Category: Women’s Ordination

Pope Francis is serious about finding competent women to place in administrative positions. This week, it is Nathalie Becquart, a Xavière Missionary Sister, appointed as one of two  undersecretaries in the Vatican’s office for the Synod of Bishops. This is especially interesting because organizing a meeting of bishops is not usually a role assigned to…
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[Editor’s Notes:  This post is the second installation in our weekly Black History Month series, which will appear on Thursdays in February in addition to our normal Tuesday and Saturday blogs. There has been much discussion and debate around the correct use of pronouns when discussing the life, work, and personhood of Pauli Murray. Pauli’s…
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“I will commit an act of willful erasure, whittling each document and letter until only the lives of women remain…I’ll devote myself to luring female lives back from male texts. Such an experiment in reversal will reveal, I hope, the concealed lives of women, present, always, but coded in invisible ink.” The “I” above is…
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“‘I think often about a group of bishops who, after Vatican I, left … to continue the “true doctrine” that wasn’t that of Vatican I,’ said the pontiff. ‘Today, they ordain women,’ the pope continued, adding: ‘The severest attitude, to guard the faith without the magisterium of the church, brings you to ruin.’”  Ruin? Thank you,…
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Ride the elevator to the top of the Empire State building at night; have your binoculars with you, and while others are doing the traditional looking down and out at all the human-made wonders and artificially lighted world, look up instead. Set your binocular focus to infinity if you want the best view, but even…
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Some criticized Francis’s decision to change Canon Law and allow all people to be acolytes and lectors because it reinforces the clericalism the Pope wishes to eradicate. I am especially sensitive to this charge because I bristle at the least exercise of clericalism. But it’s so odd – it’s only clerical when women can get…
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So many people responded “what’s the big deal” to Pope Francis’ change to Canon Law allowing all laypeople to be acolytes and lectors that I am going to say it IS a big deal.  I’ve edited what I wrote to my grandson: “This is so important to me right now because it’s a chink in…
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Actually, it may be fewer than that today, more like six miles. I’m speaking of the distance to Bethlehem from Jerusalem. Even I could walk that distance if need be. And I think the time has come. In fact, it came a long time ago and has now become urgent.  When I visited pre-pandemic Bethlehem…
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We now understand how privilege operates. Some people get to do things that others don’t. Many are seeing that in the response of the police to “gatherings” in Washington this year. I’m not going to explore this here; I’m just putting it in your minds. Some people are able to be a lot more free…
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This year, we are living out salvation history. I cannot remember a time when our experience mirrored the Christmas story as well as this year does. We had our wanderings in the desert, our Advent, and now our fragile moment of joy. We move forward with hope knowing that there will be difficulties along the…
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