Category: Culture
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Harvard’s Catholic Voice
Deal W. Hudson I thought I knew something about Catholicism in Ivy League schools such as the venerable Harvard University. For example, if you wanted a Harvard professor outspoken about the Catholic faith you called Dr. Mary Ann Glendon of the Harvard Law School, or for the social justice perspective, Fr. J. Bryan Hehir, now…
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Public Lynching of the Priesthood
Deal W. Hudson Let me ask you a question: Do you really think that the media, and The Boston Globe, in particular, are really interested in strengthening the Church? I think we all know the answer to that. It should be very clear from the coverage of this scandal that the real object of the…
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A Time for Caution
Deal W. Hudson Passions are running high in response to the daily revelations of sexual misconduct by Catholic priests. I purposely avoid the word “pedophilia” because-in the rush to judgment-most of the instances of “sexual abuse” are being reported incorrectly as pedophilia. Pedophilia is sexual contact with a child who has not yet reached puberty,…
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Stop the Cheering
Deal W. Hudson I was stopped in the hallway at CNN yesterday by a well-known Catholic newscaster who asked me, “Why are the liberals cheering the fall of Cardinal Law?” This comment comes from someone who unabashedly describes himself as a “leftie.” I told him, sadly, that the cheering on the left is being echoed…
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10 Myths About Priestly Pedophilia
Deal W. Hudson Myth #1 – Catholic priests are more likely to be pedophiles than other groups of men. This is just plain false. There’s absolutely no evidence that priests are more likely to abuse children than are other groups of men. The use and abuse of children as objects for the sexual gratification of…
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How to Refute Arguments Against Priestly Celibacy
Deal W. Hudson 5 Arguments Against Priestly Celibacy and How to Refute Them 1. Allowing priests to marry would end pedophilia. It is completely untrue that celibate priests are more likely to be pedophiles than any other group of men, married or not. Pedophilia affects only 0.3 percent of the population of Catholic clergy, and…
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After Dallas – Disappointment and Hope
Deal W. Hudson After months of buildup to the bishops’ conference, it seems strange that it has already come and gone so quickly. The best that can be said of the Dallas meeting is that it was the first step. Zero tolerance is a tough policy, and it was adopted against the counsel of no…
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How To Make Sure “Catholic” Colleges Really Are
Deal W. Hudson As you may know, I have a daughter who’ll be heading off to college in a few years. Like any faithful parent, if she goes to a Catholic school, I want to make sure she’s being taught authentic Catholicism. None of that watered-down nonsense, thank you very much. In fact, you yourself…
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The Alternative World Youth Day
Deal W. Hudson Buckle your seatbelts. This is going to be fun. As you know, things are in full swing at World Youth Day in Toronto right now, and I’d love to be there. It’d be great to see the pope and the thousands of young people from around the world celebrating their faith together.…
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The Bishop’s Secret Letter
Deal W. Hudson As you may already know, the Catholic world has been buzzing about a confidential letter composed by eight American bishops in which they called for a Plenary Council to address problems in the Church. Journalists and pundits have been speculating and debating about the alleged contents of the letter and the identities…
Deal W. Hudson 