Category: Social Teaching
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A City Divided – How Israel’s Wall Is Splitting the Holy Land
Deal W. Hudson January 10, 2005 I met my guide, Helmut Konitzer, at the airport. A German who visits the West Bank to assist the sisters, monks, and priests living there, Helmut had the look of a well-cut drifter. I wasn’t surprised when he told me his preferred mode of transportation was his motorcycle, especially…
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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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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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War for Oil?
Deal W. Hudson Yesterday I mentioned the problems that can arise when people make faulty assumptions about your motives based solely on your actions. This isn’t just a problem when solving disputes in the Church, though; I’ve seen it happen time and again when people discuss the possibility of war in Iraq. I know a…
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Are Your Kids Safe in a Catholic College?
Deal W. Hudson Let me warn you up front: You’re not going to like this one bit. Last time I wrote to you, I mentioned the great success of the March for Life. To me, one of its most successful aspects was the huge crowd of young people it attracted. The event was a family…
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Dominant-Issue Voters
Deal W. Hudson Several Catholic leaders have recently commented that Catholics should not be “single issue” voters, meaning that they shouldn’t vote exclusively on the abortion issue. I agree. But it’s not necessary to be a single-issue voter to give the life issues the priority they deserve. Catholics should be “dominant issue” voters. The Catholic…
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The Marriage Amendment Fails… For Now
Deal W. Hudson As you probably already heard, an initial cloture vote – to end debate on the bill and send the amendment to a final up-or-down vote – was held on Wednesday. Unfortunately, the motion failed by a 48-50 margin. It’s a serious setback to the FMA’s progress, to be sure, but not a…
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Love Where There Could Have Been Hate
Deal W. Hudson March 1, 2006 I have just returned from Rome, where a senior member of the Curia asked me to tell readers of The Window the following story. You may have already heard its beginning but in all likelihood, not its end. On Sunday, February 5, 2006, while praying in his church, an…
Deal W. Hudson 