Pope Francis recently suggested in a press conference that there is cause for the Church to apologize. Responding to a question about a German cardinal’s statement that the Church should apologize to gays and lesbians the Pope agreed, and went further: “I believe that the church should not only say sorry, as Cardinal Marx says,Continue reading >>
Relationship, conscience, and discernment: first reactions to Amoris Laetitia
I am a Catholic woman. Despite this, I’ve never quite been comfortable with the Catholic Woman ™ movement. As a single woman into my thirties I felt out of place. Now that I’m married the paradigmatic Catholic Woman ™ still alienates me: I kept my birth name. I kept my professional ambition. I’m not sacrificiallyContinue reading >>
Dear Pope Francis: A very joyful book review
When the Pope Francis lovefest began early on in his papacy, I had two reactions. The first was that the little gestures that showed us his character from the outset – paying the bill at his hotel after the conclave, for example – seemed so easy and obvious after he’d done them. Why don’t leaders do theseContinue reading >>
Mercy all around
Today the Church, led by Pope Francis, begins a Jubilee Year of Mercy. In preparing to discuss this with students I spent a lot of time reading about and contemplating mercy. Giving myself time to think about spirituality during a busy season was a gift. Reflecting on the past few years of illness and long-distance relationshipsContinue reading >>
What I’ll remember from the Pope’s visit
Now that the pope is gone, and the spin has been dragged out for a few days and soon will fade from view, here’s what I’ll remember, and I hope you will too. How good it felt when everyone was civil and getting along. I heard countless quips about how remarkable it was that everyoneContinue reading >>