Category: catholic news

You know how you’re not supposed to discuss religion, politics, or sex if you want to have a peace-filled and conflict-free gathering among friends? Well, the other day, a group of us were talking about a book we had all read about modern Irish history which included as a predominant topic the collapse of the…
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Do you say this to yourself when you see another blog from me about the Synod? I have to confess I think that myself. What you need to know is that Southeastern Pennsylvania Women’s Ordination Conference, myself included, has demonstrated for forty years outside the Cathedral. While we know that we have caused some people…
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As I sit down to write this, the Queen of England dies. On the BBC, I hear first a comment from the Roman Catholic Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster, and then one from the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury. How ironic. What does this mean in the long history of the monarchy, even as the Boleyn family…
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This week I will take a break from my Synod series and rejoice in some CARDINAL actions.First, of course, is Women’s Ordination Worldwide’s terrific nighttime witness. Despite all the problems the Vatican presents for us, evening in St. Peter’s Square is magical, and our creative leaders added to the magic with their message. Second is…
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OK. You’ve been waiting for it. What have the US Bishops done with the Synod reports from 95% of the dioceses in our country? We need a text! According to Brian Fraga in NCR, in early August the “synod team” held a “writing retreat” after “regional reports” had been prepared. I suppose some rubric is…
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Last week, I was going to write about two ongoing Synod processes but I got captured by the Australians. This week I will write about the German Synodal Way. I have celebrated the decisions made there and the people leading the effort before, but, as you may have heard, not everybody is celebrating. An “unsigned…
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Despite the tremendous appeal of Pope Francis’s trip to ask for forgiveness from the indigenous peoples of Canada to the media worldwide, I am going to write about the Synod Process again. If we are to effectively advocate for people of all genders to be ordained, we have to understand what is happening around the…
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Pope Francis made news this week with a promise to add two women to the committee that considers the appointment of bishops around the world.  This conversation with Philip Pullella of Reuters has the typical Francis off-the-cuff airplane feel; he says they’re “opening up a bit.” Cindy Wooden for CNS notes that there are several…
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The role of women, including the “failure” to “make good use” of their contribution and their exclusion from formal ministries, was described as a “constant theme” in diocesan reports. “On the whole women were not considered a marginalised minority so much as a silenced, unrecognised majority whose gifts lie unwrapped and ignored in the parish…
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I am thinking about fourth grade. Ten years old. Halfway through growing up. Neither child nor teenager. Not the innocence of second grade. Not as articulate as high school. How will they survive fourth grade? I think about the Latinx names we are hearing. When I taught about the West, I remember that south and…
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