Category: CatholiCity 2009
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Three Misreadings of Caritas in Veritate
Deal W. Hudson July 7, 2009 Pope Benedict XVI’s latest encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, was published on July 7. With the appearance of a new papal document, various factions in the Church, as well as some outside, eagerly attempt to score points on their own behalf. This is particularly true of Caritas in Veritate since both its length and…
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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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Building a Farm Team of New Conservative Leadership
Deal W. Hudson July 29, 2009 What is being done to reinvigorate the next generation of conservatives in politics? Many new initiatives have been announced, but one of the few that will make a difference in coming elections is American Majority. Founded in January 2008, this organization is aggressively recruiting and training a new generation of grassroots activists…
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Reading Into the Church
Deal W. Hudson August 1, 2009 Reading, said Josemar�an Escriv�, has made many a saint. In my own case, it has merely made a convert, but I do continue to read ever more deeply into the mystery that is the Church. Thomas Merton, we recall from Seven Storey Mountain, was started on his road to the…
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The Risks of a “Right” to Healthcare
Deal W. Hudson August 10, 2009 Through the official statements of the USCCB, the Catholic bishops assert that health care is a “basic human right.” Since the release of their 1981 pastoral letter on health and health care, the bishops have consistently argued that the federal government is responsible for establishing “a comprehensive health care system that…
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A Workable Alternative to Government-Run Healthcare
Deal W. Hudson August 16, 2009 The newly launched USCCB Web site on health care tackles the question: “Are the bishops promoting socialized medicine by advocating for universal access?” That’s a good question since the prospect of a government takeover of health care has created a growing chorus of complaints about the present bills before the Congress.…
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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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Bill Donohue Takes Aim at the Secular Left
Deal W. Hudson August 31, 2009 In 1978, a young scholar in his early 30s named Bill Donohue, working on a book about the ACLU, went to New York City to interview its founder, Roger Baldwin. Donohue asked him why the ACLU was opposed to a moment of silent “meditation” in the classroom. Baldwin responded, “I suppose…
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The Problems with Government-Run Healthcare
Deal W. Hudson September 3, 2009 As the White House backs away from the so-called public option in health-care reform, Catholic experts are hopeful that the proposed government control of the nation’s medical care will be put aside. They argue that rejecting the public option will better serve a culture of life, maintain the present high quality…
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When Should Catholics “Call a Spade a Spade”?
Deal W. Hudson September 7, 2009 “To call a spade a spade,” a phrase whose origin can be traced back to Plutarch, is defined by Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable as to be “outspoken, blunt, even to the point of rudeness.” The question of when Catholics should be outspoken, in this sense, has arisen over the heated…
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