37 (January-February 2002), pp. 42-44
“Children’s Writer Makes a Target of Religion” Irish Catholic 113/43 (February 15, 2001), pp. 10
“Atheism, Gift-Wrapped for Children” National Catholic Register (November 26-December 2, 2000)
“Despite Rumors, Consecrated Life Is Alive and Well” National Catholic Register (February 20-26, 2000)
“The Power of a Father’s Strong Faith” National Catholic Register (January 30-February 5, 2000)
“There’s a Reason Why Buddhism Is Booming” National Catholic Register (December 5-12, 1999)
“Armadillo or Porcupine: Which Are You?” National Catholic Register (November 11-17, 1999)
“Is Pro-Life Feminism Possible?” National Catholic Register (September 12-18, 1999)
“Pope Gazes Beyond the Earthly Pale” National Catholic Register (August 8-14, 1999)
“Do We Need a Divine Father’s Day?” National Catholic Register (July 11-17, 1999)
“Weighing the Importance of Liturgical Finery” National Catholic Register (May 2-8, 1999)
“Feminine Genius: Revealed on Good Friday” National Catholic Register (March 28-April 3, 1999)
“What the Pope Means by ‘Unconditionally Pro-Life,’” National Catholic Register 75/9 (February 28-March 6, 1999)
“Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Sects” National Catholic Register (January 3-9, 1999)
“C. S. Lewis Falls Prey to Dartmouth’s PC Police” National Catholic Register (December 20-26, 1998), pp.8
“Cleverness Is No Match for Wisdom” National Catholic Register (December 6-12, 1998)
“Why Daddy Doesn’t Say Mass” National Catholic Register (November 8-14, 1998)
“Ted Turner’s Cold War Comfort” National Catholic Register (October 11-17, 1998)
“The Bible Is for Scripture Scholars and Everyone Else” National Catholic Register (September 13-19, 1998)
“Pope’s ‘Family of Nations’ Ideal Should Mark Globalization” National Catholic Register (August 16-22, 1998)
“Unity Is Top Challenge for All Who Love the Church” National Catholic Register (July 19-25, 1998)
“School Choice: An Idea Whose Time Has Come” National Catholic Register (June 21-27, 1998)
“Going Hallmark: A Plea to Rediscover Christian Culture” National Catholic Register (May 24-30, 1998)
“A Radical Solution for a Post-Cynical Society” National Catholic Register (April 26-May 2, 1998)
“Act of Contrition: Is ‘Sorry’ Really the Hardest Word?” National Catholic Register (March 29 Apr. 4, 1998), pp. 9
“Authority on the Rocks” National Catholic Register (March 1-7, 1998)
“The Truth about Freedom” National Catholic Register (February 1-7, 1998)
“Christianity, Fully Lived, Elevates Life from Tragedy to Triumph” National Catholic Register (January 4-10, 1998)
“In an Italian Graveyard, Reflections on the Last Things” National Catholic Register (December 3-9, 1997)
“Hollywood Gets Starry-Eyed Over Buddhism” National Catholic Register (November 9-16, 1997)
“Thankfulness at Apostolic Heights” National Catholic Register (November 19, 1995), pp. 1, 6
“In the Divine Economy, Everything Is a Gift” National Catholic Register (November 12, 1995)
“The Duty of Giving Thanks in Word, Deed” National Catholic Register (November 5, 1995), pp. 1, 6
Book Reviews
Review of The Mystery of Mary by Paul Haffner (Wiltshire: Gracewing, 2004) Alpha Omega 8/1 (2005), pp. 123-26
Review of Le virtù cardinali: Fede, Speranza, Carità by P. Livio Fanzaga (Milan: Edizioni San Paolo, 2003) Alpha Omega 7/1 (2004), pp. 155-56
“A Superficial Caricature of Cardinal Ratzinger” review of Cardinal Ratzinger: The Vatican’s Enforcer of the Faith, by John L. Allen, Jr. (New York: Continuum, 2000), The Irish Catholic 113/51 (April 12, 2001), pp. 15
“Seasoned Fare” review of Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Century, by Joseph Ratzinger (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1997), First Things 80 (February 1998), pp. 52-55
