Author: Regina Bannan

You probably know a lot about how two of Pope Francis’ deepest concerns are peace and mercy. Maybe if you’re Irish, you might know Roger Casement, at least as the nationalist who went to Germany during World War I to get military aid for the Easter Uprising. There’s a lot more to Roger Casement. Our…
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Thursday, I learned that the cancer that killed my mother was not going to kill me, at least not yet. That made it hard to concentrate. In the month since the diagnosis and even surrounding the surgery, I could exist in denial and happily churn out blogs. But Wednesday this week, when there was so…
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Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday that she was resigning as New Zealand’s prime minister. Admired worldwide for courageous moral stands as well as frank speaking, she admitted, “You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.” Personally popular but politically losing ground, she…
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Far should it be for me to comment on religious life as explained to NCR’s Global Sisters Reportby the sisters who lead the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and the International Union of Superiors General (UISG), but that has never stopped me from noting what stands out to me. In this case, each group…
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Let us pray for the repose of the Augustinian soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. I have learned a lot of theology in the last week – but more of that later. I had decided to start this blog as young Patrick Hudson started the Tablet weekly online update this week. I know he’s young…
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It seems almost surgical, the excision of women’s ordination from the conversation. This week, when I watched the BBC documentary “The Women Fighting to be Priests” on YouTube, I was thrilled with the stories of two Roman Catholic Women Priests, Fr. Anne and Olga Lucia Alvarez. Then Kate McElwee of WOC calmly presents the Vatican situation,…
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One comment I understood in all the World Cup coverage this week was that “representation matters” on the French team. The players of color represent France as would any white team member. Colonials are fully incorporated into the citizenry when it comes to soccer. I heard the same phrase from a woman who is a…
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“Francis is Stuck. Let me count the ways.” That was my first title for this blog. I saw no change in what he said to a gathering of people who work at America magazine. Deliberately diverse, the group posed questions one after another. Executive editor Kerry Weber was third and set up her first question:…
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We are so grateful to those of you who replied to the survey about The Table, and especially those of you who might think about writing for it. You are absolutely welcome to share your insights. We look forward to hearing from you all. I am listening to Fresh Air on Tuesday as I write…
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Were you expecting me to write about anything else? Two weeks ago, I picked Seattle Archbishop Paul Etienne as the most progressive of the ten nominees for President of the USCCB. He got 30 votes on the first ballot and 37 on the second. My second choice was Daniel Flores, Bishop of Brownsville, because he…
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