---

President Bush and Catholic Leaders Give Tribute to the Late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus

By Hilary White

WASHINGTON, January 9, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Tributes to the late Fr. Richard John Neuhaus continue to come forward from the highest levels. President George W. Bush has issued a statement in which he praises Neuhaus as “an inspirational leader, admired theologian, and accomplished author who devoted his life to the service of the Almighty and to the betterment of our world.”

Called “one of the nation's most influential Catholic conservatives,” Neuhaus, who died peacefully yesterday, was an advisor to the Bush administration on a variety of subjects including embryonic stem cell research. President Bush said, “He was also a dear friend, and I have treasured his wise counsel and guidance.  Our thoughts and prayers are with Father Neuhaus’ family, friends, and fellow clergy during this difficult time.”

Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, another of the US Catholic world’s conservative voices, praised Neuhaus in a comment to LifeSiteNews.com, saying, “I knew Father Neuhaus for many years and was privileged to call him a friend.”

Archishop Chaput said, “He was an extraordinary scholar, writer, editor and speaker; but more importantly, what he wanted to be - and what he became through a life so fruitfully lived - was a faithful man of God and son of the Church.  His passing is a huge loss, but it's a loss that will be filled by the people he inspired to the same kind of fidelity and excellence he personified.”

John Allen, the well-known Vatican correspondent for the liberal Catholic paper National Catholic Reporter, called Neuhaus “one of those rare theologians and spiritual leaders whose influence vastly exceeded the boundaries of their religious community,” and compared him with the great 19th century Catholic writers G.K. Chesterton and John Henry Cardinal Newman.

Activists who relied upon Neuhaus’s body of writing as a foundation for their work have also expressed their regret at his passing. Neuhaus was a key advisor and long time financial contributor to what he called the “indomitable” Cardinal Newman Society (CNS), a group that works to restore a genuine Catholic religious character to Catholic universities.

“Father Neuhaus was a gift to us all,” said Patrick Reilly, President of CNS. “With his passage from this world The Cardinal Newman Society mourns not only the passing of an heroic defender of truth, especially in higher education, but also of a beloved advisor, generous supporter and dear friend. Those of us left behind will be blessed by Father Neuhaus’ voluminous corpus of works and grand legacy—and now his prayers of intercession—for many years to come.”

Neuhaus’s influence extended outside the boundaries of religious groups. Today, the editors of the US political magazine, National Review Online, wrote that Neuhaus was “the most influential Catholic and Christian theologian and writer in America during the second half of the 20th century.” The National Review described Neuhaus’s public identity as “conservative and generous, traditional and open, charitable and — yes — combative.”

News director and anchor of EWTN news services, Raymond Arroyo, writing in the Wall Street Journal, described a trip he made with Neuhaus to pay respects to the recently deceased Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Basilica: “After kneeling before the pontiff's body, I remarked at how small the pope appeared. ‘That wasn't him. He isn't there,’ I said. ‘No,’ Father Neuhaus said. ‘He is there. These are the remains, what is left behind of a life such as we are not likely to see again, waiting with all of us for the Resurrection of the dead, the final vindication of the hope he proclaimed.’”

“As was his wont, Father Neuhaus was capable of delivering impromptu corrections with an eloquence and precision that would elude the best of us.”

See previous LifeSiteNews stories on the passing of Fr. Neuhaus:

Fr. Neuhaus Passed Away This Morning
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09010801.html

Fr. Neuhaus 1936-2009 - Like The Star of Bethlehem, Dies After Leading So Many to Christ
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09010809.html

Excerpts from writings and Statements of Fr. Richard Neuhaus - A Priest Not Afraid to Proclaim the Truth
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jan/09010813.html

 Back to Top

---

MORE NEWS: LifeSiteNews.com Home Page  Last 10 Days   Archives   Special Reports

Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.