Category: catholic news

These two old men meet the day after I write this and the day before you read it. Will it be old news for you? I expect that whatever media you consult will have reported “all the news that’s fit to print,” the old New York Times slogan, forever new in whatever media. But that’s…
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Sometimes I do wonder at the contradictions. How do we make sense of it all?  Do women need to be encouraged to lead? I can’t find a text – maybe I don’t want to – of a welcome Pope Francis sent to the Women’s Forum G-20 at their meeting before the global summit. It was…
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I think all who champion the cause of women’s leadership and ordination within an oppressive and suppressive institution like the Catholic Church could relate to the body of works of the Nobel Prize for Literature honoree, Abdulrazak Gurnah. Furthermore, and more significantly, I think all those who perpetuate this oppression and suppression could learn, grow,…
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Yes, I say. I am going to trust the outcome regarding the ordination of women as deacons or as priests. How can I say that? First, Germany. The church there is in the midst of a “Synodal Path,” on which representatives of the clergy and the laity gather to discuss “power and checks and balances,”…
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You have probably heard the Catholic news from France this week. The dimensions are truly tragic: “216,000 people were sexually abused by clerics and another 114,000 by lay people in Church-related functions such as catechists and schoolteachers since 1950,” according to The Tablet. That’s about half the number of those who have died so far…
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The October issue of America is finally out: “Women in the Life of the Church.” Many of the articles are online already, but the overall impact surprises me because of one very strong article.  Jesuit editor Matt Malone’s writings about women always leave me lukewarm. His note in this issue says boldly: “we should always…
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We were so optimistic in the beginning. We rejoiced over the appointment of Sr. Nathalie Becquart to the Synod of Bishops and wondered what kind of expanded representation her presence portended. Then we looked at the responses and the “handbook” and we had second thoughts. The local bishop as the synthesizer was not good news…
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If you have not signed up for, or accessed online, NCR’s marvelous Earthbeat series, billed as “stories of climate crisis, faith and action”, please do so. The postings are brief but rich and varied; the suggested actions inspiring and, even better, manageable!  Beginning September 1 and continuing through October 4, authors, Brenna Davis and Michael…
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You know what it’s like when you return from vacation: a huge pile of mail. One magazine cover leapt out to me: “Prayer and Power,” with a photo of Paula Clark, “the first Black and first Episcopal Bishop of Chicago, on building a truly inclusive ministry.” My welcome home! I am always thrilled when our…
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If you’ve been in a book club in the last ten years, you’ve probably read, or at least considered reading, something by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the Nigerian writer. Perhaps her remarkable breakthrough novel, Americanah. Perhaps the earlier one our club read recently, Purple Hibiscus. Perhaps her TEDx talk made into a book, We Should All…
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