Crisis publisher and editor Deal W. Hudson recently sat down with Robert S. Bennett, an attorney in Washington, D.C., and a member of the U.S. bishops’ national review board on clergy sexual abuse, to talk about the work of the board. Hudson: Who asked you to be on the national review board, and how did … Read more
In a survey of 1,854 Catholic priests, the Los Angeles Times has provided a fascinating—and troubling—report on the state of the priesthood. The poll tells us that our priests are more satisfied with the priesthood than is generally assumed but lack conviction about central moral teachings of their Church. The Los Angeles Times poll was … Read more
I came to Crisis in September 1994 to spend a sabbatical year as senior editor under Michael Novak. I’d taught philosophy at Fordham University since 1989 and was looking forward to the experience of a larger classroom. I quickly discovered, however, that the magazine was going to be my teacher. The job of editing, I … Read more
Representatives of a group called Voice of the Faithful (VOTF) started appearing in the media—mainly the Boston Globe—in the months following the revelations about sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston. Initially the group appeared credible. I know many faithful Catholics added themselves to the organization’s mailing list, hoping the lay group would challenge the … Read more
Every group has its code words. These words serve an important social function they enable the members of the group to deliver a harsh judgment on others without accountability. In the Catholic world, when someone is called “divisive,” it means he is too conservative to be trusted. Those who are “divisive” threaten the “unity of … Read more
In our recent “Christianity From the Outside” symposium (May 2002), Emmy Chang remarked that she is tempted by faith when she feels expansive emotions—the sight of a dearly loved friend makes her ready to believe that God exists. Yet she worries about a faith that is undermined by subjectivity and “conclusions that are arrived at … Read more
The April 24 communiqué from the meeting of the U.S. cardinals at the Vatican is really an agenda for the June meeting of the U.S. bishops in Dallas. Although the communiqué failed to spell out a “zero tolerance” policy for first-time sex abusers, its intent is clear: The communiqué, along with the public statements of … Read more
On February 1, Jim Towey was named director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Deal W. Hudson recently spoke with him about the Bush administration’s plan to allow more federal funding for church-based charity organizations. Deal W Hudson: Jim, you’ve had a fascinating journey in your life that involved a meeting … Read more
It’s difficult for those of us in the evangelism business to listen. After all, if you’re proclaiming the “good news,” isn’t it you doing the talking? But it shouldn’t always be this way. Evangelism begins with listening: first to the Word of God and then to those who must hear it. Anyone who evangelizes successfully … Read more
In November, Crisis will celebrate its 20th anniversary. Since I arrived here six years ago, Crisis has become more a genuine magazine and less a journal—gradually publishing more articles based on original reporting. While this is expensive and requires more editorial attention, you have let us know that this is what you want. And we’re … Read more
The angel Gabriel announced the birth of Christ at a town called Nazareth. Most people know that—it could be a $4,000 question on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. What most people don’t know is that the largest church in the Middle East stands at the site: the Basilica of the Annunciation. Within a few … Read more
John Cornwell is controversial. The best-selling author of Hitler’s Pope: The Secret History of Pius XII has been widely condemned both for the quality of his research and for the alleged heterodoxy of his Catholic faith. In his newest book, Breaking Faith: The Pope, the People, and the Fate of Catholicism, Cornwell opens himself up … Read more
Mikhail Gorbachev was the final president of the Soviet Union, serving from 1985 to 1991. His policies of perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness) led to the end of communism in the USSR and the birth of a new, democratic Russia. Currently, he heads the Gorbachev Foundation, an international think tank. He sat down with Deal … Read more
I was relaxing in my favorite armchair and watching golf when my daughter, Hannah, strode into the room. “Dad,” she said, “we need to have a serious talk.” “Okay,” I replied, turning toward her. She frowned. “You’re going to have to turn the TV off.” “Oh.” I tapped the remote control. This was serious. Almost … Read more
Twenty years ago this month, I was received into the Catholic Church. The late Archbishop Thomas Donellan of Atlanta had given Rev. Richard Lopez permission to perform my confirmation privately. Father Lopez chose the chapel at Our Lady of Perpetual Help, the cancer home run by the Hawthorne Dominican sisters, where, some years earlier, Flannery … Read more
The Jesuits usually take pride in being up-to-date. Sadly though, their association with a recent poll of Catholics shows they’re willing to employ some truly outdated methodologies. Pollster John Zogby was commissioned by Le Moyne, a Jesuit college in Syracuse, New York, to conduct a series of polls measuring Catholic attitudes. On November 16, the … Read more
Pro-life efforts rarely make the front page, much less above the fold. In fact, it seems the only time pro-life demonstrations make the evening news is when a handful of abortion activists peddle their pitch to sympathetic media ears across the street from our crowd of protestors. It took the events of September 11 to … Read more
September 11 was the beginning of a sea change in American life. It’s not the end of the pursuit of happiness, as Christostopher Hitchens called it in the Evening Standard, but the end of narcissism. You can see it on the faces of President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Secretary of … Read more
Some Crisis readers may be startled by the lead story in this issue, “The Price of Priestly Pederasty.” They might argue that such a story damages the Church’s reputation and hurts the Church’s evangelical outreach. While such arguments are plausible, they also can undermine Catholic journalism and its benefits if they are used to discourage … Read more
I have often learned my most valuable lessons from my worst enemies. In graduate school I spent several years wrestling with the texts of the atheistic philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who taught me one unforgettable lesson: Those who lack the tragic sense of life are apt to invent realities to replace the one they cannot face. … Read more