Russell Shaw
After 'Roe'
In a long, somewhat rambling piece about the bishops and abortion appearing in the September Commonweal, Peter Steinfels makes a... Read more
The Greatest Catholic Novel
If you think a novel set in 14th century Norway has to be dull, think again. Sigrid Undset’s Kristin Lavransdatter... Read more
Handing on the Faith
It’s hard to imagine that anyone who ever raised children found it an entirely easy job. Challenging, exciting, often rewarding... Read more
Religion and the Court
Has the Supreme Court sold out to religion? You could be excused for thinking so if all you had to... Read more
Eucharistic Revival
Nearly buried last month in the hubbub surrounding the U.S. bishops’ debate over who is and isn’t worthy to receive... Read more
The Court and Abortion
The Supreme Court’s announcement that it will consider an abortion case from Mississippi next fall touched off a predictable outpouring... Read more
Bishops, Politicians, and Communion
If you’re seeking evidence of how hard it is for the Church to communicate its message in and to our... Read more
The Pope and Populism
Is Pope Francis a populist? The simple answer is no. A better answer is necessarily more complicated. Read more
The Supreme Court’s Abortion Mystery
Imagine trying to follow a game whose rules and objectives you don’t know and whose players aren’t letting on. That... Read more
Three Philosophers
Intellectual confusion resembling a smog of the mind has been a deadening presence in Catholicism in the years since Vatican... Read more
The Future Is Here For American Catholics
Eight years ago I published a book called American Church. The subtitle explained what it was about: “The Remarkable Rise,... Read more
Saving Catholic Schools
A little over two centuries ago – in 1810, to be precise – a brave, devout woman named Elizabeth Ann... Read more
After the McCarrick Report
The Vatican document tracing the rise of ex-cardinal Theodore McCarrick through the hierarchy’s ranks has been praised for its unprecedented... Read more
Legalism and Civil Unions
If you were wondering what became of moral legalism, wonder no more – legalistic thinking has found its home in... Read more
How Not To Elect a President
Let me begin with what I suspect will be a welcome promise – I won’t tell you which candidate to... Read more
The Court Confirmation Ordeal
When did confirming someone for a seat on the Supreme Court become a traumatic ordeal for the candidate and the... Read more
Of Miracles, Fast and Slow
A friend asks me to write about miracles, taking as an example the events that brought him and his wife... Read more
The Rise of Cultural Marxism
Some years ago, Lee Edwards, a veteran conservative writer and a friend of mine, launched an organization, the Victims of... Read more
On the Road to Polyamory
Under the heading “A fair chance for children” the New York Times editorial board recommends four measures to help low-income... Read more
On Revisiting Brideshead
In the late spring of 1945, as World War II was drawing toward a close, a novel called Brideshead Revisited... Read more
