Mary E. Hunt

Theologian Mary E. Hunt says she has had some reservations about Pope Francis' process for the Synod of Bishops. She offers five "friendly suggestions" for how the pope might make the October assembly more fruitful.

Including women in the ordained priesthood may not be the answer to all Catholic problems, but it would be a start, says theologian Mary E. Hunt.

Appreciation: Many people have great 'Rosemary stories,' not simply of the incredible scholar, teacher and activist, but more so of the kind, humorous person with an open mind and even more open heart.

Appreciation: Sinsinawa Dominican Sr. Donna Quinn was a pioneer, well ahead of her time and of many of her peers on women's issues in church and society.

Appreciation: Nickie Valdez died Dec. 25 at her home in San Antonio at the age of 80. She was passionate about making a home within the Catholic Church for LGBTQI people.

Commentary: It has taken a global pandemic to signal that the Roman Catholic Church hasn't a prayer of returning to many of its outmoded practices.

Review: You can tell a book by its cover. The luminous picture of Theresa Kane on the cover of this one portrays a beautiful woman of calm, confidence, vision and joy. She is a Catholic feminist with a powerful claim on the hearts and imaginations of all who want the Roman Catholic Church to be a community of sacrament and solidarity, equality and mutuality.

Book review: Stephanie Kilroe's book on Anne Hope presents a portrait of an international Catholic woman leader, a welcome addition to the literature of contemporary Catholic women who represent the best of a flawed tradition, combining sacrament and solidarity.

Book Review: Some of today's best feminist theologians are writing fiction. I do not refer to their erudite, critical analyses of texts and concepts as novels. Rather, I alert readers to their new excursus into literature. I wondered aloud why they have embraced this genre. So, I asked them.

Book Review: The author demonstrates how the tired tropes of women's self-sacrifice that reinforce oppression and expectations of martyrdom can be expanded and refreshed realistically in light of contemporary women's lives. On balance, every woman's self-sacrifice is not oppressive and every form of oppression is not caused by women's self-sacrifice.

Commentary: Even if all U.S. bishops were to resign and be replaced with more clerics, little would improve. The structure, not just individuals who err, is the problem and structures can be changed.

Commentary: Until and unless the stories of adult women who were sexually involved with Catholic priests are told and the implications parsed, I doubt that the abuse of young people and of employees will be solved.

Speakers at the recent Voices of Faith event articulated what is true for millions: We will no longer spend our valuable time waiting patiently for changes in imperialistic church policies that dehumanize and endanger women.

Commentary: The sorry state of the Catholic conversation about same-sex love prompts us to make a proposal. If we hope to move the discussion in a justice-seeking direction, we need a new approach. 

Book Review: There are built-in problems when we tell our own stories — memories are fallible, biases are obvious, critical distance is missing. But not telling our own stories guarantees they will die with us, which is the bigger danger.