Sara Lin Wilde is a recovering Catholic (and cat-holic, for that matter - all typographical errors are the responsibility of her feline friends). She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where she is working on writing a novel that she really, really hopes can actually get published.
Jerry Coyne put it this way: “New York Times officially opposes stupid rules of Catholic hospitals.” He’s referencing a recent editorial entitled “When Bishops Direct Medical Care,” in which the editorial board takes on the case of Tamesha Means, on whose behalf the ACLU is filing suit against the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the party they hold “ultimately responsible for the unnecessary trauma and harm” she suffered as a patient in a Michigan hospital. Read more
Remember that innkeeper who told Mary and Joseph they might as well sleep in the stable because there was no room at the inn? That’s what came to mind as I read about Sean Houlihan and Natalie Ferland. Both were teachers at Lawrence Catholic Academy in Massachusetts, a school describing itself on its website as “a community of believers who strive to permeate the school with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.” Houlihan and Ferland were friends and colleagues for years before they began dating last spring. When Ferland discovered in October that she was pregnant, the pair made plans to marry. When the school’s principal and the affiliated priest became aware of the situation, however, Lawrence Catholic Academy fired both Ferland and Houlihan for violating their employment contracts, which require them “to adhere to the teachings and principles of the Catholic Church.” Out-of-wedlock pregnancies, even with the sincere intention of marriage, go against Church teachings. Read more
It’s a safe bet that Cardinal Raymond Burke never could’ve guessed his seat on an important Vatican committee was in jeopardy given his track record of criticizing celebrities, withholding communion from politicians, ousting feminist nuns, and being generally outspoken on conservative causes (including the persecution faced by American Christians). But that was before Pope Francis took on the papal tiara. Read more
He accepts the validity of same-sex relationships… unless he doesn’t. He’s calling on the Church to spend less time talking about contraception and abortion… but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still very serious sins. He even tried to get atheists into heaven… or did he? At every possible opportunity, Catholics who want to see changes in the way the Church functions are getting caught up in rhetorical battles with Catholics who support the status quo, both sides arguing passionately for the claim that Pope Francis is on their side. The latest issue is the celibate priesthood. For the previous pope, Benedict XVI, the question was closed: priests must continue to be male and celibate (or at least theoretically celibate). Some Catholics see hope for change in the person of Pope Francis. Supporters of celibacy, however, hasten to assure such wayward souls that Pope Francis intends to carry out business as usual in the Catholic Church. Read more
Earlier in November, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) held its annual fall meeting, after which it released a Special Message that has raised some a few eyebrows. Why? Well, it just might hold the key to letting the bishops make a graceful exit from the issue of reproductive health-care coverage. The message focuses specifically on the HHS Mandate that would require all employers — even Catholic ones, such as hospitals and universities — to provide health insurance that covers contraception, sterilization, and other examples of reproductive care the Church calls sinful. It’s not even surprising anymore to hear the bishops double down on what awesome work Catholic charities do, and how unfair it all is. But some commenters have picked up on a slight change in tone, so subtle it’s invisible unless you’re very, very good at picking out the nuances of the Church hierarchy’s political double-speak: Read more
