Category: catholic news

The feast of Mary, the Mother of God, tempts Pope Francis to begin the year talking about women, not just Mary. I am always fearful that gender stereotypes will take over, but Francis seems to get beyond that by condemning violence against women and then calling for women to be “fully included in decision-making processes.”…
Read more

Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is the perfect vehicle in which to travel from Christmas to New Year’s. Past, present, and future haunt Scrooge. Redemption comes because he really sees a child who suffers after a life without charity and justice. Make the journey with me through our own past, present, and future. PAST: the death…
Read more

Last week I wrote about the German synod and women. This week I want to write about synods more generally, inspired by Massimo Faggioli’s article in La Croix International, “Synodality and the abuse crisis: The Church is still stuck in Trent.” But he begins by writing about the First Vatican Council convened in 1869, which…
Read more

Last Saturday I wrote about Anglican women and I said they get noticed. The second half of that blog was supposed to be about Roman Catholic women who get noticed, but it was too long. We decided to split it and continue today. I did note that WOC and The Grail, among others, are represented…
Read more

SO CLOSE AND YET… I guess, the more we read it, we can all be encouraged by Laudato Si. We could even go a step further and be proud. For a change, the Vatican is actually acting like a positive role model. I came across this briefing by Carol Glatz in the Catholic News Service:…
Read more

I am writing this on Thursday, as the focus of the impeachment hearings seems to have shifted from the Ukraine to Russia. La Croix International is shifting the focus, too. Instead of continuing the media frenzy about married priests after the Amazon synod, they are publishing two series: “Female figures in religions” and “Women, the…
Read more

The headline in the November 14, 2019 National Catholic Reporter flashed the latest news: Abortion preeminent issue, global warming not urgent, say bishops. Despite so very much to choose from, the declaration that climate change is not urgent and that abortion must take priority particularly fired my outrage. I have to say what young environmental…
Read more

I confess that I was more than a little thrilled to grasp the bright blue United Nations ID badge in my hands, for this official recognition of Women’s Ordination Conference into the “Economic and Social Council” (ECOSOC) of the international organization has been a long time coming.  Although WOC has been present at the United…
Read more

On October 26, the day of the vote, I posted a blog predicting what the final document that the Synod on the Amazon would say. Ellie Harty, my fellow blogger and editor of SEPA WOC’s Equal wRites, suggested that I write what actually was done “in the room where it happens.” Sorry. That’s my trite…
Read more

This afternoon in Rome, just as this blog is published at 10 am Eastern, 185 men will vote. There are 184 bishop and priest voting members of the gathering, and one member who is a religious brother. There are 80 non-voting participants, of whom 35 are women. For most of the Oct. 6-27 event, there…
Read more