Current Issues

The first half of the book looks at the mistakes made by the Justices, based on the case files, the oral arguments, and the Justices' papers. The second half of the book critically examines the unintended consequences of the abortion decisions in law, politics, and women's health.

Why do the abortion decisions remain so controversial after almost 40 years, despite more than 50,000,000 abortions, numerous presidential elections, and a complete turnover in the Justices? Why did such a sweeping decision--with such important consequences for public health, producing such prolonged political turmoil--come from the Supreme Court in 1973?

Answering those questions is the aim of this book. The controversy over the abortion decisions has hardly subsided, and the reasons why are to be found in the Justices' deliberations in 1971-1972 that resulted in the unprecedented decision they issued.

Discuss Abuse of Discretion on Twitter using hashtag #AbuseOfDiscretion.

Pope Francis has fascinated the world with his humility, his compassion, and his radical vision for the Church. He has welcomed the homeless into the Vatican, embraced people with diseases, and shaken a complacent hierarchy. Shepherds, he said, should acquire the smell of the sheep.

In short, as he has urged young people to do, he swims against the tide.

John L. Allen, Jr., who has covered the Vatican for CNN, the National Catholic Reporter, and the Boston Globe, has been in the forefront of covering Pope Francis and understanding his mission. In Against the Tide, Allen reveals a pope who has fixed his sight on reform, on accountability and on the Church's Social Gospel. Allen shows how the pope's actions reach out to those who are disinterested, disenfranchised and lost -- and how his leadership, while beginning a new era, has roots that stretch back 2000 years.

In The American Miracle, bestselling author and radio host Michael Medved recounts some of the most significant events in America's rise to prosperity and power, from the writing of the Constitution to the Civil War. He reveals a record of improbabilities and amazements that demonstrate what the Founders always believed: that events unfolded according to a master plan, with destiny playing an unmistakable role in lifting the nation to greatness.

Among the stirring, illogical episodes described here:

- A band of desperate religious refugees find themselves blown hopelessly off course, only to be deposited at the one spot on a wild continent best suited for their survival

- George Washington's beaten army, surrounded by a ruthless foe and on the verge of annihilation, manages an impossible escape due to a freakish change in the weather

- A famous conqueror known for seizing territory, frustrated by a slave rebellion and a frozen harbor, impulsively hands Thomas Jefferson a tract of land that doubles the size of the United States

- A weary soldier picks up three cigars left behind in an open field and notices the stogies have been wrapped in a handwritten description of the enemy's secret battle plans--a revelation that gives Lincoln the supernatural sign he's awaited in order to free the slaves

When millions worry over the nation losing its way, Medved's sweeping narrative, bursting with dramatic events and lively portraits of unforgettable, occasionally little-known characters, affirms America as "fortune's favorite," shaped by a distinctive destiny from our beginnings to the present day.

Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis have each approached the papacy in strikingly different ways, yet they share the same fundamental vision of the world and man. In these pages, Cardinal Muller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, explores the differences and commonalities of these two popes, showing how the challenge for the Church's hierarchy remains the same, and how these two popes are leading the Church to resist worldly infections and to heal the spiritual diseases of our time.

He also provides a succinct and fascinating look into the universal ministry of the Church, showing how the popes, as successors to Peter, are the visible head of the pilgrim Church and are tasked with carrying out the pastoral ministry of Christ.

This is an exclusive interview of Cardinal Muller, the head of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and one of the most outstanding Catholic figures in theology today. As a theologian, he strives to give God's answers to men's questions. As the Prefect of the CDF, he has a privileged perspective on the worldwide state of the Church on doctrinal, moral and theological matters, and the questions Catholics and others have today on those matters.

But what questions do our contemporaries have? And what answers do they demand from the believer? People today do not see their lack of faith as a tragedy, but what does worry them profoundly is their lack of hope, for which--making matters worse--they try to make up with shallow substitutes like optimism. The key question today therefore is one of hope. And they wonder whether there is hope for the "now," they wonder whether they can find it in Christianity--and they wonder, above all: What is the foundation of Christian hope?

This interview with Cardinal Muller therefore takes hope as its basic subject: it is a "report on hope." It is an in-depth discussion of hope in relation to faith and love, and in relation to Jesus Christ, the Church, the family, and contemporary society.

Praise for Catholic Priests Falsely Accused

"This is an important topic, and not just for priests and bishops! Everyone should be concerned about this. Please check out Catholic Priests Falsely Accused: The Facts, The Fraud, The Stories."
- Rev. John T. Zuhlsdorf ("Fr. Z"), "What Does The Prayer Really Say?," wdtprs.com

"[T]he chilling tale of how decades-old claims of abuse by Catholic priests become 'credible' ... David F. Pierre tells the sordid story the mainstream media won't touch. It rings of both truth and justice. I highly recommend Catholic Priests Falsely Accused: The Facts, The Fraud, The Stories."
- Ryan A. MacDonald, Spero News columnist

"David Pierre's Catholic Priests Falsely Accused is an important volume. By carefully documenting the harrowing stories of priests falsely accused, the author shows that legitimate outrage about abuse can at times boil over into wanton hysteria. May this book serve as a clarion call for even-handed and impartial justice for all, so that future tragedies may be avoided."
- Rev. Thomas G. Guarino, S.T.D., Professor of Systematic Theology, Seton Hall University

"Mr. Pierre's book is an eye opener! Meticulously researched and clearly written, it is a must-read for anyone with questions about the sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church."
- Rev. Kenneth Gumbert, O.P., M.F.A., Providence College

--------

We must continue to demand justice and compassion for victims of Catholic clergy abuse. This is not optional.

However, there is a side of the Catholic Church abuse narrative that is not getting the attention it warrants. Countless priests in the United States have been falsely accused of committing horrendous child abuse.

Topics in this book include:
... how the most recent and reliable figures reveal that one third of accused Catholic priests in a major archdiocese were accused falsely;
... the stunning court declaration with the opinion from a retired FBI investigator that "one half" of all accusations are "entirely false" or "greatly exaggerated";
... the American cardinal who has been the target of not just one - but two - completely bogus abuse accusations;
... how accusers have retained huge monetary settlements even though their allegations later proved to be false;
... the father of an accuser who appeared at the funeral of an accused priest and apologized for the false allegation that his son leveled;
... proof that the agenda of the advocacy group SNAP (Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests) has little to do with the protection of children and everything to do with bludgeoning the Catholic Church;
... the Catholic archbishop who tells of being spat upon by a member of SNAP;
... the monsignor who waited five years to be exonerated of abuse charges even though his alleged victims denied having been molested;
plus much more.

This is the side of the Catholic Church abuse narrative that the media has not told you. This book is fast-paced, informative, and impeccably researched. There is no other book like this one.

Fr. Michael Chaberek is a Polish Dominican who has studied creation doctrine from Old and New Testament accounts to the Church Fathers, to the Medieval Scholastics (especially St. Thomas Aquinas), to the Vatican's internal and public papers of the 19th and 20th centuries--and on into our own times and the pronouncements of recent popes. His new book gathers all doctrinal statements on evolution and presents the history of the engagement of Catholicism with natural science since Darwin presented his theory in 1859. What he finds is a clear path that gradually became twisted and over-grown. His exploration of that path is both scholarly and engrossing.

"Finally, a book that tells the full story of Catholic reflections and Magisterial statements down through the centuries on issues of creation and evolution. From the meditations of the ancient Church Fathers to the statements of Popes Pelagius I and Leo XIII, there are many hidden treasures to be found here. Fr. Chaberek combines historical, philosophical, and theological scholarship in a book that is both comprehensive and engaging. This book will be an eye-opener for many, and will quickly become the standard and essential work on the subject."--ROBERT STACKPOLE, director, John Paul II Institute of Divine Mercy

"In Catholicism and Evolution, Fr. Michael Chaberek surveys perennial Catholic teaching, plumbs the depths of Catholic philosophy and historical theology, and analyzes the best scientific evidence to date. In the process, he shows that certain elements of Darwinian evolution are not only incompatible with Catholic belief, but largely lacking in evidence. He shows also that despite her clear historical teaching, the contemporary Church lacks an unambiguous statement of how Catholics should understand this question. I expect this to become the definitive book on Catholicism and evolution."--JAY W. RICHARDS, co-author of The Privileged Planet; editor of God and Evolution

"Darwin and his contemporaries thought the cell was a simple blob of jelly, protoplasm. Modern science has discovered the exact opposite, that astoundingly sophisticated technology undergirds life. Father Michael Chaberek probes the implications of this and other surprising developments in his erudite study of Catholicism's collision with Darwinism."--MICHAEL BEHE, author of Darwin's Black Box

"Catholicism and Evolution is a thorough exposition of the history of the debate over evolution, especially the theory's proponents and opponents within the Catholic Church. This book should be on the shelves of any concerned with this subject, or indeed any who would like to fully grasp the controversy's roots in the Church."--ANN GAUGER, Senior Research Scientist, Biologic Institute

"Fr. Chaberek has done Catholics and all Christians a great service by describing the progression of the present controversy over creation, intelligent design, and theistic evolution from the Bible and early days of Christianity until today. His book will open eyes."--BRUCE CHAPMAN, Founding Fellow, Discovery Institute

FR. MICHAEL CHABEREK O.P., S.T.D. is a member of the Polish Dominican Province, with a Doctorate in Fundamental Theology from Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw.

Cardinal Christoph Schonborn's article on evolution and creation in The New York Times launched an international controversy. Critics charged him with biblical literalism and "creationism."

In this book, Cardinal Schonborn responds to his critics by tackling the hard questions with a carefully reasoned "theology of creation." Can we still speak intelligently of the world as "creation" and affirm the existence of the Creator, or is God a "delusion"? How should an informed believer read Genesis? If God exists, why is there so much injustice and suffering? Are human beings a part of nature or elevated above it? What is man's destiny? Is everything a matter of chance or can we discern purpose in human existence?

In his treatment of evolution, Cardinal Schonborn distinguishes the biological theory from "evolutionism," the ideology that tries to reduce all of reality to mindless, meaningless processes. He argues that science and a rationally grounded faith are not at odds and that what many people represent as "science" is really a set of philosophical positions that will not withstand critical scrutiny.

Chance or Purpose? directly raises the philosophical and theological issues many scientists today overlook or ignore. The result is a vigorous, frank dialogue that acknowledges the respective insights of the philosopher, the theologian and the scientist, but which calls on them to listen and to learn from each another.

In June of 2015, five cardinals and forty-five bishops representing fifty African countries met in Accra, Ghana, to prepare for the October 2015 Synod on the Family.

In his opening remarks--included in this volume--Robert Cardinal Sarah encouraged the bishops of Africa to "speak with one voice" during the synod:

"I encourage you to speak with clarity and with one credible voice and with filial love of the Church. Be conscious of the mission of the Church; protect the sacredness of marriage which is now being attacked by all forms of ideologies that intend to destroy the family in Africa. Do not be afraid to stress the teaching of the Church on marriage."

In a major six-page interview released during the same period in the French magazine Famille Chretienne , Cardinal Sarah said:

"At the synod next October we will address, I hope, the question of marriage in an entirely positive manner, seeking to promote the family and the values that it bears. The African bishops will act to support that which God asks of man concerning the family, and to receive that which the Church has always taught. . . . Why should we think that only the Western vision of man, of the world, of society is good, just, universal? The Church must fight to say no to this new colonization."

These African pastors provide much food for thought and reflection about modern Western culture and our personal lives, as well as an introduction to the Synod. The title of the book comes from a phrase used by Blessed Pope Paul VI, which in our time beautifully expresses the universality of the Church and the increasing role played by African Church leaders. Among the contributing cardinals and bishops are Robert Cardinal Sarah, Francis Cardinal Arinze, Christian Cardinal Tumi, Theodore Cardinal Sarr, Archbishop Samuel Kleda, and more.

This work analyzes how the three key elements of a democratic society--freedom, equality, and fraternity--have been misconstrued by intellectuals and policy makers who do not respect the limitations of the human condition. Their lack of common sense has resulted in social and cultural problems rather than solutions to them. By contrast, the social teachings of the Catholic Church mesh nicely with the demands of human nature, and as such they offer the right remedy to our cultural crisis.

Freedom defined as radical individualism has eclipsed the understanding that real rights are tethered to responsibilities. Equality defined as radical egalitarianism yields little in the way of equality and much in the way of state-sponsored social discord. And fraternity without the foundation of familial bonds and religious communities leaves people isolated and disoriented.

Catholic teaching offers much wisdom to remedy our insufficient understanding of the elements needed for a free and flourishing society. Its common sense is greatly needed to help modern Americans rediscover the true meaning of their highest ideals.