Following are NCR reader responses to recent news articles, opinion columns and theological essays with letters that have been edited for length and clarity.
Working mothers
The following excerpt from "Father's Day in the time of Trumpism" stands out to me (NCR, June 15, 2025):
"One of the great American myths — reinforced by chauvinists as well as feminists, at times — is that women didn't work outside of the home in 'the old days.' This would be news to generations of working class and immigrant women who labored — often under unsafe conditions — to make ends meet, as scholars like Dorothy Sue Cobble have shown."
Thank you! The middle class minority always receives exclusive attention in these discussions, while the working class is erased. The vast majority of working class women, i.e. the majority of women in the West, do not and historically have not had the luxury of choosing whether to work outside the home or not. My married mother worked outside our home. My married sister works outside her home. Most of us in the working class do not even know any married women who do not work outside their homes, except for those who are unemployed and seeking employment.
JEFFREY JONES
Hamburg, New York
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Partisan espiscopate
While I agree with the theme of the letter which the USCCB sent to members of Congress and which Fr. Thomas Reese examined in "US bishops are willing to whisper to members of Congress but not shout in the streets," I think the more important point is their reticence to publicly state those views (NCR, June 18, 2025). The bishops showed no reticence to argue publicly with Biden and earlier with the Obama administration about policies with which they disagreed. They also showed little appetite to publicly support many programs, like the Affordable Care Act, from which the public or church actually benefited.
The common denominator in all this is the bishops seem to fear publicly opposing their most vocal congregants or those upon whom they more closely rely for donations. It would appear they believe that offending those who are less vocal, such as progressives, is the easier path and less likely to reduce contributions.
Unless, and until, the bishops become leaders the laity in our domestic church will not follow their lead. Many of Trump's policies, if enacted by earlier administrations, would have been rebuked publicly leaving no doubt among the faithful that our ecclesial leaders were committed to the wide spectrum social justice issues. However, it appears during the past decade or so our ecclesial pastors have become more political so that the only social justice issues on which they choose to engage publicly are very few and more likely to impress a vocal and monied minority.
CHARLES Le GUERN
Granger, Indiana
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Synodality key to women's diaconate
In "Will Pope Leo XIV make the call on women deacons?" Phyllis Zagano eloquently makes the case that the issue of women deacons in the Church needs to be addressed (NCR, May 13, 2025). Pope Francis desired to "invite every individual in the Church to 'walk together' and move forward, even if that means agreeing to disagree or simply listening or being present". Synod comes from the Greek 'together', so what more appropriate way for Pope Leo XIV to commence his papacy and honor the legacy of Francis than to call for a synod to bring Catholics together to discuss the future role of women in the Church. Some of us believe that women deserve a larger role in the Church and others disagree. Regardless of your viewpoint, let us begin with a dialogue of respect and move forward together to shape the Church of the new millennium.
KEVIN LOUGHLIN
Edgartown, Massachusetts
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