Pope Francis emphasised the “fundamental” importance of women in the Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, saying they were the first witnesses of Christ and have a special role in spreading the faith.
By Naomi O’Leary
The pontiff’s decision a week
Vatican spokesman brings flowers as women’s second-class status in church comes under scrutiny
BY NICOLE WINFIELD
The Vatican’s spokesman came to his press briefing Friday bearing flowers for female journalists to mark International Women’s Day. “On behalf of all of us men, congratulations and happy Women’s Day!” said a beaming Rev. Federico Lombardi.
Former Catholics say rigid church forced them to leave
Opposition to female ordination and the prohibition on marriage for priests are among the factors causing an exodus from the Catholic Church.
By: Leslie Scrivener
Joanna Manning, former nun, award-winning religion teacher, advocate for the poor and activist-intellectual, was battle-weary.
The Magdalene Laundries explained
What were the Magdalene Laundries?
Institutions where women were sent if they were regarded as “fallen women”.
Who was sent there?
The women who were committed to these homes included women who conceived out of wed lock, wards of state
Bishop Robert Morlino cracks down on Madison nuns for espousing ‘New Ageism’ and ‘indifferentism’
File under: More of them dangerous nuns on the loose!
By DOUG ERICKSON
Two longtime Madison nuns who lead an interfaith spirituality center have been banned by Madison Catholic Bishop Robert Morlino from holding workshops or providing spiritual direction or
The Vatican Implosion
Robert C. Mickens, Vatican correspondent and columnist for “The Tablet,” speaks about The Vatican’s implosion and what it means for Catholics.
The nun who became a sex therapist
Dr Fran Fisher’s latest book blows the lid off the repressed sexuality of convent life. And it’s a subject the former nun knows first hand
By Joanna Moorhead
From nun to sex therapist isn’t an obvious career path but, says
Seattle marchers show support for activist nuns
Over the years, Patricia Patterson thought about joining protest marches in support of women’s rights or against war. But the cause that finally got her to take to the streets was nuns.
“It baffles me that a group of women
Psychologist: Bishops’ lashing out at sisters is a distraction
COMMENTARY — Kathy Galleher
Since the Vatican’s public release April 18 of the results of the doctrinal assessment of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, many American Catholics have been confused and angry. These women, who work tirelessly with the
An American Nun Responds To Vatican Criticism
As an aside, the Sisters of St. Francis in Dubuque, Iowa were the spirit-filled women who formed me in grade school at St John Brebeuf Parish in Niles IL. God bless them all.