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April 2019

April 25, 2019

Mystery vs. mystery: A Note on John Gray’s Seven Types of Atheism

This is the deep difference between Gray and myself: for me, for us Christians, the...

April 25, 2019

The Real “Crisis” And “Scandal” In the Church

In short, the “crisis” or “scandal” in the Roman Catholic Church (and other religious organizations...

April 07, 2019

When Those Who Loved You Into the Church Are Hating You Out of It

Here’s a piece of advice as I remove all of you from my life -...

April 05, 2019

No, the Phrase “Church Militant” Does Not Justify Militarism

The Gospel is clear about Jesus’ call to reject violence. We are admonished to love...

March 2019

March 11, 2019

I Am Catholic. And I Am Entirely Okay With Pete Davidson’s Comments About the Church

Davidson’s criticisms are not anti-Catholic, however. They are anti-rape, anti-assault, and anti-injustice. And insofar as...

February 2019

February 24, 2019

The Church Leaders Prioritize Their Own Authority Over Service to the People of God

If the church were to turn out to have been wrong in its teaching, we...

December 2018

December 29, 2018

This Christmas, Catholics Got Outraged at all the Wrong Things

In one of history’s many bitter ironies, advent season - a time when we prepare...

December 29, 2018

When the Church Has Failed, Victims Turn to Secular Institutions For Justice

Those who have power are usually more interested in preserving the institutional forces that scaffold...

December 15, 2018

The Nihilistic Idolatry of Cruelty

Because this is what I am seeing in so much of American culture today. Not...

December 09, 2018

Baby Jesus In a Cage? Yes, It’s Political

So, really, there's nothing especially new and out of the ordinary about depicting the Holy...

December 08, 2018

When It Comes to the Clergy Abuse Scandals, the Laity Are Not Going to Save Us

We need to deal with the problem of clericalism in the church for its own...

December 02, 2018

A Season of Judgment, and Purifying Fire

It might be tempting for Catholics to imagine that verses about judgment, about the righteousness...

November 2018

November 28, 2018

Advent Approaches, and Jesus is Coming

When will Jesus come again? The Advent season approaches, and Jesus is coming now. Still...

November 21, 2018

View From the Eye of the Storm, Part Two: Suggestions For Church Reform

During homilies, we the people are encouraged to pray more. Try harder. Ask for forgiveness. ...

November 20, 2018

View From the Eye of the Storm, Part One: Observations on the Sex Abuse Scandal

The church has no built-in system of checks and balances. Currently, there is no standard...

November 16, 2018

“Traditional Catholicism” and Fetishization of Women

They are not presented as subjects, as women with interiority and a story. They are...

November 14, 2018

Does the Catholic Church Have a Racism Problem?

Recently Catholic News Agency published an article about the potential cause for canonization of Sr....

November 14, 2018

Eternally Shielded in Rome: How They Protect Their Own

by guest writer MJ Lisbeth When you go to France, people expect you to...

November 04, 2018

Cruelty, Sentimentality, and Authoritarian Regimes

It makes me aware of how totalitarian regimes succeed. Not because people are evil, but...

October 2018

October 28, 2018

It Seems Like Everybody Gets It – Except the Leaders of the Church

When it comes to the power dynamics behind sexual assault, it seems everyone is finally...

October 27, 2018

Everlasting is their Heritage: A Jewish Prayer for the Dead

Every one of us who ever repeated the words “never again” after reading about the...

October 13, 2018

Knock, Knock – Who’s There? More Than Half the Church!

When I was teaching Women Writers, my signature course for many years, I used to...

October 11, 2018

Two Catholic Churches – I’m Staying With One

by guest contributor H. Lillian Vogl I’ve been noticing lately that there are two deeply...

September 2018

September 23, 2018

Victims Can’t Always Speak Out – And This Can Compound Trauma

It is necessary for the Church and other religious institutions, as well as our legal...

September 18, 2018

Off My Knees: A Victim Remembers

My response? “Well, at least he was on only one knee.” From that position, he...

September 13, 2018

How Do You Respond When The Perpetrator Is One Of Your Own?

No matter how hard it is for us to accept that the men we viewed...

September 10, 2018

Abuse, Clericalism, and the Culture Of Obedience

Obedience to God is one thing. But how do we know when it’s God? Why...

September 08, 2018

Abuse and Alienation: In The Church, Away From Yourself

In brief, when your church is the center of your community’s social life—whether in a...

August 2018

August 31, 2018

Forgiveness Is Not Enough, When It Comes To Healing For Victims

While “forgiveness” of “sins” might give the perpetrator a clean slate, it does nothing to...

August 30, 2018

Victims Have the Right To Be Heard – Whenever They Are Ready

Given the repressive conditions I’ve described—one in which authority is not questioned, church leaders have...