While I am joining the conversation a bit late, I find it necessary to comment on the significance of the “upgrading” of the celebration of St. Mary of Magdala to a feast – on par with the male apostles. While… Read More ›
Pope Francis
Nobody’s Disciple by Maeve Rhuad aka the Celtic Magdalen via Elizabeth Cunningham
Since beginning her posts for FAR four years ago, Elizabeth has featured an excerpt from my chronicles each July in honor of my feast day on the 22nd. At least I thought it was my Feast day. It has been… Read More ›
Moving Away from Normative Maternal Roles in the Catholic Church by Michele Stopera Freyhauf
Earlier this week, social media was all abuzz about the Pope’s investigation into restoring women to the diaconate. In the complete transcript of the Pope’s comments, the traditional notion of women’s maternal role in the church is mentioned in relation… Read More ›
The Pope Punts and Catholics Vote with Their Feet by Carol P. Christ
Reading the recently released papal letter “The Joy of Love,” I was surprised to see that it opens a “new” discussion of marriage and the family with a very old patriarchal trope from Psalm 128: Blessed is every one who… Read More ›
Pope Francis’ “The Joy of Love” Falls Short by Gina Messina
It seems that Pope Francis has finally read Margaret Farley’s Just Love; and while he is taking steps in a positive direction, he still needs to spend time processing Farley’s words. With his new statement, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of… Read More ›
Pope Francis, Complementarity, and US Politics by Gina Messina-Dysert
A theology of complementarity, referred to by Pope Francis as an “anthropological fact,” has had a strong influence on American politics. According to the Vatican teaching, women and men have distinct but complementary roles, meaning that women’s value is found… Read More ›
Women Missing from the Pope’s Address to US Bishops by Gina Messina-Dysert
Pope Francis offered many words of wisdom and discussed key issues in his address to US Bishops in Washington DC. He acknowledged the sex abuse scandal as a crime and called for bishops to be healers. He asked that bishops… Read More ›
Dying For the Triune God by Esther Nelson
Last week, the Catholic Studies Chair in the public university where I teach sponsored an event that brought Monsignor Kevin Irwin from The Catholic University of America; School of Theology and Religious Studies, Washington DC, into our midst. His hour-long… Read More ›
Francis: My Holy Conundrum by Linda Pinto
Chicago enjoys a long history of women whose voices echo a call for dignity and equality. Jane Addams was a pioneer American-settlement social worker, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in women’s suffrage movement. In an era when presidents such as Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow… Read More ›
The Francis Blindspot by Gina Messina-Dysert
The day Pope Francis was elected is a memorable one for many Catholics, myself included. Watching our new pope walk out on to the balcony of the Vatican and bow to the crowd left me in tears. It seemed in… Read More ›
Hidden Seeds in Laudato Si by Peg Conway
The opening two paragraphs of the recent environment encyclical just might be saying even more than the pope intended. Beginning with a quote from the famous Canticle of the Creatures by St. Francis of Assisi, Laudato Si refers to “our sister, Mother Earth,” and compares… Read More ›
If You Don’t Believe Women Are Fully Human, Can You Be a Great Pope? by Carol P. Christ
In recent weeks I have felt compelled to respond to a series of “Great Pope” photos and stories praising Pope Francis for his stands on poverty and climate change appearing on my facebook page. In every case I added something… Read More ›
Pope Francis is Paving the Way to FutureChurch by Gina Messina-Dysert
The enthusiasm we have seen for Pope Francis over the last year is exceptional. Polls show that among American Catholics he has a 90% approval rating. He has garnered more than 12 million Twitter followers and even broke a Rolling… Read More ›
5 Examples of Religion as the Next Feminist Frontier by Meagen Farrell
In February 2014, headlines incorrectly stated that Gloria Steinem said religion is the biggest problem facing women today. Wrong. In her interview by Jennifer Aniston at the first Makers Conference, Steinem said that not talking about religion is one of… Read More ›
Women for a Franciscan World by Dawn Morais Webster
Women: Architects and Engineers of a Franciscan World This New Year’s Eve I find myself attending Mass at St. Austin’s Church in Austin, Texas. A long way from Hawaii and en route to Argentina which gave us Pope Francis. This… Read More ›
Three Wishes for the New Year: Peace, Kindness, and Dialogue in the Catholic Church by Michele Stopera Freyhauf
While I sit and write this post, Christmas celebrations are concluded and I prepare, with the rest of the world, to embark on a new year; a year with my idealistic hopes and want for a better future for humanity. … Read More ›
Blessed is the Womb By Dawn DiPrince
As a Catholic, a feminist, and the grown-up version of my third grade self who dreamed of being a priest (and eventually Pope), I am simultaneously elated and deflated by the promise of Pope Francis. His bold criticisms of capitalism… Read More ›
Beyond Hemlines: What a Pope Can Teach Us About Modesty by Deborah Farmer Kris
Pope Francis’ obvious decency appeals to me as a human. His discourse and homilies appeal to me as a Christian. But his humble actions appeal to me as a Mormon woman who is weary of witnessing, over and over, how… Read More ›
The Philadelphia Ordinations and Pope Francis in Rio by Alla Renée Bozarth
On July 29, 2013, I read the feminist theologian Mary Hunt’s fine account of Pope Francis’ visit to Brazil, with commentary on his informal conversation with press people on the way back to Rome. When asked for a statement about… Read More ›
Who is the Church? by Linn Marie Tonstad
The headlines blared, “Who am I to judge?” News outlet after news outlet led with the pope’s conciliatory stance toward gays, expressed during an interview aboard the pope-plane as he returned from Brazil. Among the several headers from Fox News… Read More ›
The Catholic Church: Love Story or Scold Story? by Dawn Morais Webster
“We, the women and men of the church, we are in the middle of a love story: each of us is a link in this chain of love. And if we do not understand this, we have understood nothing of… Read More ›
What About Contraception in Pope Francis’s Promise to the Poor? by Dawn DiPrince
Pope Francis, at nearly every opportunity – including the choice of his name, has symbolically expressed a commitment to the poor. In just a little over a month, he has declined the customary gold papal cross, the ermine-trimmed red velvet… Read More ›
I Dream of Pope Francis by Gina Messina-Dysert
It was just last week that I received an email from Pope Francis. He wrote me having seen my interview with Tavis Smiley and said he sympathized with my appeal for a Church that serves the needs of the people. … Read More ›
The Roman Catholic Theology of Womanhood by Ivy Helman
The Vatican has created an entire theology of womanhood without the input of a single woman! Searching the Vatican archives reveals a wide range of documents pertaining to women, some of which mention women tersely only in their capacity as… Read More ›
Pope Francis: A Fisherman for Our Times? by Dawn Morais Webster
A thoughtful non-Catholic friend, Mei Li, in largely Muslim Malaysia, wondered aloud in a Facebook chat after the election of Pope Francis: “How many people get to start anew like this? A new name, a new life, a new kingdom… Read More ›
