Russell Shaw
The Pope at 85
Nearing his 85th birthday April 16 and, three days later, the seventh anniversary of his election to the throne of... Read more
Converting the culture
“Social issues.” It’s a squishy, equivocal term suited to a mentality ill at ease with the hard-edged implications of “moral... Read more
Contraception or religious freedom?
In determining to fight President Obama’s famous—or should I say infamous?—contraception mandate, the American bishops, I suspect, were devoutly hoping... Read more
The larger issue behind the contraception mandate
As the controversy over the Obama administration’s January directive to religious institutions to pay for employees’ contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing... Read more
The future of the Church in America
A quiet, closed-door meeting in Washington next month will be of crucial importance in shaping the Church’s response to the... Read more
The crisis in American marriage
I was chatting with a priest who is a judge with the marriage tribunal of his large Eastern diocese when... Read more
The crisis of marriage
Is it possible that secular liberals, some of them anyway, are starting to realize that knocking the supports out from... Read more
Why is LGBT 'rights' now a US foreign policy priority?
An address by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on gay rights as a priority of U.S. policy deserves far more... Read more
Maybe we are expecting too little for Christmas
The problem many of us have with Christmas isn’t that we expect too much of it but that we expect... Read more
Iraq and its aftermath — what happens when the troops go home?
As active U.S. military involvement in Iraq draws to a close, what does the moral scorecard on this adventure look... Read more
The meaning of silence in a media age
I have to admit that it really didn’t impress me very favorably the first time I read it: “Silence and... Read more
We need to talk (not “hyperventilate”) about the Vatican finance document
There’s a widespread impression that the international financial system which the United States and its friends put in place after... Read more
Persecution in America
“What the Catholic Church in the United States really needs to stiffen its backbone is a good persecution.” How often,... Read more
Getting the message in the Church?
Draw yourself an organization chart representing the Catholic Church. What you’ll get is a sketch of an ecclesiastical institution that... Read more
Is America fighting wars without end?
Is America condemned to endless war? And if so, what implications does that have for the American psyche—the American soul?A... Read more
Could the riots in Britain happen here?
Commentary on the riots in London and other British cities has frequently made the point that what happened there could... Read more
Two easy steps for one-on-one evangelization
A man I know was sitting on a boardwalk bench several weeks ago watching the ocean and thinking about nothing... Read more
Presidential candidates and religion
As America gears up for another presidential election season, do we really have to agonize yet again over whether being... Read more
The 'Dolan Doctrine' and Catholic politicians
Heat, not light, is the usual fruit of political passion. How refreshing, then, that some significant light on the vexed... Read more
Why God lets bad things happen
Why did God let that happen?For centuries that question has been asked about items in the endless catalogue of human... Read more
