Category: Bishops
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A Bishop in the Tradition of Cardinal O’Connor
Deal W. Hudson February 9, 2009 Recently I’ve begun to notice a resemblance between Scranton’s Bishop Joseph Francis Martino and another Philadelphia-born bishop, John Cardinal O’Connor. Bishop Martino is outspoken, and his direct, almost pugnacious, criticism is reminiscent of the late cardinal of New York. Both Martino and O’Connor attended St. Charles Borromeo Seminary before…
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Sed Contra: Fifteen Years and Counting
Deal W. Hudson September 1, 1997 Fifteen years have passed since Ralph McInerny and Michael Novak gave birth to Crisis. Their investment of a few thousand dollars gave the Church a new and lasting voice. What began as Catholicism in Crisis, a cry of protest against the liberal Catholic establishment grew into a multifaceted movement…
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Sed Contra: Hard Questions from the Playground
Deal W. Hudson March 1, 1998 I had just ventured into the Caribbean with ninety Crisis readers when the Clinton sex scandal hit the headlines. Even at a far distance, it was clear that the story was steering the media discussion into vulgar waters. I hoped my nine-year-old daughter would avoid hearing about Oval Office…
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Sed Contra: Bishops Put Kids First!
Deal W. Hudson October 1, 2000 Catholics who crave greater political involvement by their bishops should take note of Michigan’s seven bishops, led by Adam Cardinal Maida. Two years ago, they helped defeat a referendum legalizing euthanasia; now they are weighing in on the most important contest over school choice yet to arise in our…
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Sed Contra: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Bishops
Deal W. Hudson June 1, 2002 The April 24 communiqué from the meeting of the U.S. cardinals at the Vatican is really an agenda for the June meeting of the U.S. bishops in Dallas. Although the communiqué failed to spell out a “zero tolerance” policy for first-time sex abusers, its intent is clear: The communiqué,…
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Sed Contra: The White Flag of Surrender
Deal W. Hudson December 1, 2003 During the November meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Washington, D.C., the president of Call to Action presented the bishops with a letter from 6,000 Catholics asking that celibacy become optional for the priesthood. Their motivation, as quoted in USA Today, was to make…
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The Good News about Our Bishops
Deal W. Hudson June 25, 2009 For those who may be lamenting the seeming resurgence of the Catholic Left in the Age of Obama, I would like to point out some good news: This year’s spate of bishops’ assignments have been quite heartening. Since the beginning of 2009, there have been ten appointments announced by…
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Catholic Schools Are Saving New Orleans’ Children
Deal W. Hudson July 23, 2009 Catholics Teach the Children of New Orleans Since the Katrina disaster, the schools of the Archdiocese of New Orleans have swelled to double the enrollment of the local public schools – 40,000 to 20,000. Rev. Neal McDermott, O.P., superintendent of the Catholic schools, told me yesterday that the archdiocese is facing a financial…
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Why Are the Bishops Forcing the Issue of Healthcare?
Deal W. Hudson August 13, 2009 If ever there were a time when Catholics should not trust the United States government, it is now. The president, his administration, and the congressional leadership are removing all the abortion restrictions put in place since Roe v. Wade. And yet, the bishops are backing a proposal to give the federal government…
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The Bishops Have a Second Reason for Opposing the Healthcare Bill
Deal W. Hudson December 10, 2009 In a statement released today by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, President Francis Cardinal George spoke plainly in response to the defeat of the Nelson-Hatch amendment to the health-care bill in the Senate: Failure to exclude abortion funding will turn allies into adversaries and require us and others to oppose…
Deal W. Hudson 