Acton Line Samuel Gregg Remembers the Thoroughly Catholic Capitalist Michael Novak
Aug 13, 2025
Samuel Gregg, President at the American Institute for Economic Research, shares insights on the life of Michael Novak, a pivotal figure in Catholic thought and capitalism. They discuss the evolution of Catholic identity in 20th-century America and Novak's journey from journalist to public intellectual. Key topics include Novak's ideological shift from liberalism to a capitalist perspective, his critiques of liberation theology, and his lasting influence on the Acton Institute, enriched with personal anecdotes that highlight his passionate engagement with faith and economics.
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Catholicism As Ethnic Identity
- Michael Novak grew up in an immigrant, ethnically Catholic milieu where faith and identity were intertwined.
- That background shaped his lifelong concern for working-class Catholic communities and politics.
From Seminary To Public Intellectual
- Novak left the seminary and decided to become a writer, initially pursuing fiction and journalism.
- Covering the Second Vatican Council transformed his role into a public intellectual explaining the council to English-speaking audiences.
Vatican II: Openness With Limits
- The Open Church presented Vatican II as opening Catholicism to modernity while retaining teaching authority.
- Novak balanced sympathy for conservative figures with optimism about constructive engagement with the modern world.
