Austin Ruse

President


bio photo

Austin Ruse has headed the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM) since shortly after its creation in the summer of 1997. Mr. Ruse has held the title of President since 2000.

Ruse or his team have participated in every major UN social policy negotiation since 1997 including the multi-year negotiations that created the International Criminal Court.

He has briefed members of the U.S. House and Senate on U.N. matters, as well as briefing White House and National Security Council staff. Ruse has also briefed senior government officials, journalists, Church and non-governmental leaders from around the world.

He has appeared on a number of national cable network programs discussing UN and Catholic issues, including news programs on CNN, CBS News, MSNBC, and Fox News.

Ruse has published in First Things, Washington Times, National Review Online, Weekly Standard, Human Events, Touchstone, as well as newspapers around the world.

He is a biweekly columnist for TheCatholicThing.org. 

He is a former foreign affairs commentator for EWTN's weekly news broadcast The World Over hosted by Raymond Arroyo.

He lectures widely on U.N. matters, appearing throughout the U.S., also in Canada, Latin America, the Far East and Europe.
 
Ruse is a founder of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.
    
Prior to helping to found C-FAM, Ruse spent many years in magazine publishing including Forbes, Fortune, the Atlantic Monthly and Rolling Stone.

Mr. Ruse is a Knight in the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, a Knight in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre, and is a founding member of the Diplomatic Society of St. Gabriel. Ruse is also a member of Sons of the American Revolution.

In recognition of Ruse's commitment and leadership in the effort to advance the sanctity of life he was awarded The Henry Hyde Life Leadership Award in 2010 by SpeakOut Illinois.

He holds undergraduate degrees in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Missouri, and an Honorary Doctorate from Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Mr. Ruse is married to the former Cathleen Cleaver, who is senior legal advisor to the Family Research Council. They have two daughters, Lucy and Gigi. They live in the state of Virginia where Mr. Ruse’s family first arrived from England in the early 1700’s.


The Catholic Thing Publications:
"Is Marriott a Pimp? Are the Christian Brothers?", The Catholic Thing (March 5, 2010)
"'Torture' and the Pro-Life Cause," The Catholic Thing (February 19, 2010)
"The Personhood Movement: Right and Wrong," The Catholic Thing (February 5, 2010)
"Now Kennedy is Really Dead," The Catholic Thing (January 22, 2010)
"A Rare U.N. Victory," The Catholic Thing (January 8, 2010)
"The Acid Reflux of the Questioning Church," The Catholic Thing (December 11, 2009)
"The Delicate Thread of Thanks," The Catholic Thing (Novemeber 27, 2009)
"The End of Common Ground," The Catholic Thing (November 13, 2009)
The First Freedom and the First Right," The Catholic Thing (October 30, 2009)
Lies, Damned Lies, and Phony Science," The Catholic Thing (October 16, 2009)
"Maggie Rules," The Catholic Thing (Sep. 25, 2009)
"The World Congress of Families and the Limits of Dialogue," The Catholic Thing" (Aug 21, 2009)
"Weighing Medjugorje," The Catholic Thing (Aug. 7 2009)
“The Yogykarta What?,” The Catholic Thing (Jun. 26, 2009)
“The Canonization of George Tiller,” The Catholic Thing (Jun. 12, 2009) (co-author)
“Billionaires Plot Population Strategy,” The Catholic Thing (May 29, 2009)
“A Vatican Newspaper Embarrasses Itself,” The Catholic Thing (May 07, 2009)
“UNICEF Promotes Abortion in Latin America,” The Catholic Thing (Apr. 24, 2009)
“This Totem Too Shall Fall,” The Catholic Thing (Apr. 9, 2009)
“Hey, Obama: Hands off Burke,” The Catholic Thing (Mar. 26, 2009)
“The Knights of Malta and the Right to Life,” The Catholic Thing (Mar. 13, 2009)
“Dead Girls and Live Boys Reconsidered,” The Catholic Thing (Feb. 27, 2009)
“Remember the Charism,” The Catholic Thing, (Feb. 13, 2009)
“Up from Traditionalism,” The Catholic Thing (Jan. 29, 2009)
“Do They Really Pay, Pray, and Obey?,” The Catholic Thing (Jan. 16, 2009)
“In Memoriam: Our Friend, Richard John Neuhaus,” The Catholic Thing (Jan. 09, 2009)
“How I Became a Caroline Kennedy Democrat,” The Catholic Thing (Jan. 02, 2009)
“Are Urophilia and Partialism Human Rights?,” The Catholic Thing (Dec. 19, 2008)
“Hillary’s Return and What it Means,” The Catholic Thing (Dec. 04, 2008)
“Catholic Bullies and the Unraveling of the Seamless Garment,” The Catholic Thing (Nov. 20, 2008)
“Marriage Wins Big, Unborn Lose Big,” The Catholic Thing (Nov. 07, 2008)
“The Global Radicals and Barack Obama,” The Catholic Thing (Oct. 24, 2008)
“How the Bishops Found their Voice,” The Catholic Thing (Oct. 10, 2008)
“The Whole World and the Soul of Robert Bork,” The Catholic Thing (Sept. 24, 2008)
“The Democrats’ Religious Test for Federal Office: Faithful Catholics Need Not Apply,” The Catholic Thing (Sept. 12, 2008)
“Obama and Democrats Slap Archbishop,” The Catholic Thing (Aug. 22, 2008)
“Defeat and Disaster if McCain Picks a Pro-Choice Catholic,” The Catholic Thing (Aug. 14, 2008)
“International Law: Also at Stake This Election,” The Catholic Thing (Aug. 01, 2008)
“Beware the Catholic Hucksters,” The Catholic Thing (Jul. 18, 2008)
“Teddy, We Knew Ye Well,” The Catholic Thing (Jul. 03, 2008)
“Saving Europe: More Talledega, Less Sorbonne,” The Catholic Thing (Jun. 20, 2008)
“The Real Lessons of the Hagee Case,” The Catholic Thing (Jun.  06, 2008)

 

Other Publications: 
"Rules Without Borders," Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity, (January/February 2010)
"UN Treaty Will Not Create Abortion Rights," Energy Publisher, (August 9, 2009)
"UN Disabilities Treaty Does Not Create Abortion Rights," MercatorNet, (Aug. 5, 2009) (co-author)
"The Canonization of George Tiller," Catholic News Agency, (June 12, 2009)
“Billionaires Meet in New York, Plot Population Strategy,” The Bulletin (Jun. 02, 2009)
“This is No Time to Go Wobbly,” The Weekly Standard (Apr. 27, 2009)
“Earth to Bonnie Erbe: Potential Abortion Increase in Bad Economy a Tragedy, Not Celebration,” LifeNews.com (Apr. 16, 2009) (co-author)
“The Myth of the Contraceptive Compromise,” First Things (Apr. 1, 2009)
"Randall Terry is Not the Spokesman for Catholic Orthodoxy," Catholic News Agency (March 30, 2009)
“Obama Administration Expected to Expand U.S. Relationship with UN and UN Treaties,” Michnews.com (Nov. 7, 2008)
“Radical Social Policy at the United Nations,” The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly (2007)
“BBC Accuses Church of Worldwide Condom Misinformation Campaign,” Junto Society (Oct. 2006)
“A Catholic Mystery Writer,” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity (July/August 2006)
“The Short, Heroic Life of Thomas Doerflinger,” National Catholic Register (Dec. 10, 2005) (co-author)
“New Research May Point to Moral Procedure for Obtaining Stem Cells,” Meridian Magazine (2005)  
“Holy Democrats! The Catholic Presidential Questionnaire is Dead - Thank God,” National Review Online (Sept. 15, 2004)
“Bush Orders State Department to Stop Funding Foreign Abortion Groups,” Junto Society
(Sept. 4, 2003)
“Barney Frank Threatens ‘Gay Sanctions,’” Newsmax.com (Aug. 8, 2003)
“The Population Dud,” Catholic World Report (May 2002)
“I’d Rather There be Muslims in My Foxhole,” World Family Policy Forum Address (2002)
“The Bomb That Went, Pssst,” Human Life Review (Winter 2002)
“Boxer Reveals her Anti-Catholic Bias in Committee Hearings,” Insight on the News (Sept. 10, 2001)
“Summit of the Gods,” Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity (Nov. 2000)
“Foster Now Has Bully Pulpit to Export Abortion, Thanks to Clinton,” Insight on the News
(Aug. 14, 2000)
“Senate, House Give Support to the Holy See at the United Nations,” Insight on the News
(Mar. 27, 2000)
“Vatican Under Attack at the U.N.,” Insight on the News (Feb. 21, 2000)
“UN Pro-Life Lobbying: Full Contact Sport,” Human Life Review (Winter 2000)
“UN Pro-Life Lobbying,” The Human Life Review (Winter 1999)
“Risen from the Ashes,” The Catholic Liturgical Library (Summer 1998)