Russell Shaw
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
What the Pill brought us
If you have access to the April 29 issue of The New Republic, take a look at a long review... Read more
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
