Russell Shaw
In praise of 'good-enough' parents
Back in prehistoric times when my wife and I were busy doing our parenting, I paid very little attention to... Read more
Islamic radicalism after bin Laden
Some early media reactions to the death of Osama bin Laden were, to use as charitable a word as possible,... Read more
The new culture war — social democrats vs. democratic capitalists
For a long time I supposed that social issues — abortion, same-sex marriage, and the rest — were the great... Read more
Pope John Paul II showed the world how to carry the cross
Strange as it may seem at first, I find the key to the sanctity of Pope John Paul II in... Read more
Libya proves: Just war theory doesn’t go far enough
The military intervention in Libya by the United States and NATO offers new evidence that the just war theory stands... Read more
Bernard Nathanson and the Church of forgiveness
After the death of Dr. Bernard Nathanson last month, we were reminded that somebody once asked him why he became... Read more
Of poetry, the “sacramental sense,” and liturgical renewal
Some years ago the critic George Steiner published a provocative book called “Real Presences.” As far as I know, Steiner... Read more
Looking to 2012, an uncertain future for social conservatives
Writing recently about Rick Santorum’s quest to become the Republican presidential nominee in 2012, George Will remarked that Santorum’s chances... Read more
Champions of fact or churners of opinion?
It was a slow Saturday afternoon in the newsroom of the Washington Daily News. This was the fall of 1956,... Read more
Roe v. Wade anniversary
According to the polls, most Americans don’t much care for abortion. That being so, the mystery of why legalized abortion... Read more
Searching for the motives behind the WikiLeaks fiasco
The latest WikiLeaks fiasco—hundreds of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables spilling out in the world’s media like the contents of... Read more
Iraqi Christians paying the price for US 'victory' over Saddam Hussein?
I see that apologists for the Iraq war are now pronouncing it a success. Even by modest standards of success—a... Read more
A public relations flub, but no seismic shift in teaching
The first and perhaps most important thing to say about Pope Benedict XVI’s remarks on the subject of condoms and... Read more
Reading the Mid-Terms: What does it tell us about the Catholic vote?
A Catholic vote or Catholics voting? The recent election sheds fresh light on that question. On Nov. 2 about 55 percent... Read more
Some questions about direct-mail religion
“I’m getting more and more ticked off about this stuff,” I said.“How’s that?” my youngest daughter replied. “Day after day I... Read more
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