“Rather than describing clericalism as an individual reality—a problem of ‘bad apples’—this study maps clericalism as a structural reality shaped by the interaction of three forces: sex, gender, and power,” the authors write.
Dispatches
Posted inDispatches, Faith
In South Africa’s synodal process, lay enthusiasm is often met with gatekeeping from priests
Bruce Botha, S.J., said one notable achievement of the synodal process was that many people who experienced themselves on the margins of the church felt that they were heard.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
While Pope Francis apologizes in Canada, tribal leaders suspend Christian missions at Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota
After a brochure that demonized traditions of the Oglala Lakota Sioux people was handed out to young people, tribal leaders took action, approving an ordinance that curtails Christian missions at Pine Ridge.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Newfoundland church sales bring justice to abuse victims—and leave longtime parishioners in need of a new spiritual home.
A group of elderly survivors of abuse at Newfoundland’s Mount Cashel Orphanage are finally receiving compensation ordered by a landmark ruling in 2020 that went against the Archdiocese of St. John’s.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Are Latino Catholics really becoming more pro-choice?
A new poll found that 75 percent of Hispanic Catholics say abortion should be legal in “most or all cases.” But interviews with community and faith leaders suggest more nuance, and more ambivalence, among Latinos.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
‘I always pray with a rosary’: Inside Joe Biden’s personal pilgrimage to Bethlehem
One part of President Joe Biden’s ultra-publicized trip to the Middle East took place in private, away from the eyes of any of the journalists who accompanied him on the five-day visit.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
For Nigerian Christians, allegations of blasphemy against Islam can be a death sentence
The killing of Deborah Yakubu for alleged blasphemy and the reaction to it offer a stark depiction of the volatile divisions between Nigeria’s Muslim and Christian communities.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
For the first time ever, Pope Francis appoints three women to the Vatican office that selects bishops
Continuing with determination to open up new positions of responsibility for women in the Roman Curia, Pope Francis has appointed three women as members of the Dicastery for Bishops.
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Sister Helen Prejean on Oklahoma’s unprecedented rush to execute 25 people
“This rush to execute would be reckless in any state, but Oklahoma in particular has a horrendous track record for problematic executions.”
Posted inDispatches, Politics & Society
Corruption and incompetence plague A.N.C.: Liberation lost in South Africa?
The #farmgate scandal is only the latest example of dysfunction within the African National Congress. Critics warn that corruption and incompetence have become endemic, contributing to a massive breakdown in basic services.