Category: Church
-
Catholic Opinion by the Numbers: A Revealing New Poll
By Deal W. Hudson Nanci Pelosi calls herself a conservative Catholic. Sure, she may be in favor of abortion, women priests, and homosexual marriages, but according to the House minority leader, that has no bearing on her life as a Catholic. How does she define “conservative Catholic”? In a January interview with the National Catholic…
-
Mary’s Shadow and Protection
By Deal W. Hudson Having never been to a major Marian shrine, I didn’t know quite what to expect. So on my way to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, I consciously put aside all preconceptions about what I should experience. I wanted just to let it happen. Over the years…
-
An Interview with John Cornwell
By Deal W. Hudson John Cornwell is controversial. The best-selling author of Hitler’s Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII has been widely condemned both for the quality of his research and for the alleged heterodoxy of his Catholic faith. In his newest book, Breaking Faith: The Pope, the People, and the Fate of Catholicism,…
-
The Spin to Come-The Death of John Paul II
By Deal W. Hudson The television and radio interviews are already taped and waiting to be broadcast. The passing of Pope John Paul II will unleash a media spin on his papacy guaranteed to make you nauseous: This was a pope who cared about the poor but did not engage in dialogue, a pope who…
-
On Being Divisive
By Deal W. Hudson Every group has its code words. These words serve an important social function they enable the members of the group to deliver a harsh judgment on others without accountability. In the Catholic world, when someone is called “divisive,” it means he is too conservative to be trusted. Those who are “divisive”…
-
A Video Interview About Jacques Maritain
In 1993 James and Tyra Arraj interviewed me about the French philosopher Jacques Maritain as part of their excellent documentary, “Understanding Maritain: The Man Who Loved Wisdom.” I was teaching at Fordham University at the time and had been president of the American Maritain Association for several years. The first book I had published was…
-
A Portrait of Catholic Clergy
By Deal W. Hudson In a survey of 1,854 Catholic priests, the Los Angeles Times has provided a fascinating—and troubling—report on the state of the priesthood. The poll tells us that our priests are more satisfied with the priesthood than is generally assumed but lack conviction about central moral teachings of their Church. The Los…
-
John Paul the Great
By Deal W. Hudson The Catholic Church in 1978 was marked by confusion and conflict. In October of that year, the conclave voted and gave us Pope John Paul II. More than 26 years later there are two dominant views of his papacy. One argues that he renewed the Church and saved it from dissent…
-
A Portrait of Catholic Clergy
Deal W. Hudson Published December 1, 2002 In a survey of 1,854 Catholic priests, the Los Angeles Times has provided a fascinating—and troubling—report on the state of the priesthood. The poll tells us that our priests are more satisfied with the priesthood than is generally assumed but lack conviction about central moral teachings of their…
-
Special Report — Bishops’ Pastoral Letter on Homosexuality: What the Bishops Didn’t Say
Published December 1, 1997 DEAL W. HUDSON When reporting on “Always Our Children,” the secular media failed to note that this was not a document issued by the entire NCCB. What must be said at the outset is that a small committee of the bishops’ conference should not be allowed to use the media to…
Deal W. Hudson 