The Women The Vatican Could Not Silence – video link

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The Women The Vatican Could Not Silence. Dr Mary McAleese and Sister Joan Chittister in conversation

Voices of Faith, We are Church Ireland and the School of Religion in Trinity College presented two leading Catholic women in a public conversation to overcome the silence on issues that affect Catholics today and must be openly discussed for the future of an inclusive, egalitarian and harmonious Church.

Former Irish President Mary McAleese and feminist nun Sister Joan Chittister have both experienced attempts by the Catholic hierarchy to silence their voices. In this conversation, for the first time ever, these two courageous women come together to discuss their views on the many issues besetting our Church today and the possible solutions for change. (Please note there was a slight technical difficulty with Mary’s microphone, however this is fixed at the 27min mark)

 

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Maura Adshead wrote on what being a Catholic means to her. This article appeared in the Irish Examiner of 21 June 21 under the heading ‘Why we need to tackle question of what it is to be a Catholic’. Maura Adshead is Senior Lecturer in Politics and Public Administration and Head of the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Limerick.

2 Comments

  1. The Rev.Dr.Henry Doherty says:

    Just as Mary has led the church for centuries, she breaks into the present with outstanding women of faith. They see clearly that canon law will not fix the myriad problems that it presents in the place of the Gospel. Most priests have to do some dialectical thinking when the Gospel of Jesus Christ and canon law clash… ‘where ignorant armies clash by night’. And that is the problem. The Pope is not the problem, the bishops are not the problem, the priests are not the problem…..ignorant armies clashing in the night are the problem, as they spend billions of dollars in order to preserve their standing, thinking perhaps that cathedrals, vast monies stored in Swiss banks, new liturgies, moving furniture around large buildings will bring hope. They will not. They will become ignorant armies clashing at night. These remain ignorant armies clashing in the night and that is what we have in the here and now. Let me suggest an alternative. If you have a critical text of the New Testament, go the Gospel of John, and read in the 5th Chapter verse 39. “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have Eternal Life! But they themselves bear witness to me, and you refuse to come to me to have life”. At the center of Christianity is Jesus Christ: Jesus of Nazareth, an historic human being “like us in everything”. And we are called to follow Him, even if it requires leaving churchianity. Listen carefully to these two wonderful ladies who have been speaking at Trinity and U.C.D. Let me suggest a new phrase for our church in its ongoing reformation” THE COMPANY OF THE COMMITTED”. There is one volume with this title, that was written by the distinguished American philosopher Dr. Elton Trueblood. You can find it online. I disagree with one or two paragraphs and you will probably do likewise. God is with you and I send my love to every priest, bishop, cardinal and pope.

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