George Weigel

Distinguished Senior Fellow and William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies

George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.

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George Weigel, Distinguished Senior Fellow of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, is a Catholic theologian and one of America’s leading public intellectuals. He holds EPPC’s William E. Simon Chair in Catholic Studies.

From 1989 through June 1996, Mr. Weigel was president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, where he led a wide-ranging, ecumenical and inter-religious program of research and publication on foreign and domestic policy issues.

Mr. Weigel is perhaps best known for his widely translated and internationally acclaimed two-volume biography of Pope St. John Paul II: the New York Times bestseller, Witness to Hope (1999), and its sequel, The End and the Beginning (2010). In 2017, Weigel published a memoir of the experiences that led to his work as a papal biographer: Lessons in Hope — My Unexpected Life with St. John Paul II.

George Weigel is the author or editor of more than thirty other books, many of which have been translated into other languages. Among the most recent are Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church (2013); Roman Pilgrimage: The Station Churches (2013); Letters to a Young Catholic (2015); The Fragility of Order: Catholic Reflections on Turbulent Times (2018); The Next Pope: The Office of Peter and a Church in Mission (2020);Not Forgotten: Elegies for, and Reminiscences of, a Diverse Cast of Characters, Most of Them Admirable (2021); and To Sanctify the World: The Vital Legacy of Vatican II (2022). His essays, op-ed columns, and reviews appear regularly in major opinion journals and newspapers across the United States. A frequent guest on television and radio, he is also Senior Vatican Analyst for NBC News. His weekly column, “The Catholic Difference,” is syndicated to eighty-five newspapers and magazines in seven countries.

Mr. Weigel received a B.A. from St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore and an M.A. from the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto. He is the recipient of nineteen honorary doctorates in fields including divinity, philosophy, law, and social science, and has been awarded the Papal Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice, Poland’s Gloria Artis Gold Medal, and Lithuania’s Diplomacy Star.

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VIDEO: George Weigel Discusses Latest Book on EWTN’s “The World Over”

October 24, 2019 | EWTN - The World Over

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on EWTN to discuss his new book, The Irony of Modern Catholic History, on “The World Over” with Raymond Arroyo.

AUDIO: George Weigel on Where the Catholic Church Is and Where It’s Headed on Fox News Podcast

October 10, 2019 | Fox News - Lighthouse Faith podcast

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on Fox News’s “Lighthouse Faith” podcast to discuss recent events in the life of the Catholic Church, as well as his new book The Irony of Modern Catholic History.

VIDEO: George Weigel Discusses New Books on ETWN’s “Bookmark”

September 22, 2019 | EWTN - Bookmark

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on ETWN’s “Bookmark” with host Doug Keck to discuss his new book The Irony of Modern Catholic History, in which he explores the Catholic Church’s clash with the modern world, and his earlier book The Fragility of Order, in which he shares a collection of his influential historical, cultural, and political essays.

AUDIO: George Weigel Discusses The Irony of Modern Catholic History on Conversations with Consequences Podcast

September 19, 2019 | The Catholic Association's Conversations with Consequences podcast

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on the Catholic Association’s Conversations with Consequences podcast to discuss his new book The Irony of Modern Catholic History.

AUDIO: George Weigel Discusses The Irony of Modern Catholic History on “Kresta in the Afternoon”

September 18, 2019 | EWTN Catholic Radio - "Kresta in the Afternoon"

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on EWTN Catholic Radio’s “Kresta in the Afternoon” to discuss his new book The Irony of Modern Catholic History.

VIDEO: George Weigel Discusses The Irony of Modern Catholic History at Catholic University

September 17, 2019 | Catholic University of America

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel discussed his new book The Irony of Modern Catholic History: How the Church Rediscovered Itself and Challenged the Modern World to Reform at an event sponsored by the Institute for Human Ecology at the Catholic University of America.

AUDIO: George Weigel Discusses The Irony of Modern Catholic History on Bookmonger Podcast

September 16, 2019 | Bookmonger podcast

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on National Review‘s podcast with host John J. Miller to discuss Mr. Weigel’s new book The Irony of Modern Catholic History.

AUDIO: George Weigel Discusses Pell Case on TCA Podcast

May 31, 2019 | The Catholic Association's Conversations with Consequences podcast

PPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on The Catholic Association’s Conversations with Consequences podcast to discuss the ongoing case involving sexual abuse charges against Australian Cardinal George Pell and the Cardinal’s pending appeal.

VIDEO: “The Laity and Renewal: Acting Ecclesially” featuring George Weigel at The Catholic Project conference

April 25, 2019 | The Catholic University of America

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel spoke at a conference hosted by The Catholic Project, an initiative of The Catholic University of America.

VIDEO: George Weigel on Notre Dame Fire on MSNBC

April 16, 2019 | MSNBC - Andrea Mitchell Reports

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell Reports to discuss the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and the significance of the cathedral to France and to the world.

AUDIO: George Weigel on Friendship with John Paul II

March 21, 2019 | Real Presence Radio

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on Real Presence Radio to discuss his friendship with Pope St. John Paul II and his upcoming visit for the Catholic Social Services Palm Sunday Breakfast in Rapid City, South Dakota.

VIDEO/AUDIO: George Weigel on the Show Trial of Cardinal Pell

March 11, 2019 | The Patrick Coffin Show

EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel appeared on the Patrick Coffin Show to discuss the guilty verdict in Australia against Cardinal George Pell.