Sisters Dare to Oppose Catholic Bishops: What Next?

Here is a short piece in Chicago Catholic News about the mutiny that occurred when the Catholic Health Assn. took issue with the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the health reform  bill in the Senate. Speaking for the conference, Cardinal George said the bill must be defeated, since it would permit public money for abortions. The association said that he and the bishops were wrong, that the bill would not expand abortions. And when the health bill passed, George indicated the association, its leader, and its substantial membership of Catholic nuns were responsible. He was quite offended and said so. I think the dispute says something important about the credibility of the hierarchy in these interesting times, as well as the gutsiness of the sisters. You will find the story right here.

Pro-lifers Threaten Campaign for the Poor

Below there's a link to an article I wrote for the July issue of US Catholic magazine. It reports on the history of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and discusses the siege the Campaign is under from a coalition of right-wing groups. During the past 40 years the Campaign, through a yearly collection in every parish in the country, has raised some $400 million to support community organizations at work in poor and minority towns and neighborhoods. The coalition, called Reform CCHD Now, is gravely concerned that some of the community organizations in some of their projects (not supported by the Campaign) endorse birth control, abortion or homosexual rights. They also resent the fact that some recipients of Campaign funds were originally founded by the late organizer Saul Alinsky, a non-Catholic with Socialist tendencies. It is of course a fact that Alinsky worked hand-in-glove with many activist priests, including Chicago's Fr. jack Egan, to battle systemic racism and poverty. You can find the article here.

Elder Hostile: Judgment on those who defy Church "cannot be made lightly -- or too soon"

The funeral service of a female Catholic priest drew non-judgmental attention from Chicago media in late May, but internet versions  of the accounts attracted intense reactions from two mutually opposed sides. One group expressed anger that the Chicago Archdiocese had denied Janine Denomme’s wish to be buried from her own church, St. Gertrude’s on  the north side. Meanwhile, another and larger group of respondents declared that the deceased woman got what she deserved, since she had been excommunicated for “attempting” to receive a sacrament reserved only for men. None among the large group of mourners, many from St. Gertrude’s, seemed to be offended by her status. I attended the mass, which was uplifting and inspirational, and I could not help but think of other women long before Janine Denomme who challenged the official church in profound ways and paid a penalty. Some are saints or well on their way to sainthood. I wrote an article about the event which you can read at Chicago Catholic News.