PORTSMOUTH, R.I. -- Papal biographer George Weigel will deliver the keynote address at a three-day conference on Catholicism and the American Experience set to begin at 11 a.m. Friday at the Portsmouth Abbey.
Organized by the Portsmouth Institute, the gathering will focus on Catholics in an increasingly secular America and will explore such topics as Catholic identity, leadership, art and evangelization.
Weigel is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and author. Some of the other featured speakers include former New York Times religion writer and Commonweal editor Peter Steinfels, and Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin.
Full registration for the full three days is $495 and can be made on the website www.portsmouthinstitute.org or calling Cindy Waterman at (401) 643-1244.