Welcome to Friday. Catholic Speakers of Color aims to help conference organizers find a more diverse array of Catholic speakers. An NCR columnist says that the fact that Pope Francis named a woman religious as an undersecretary to the Vatican's office of the Synod of Bishops and will likely be given a vote in upcoming synods, makes an important statement about the role of the nonordained.
After learning about her own family's intergenerational wounds from racism, Leticia Ochoa Adams began to see the Catholic Church's complicity in racism and set out to change the church's narrative when it comes to issues of race and social justice.
Last October, the writer and mother founded the new website, Catholic Speakers of Color, which aims to help conference organizers find a more diverse array of Catholic speakers. The online platform features 53 speakers, including Adams, who represent a variety of ethnicities and skin tones.
In addition to providing a service to organizations looking for speakers, the list has become a source of community and encouragement for those on it. "I know several people on the list who when they feel overwhelmed, just scroll through the list and remember 'I'm not alone,' " Adams said.
All of the speakers must submit a letter of good standing to be added to the website, but the speakers represent a variety of political opinions. "We all have different stories and different reasons for being Catholic … just like white people," she said.
You can read more of the story here.
It's good news, says NCR columnist Phyllis Zagano, that Pope Francis named Xaverian Sr. Nathalie Becquart as undersecretary to the Vatican's office of the Synod of Bishops, possibly with voting rights. The fact that Becquart will likely have a vote makes an important statement about the role of the nonordained.
Francis is calling for a synod to discuss synodality in October 2022. But what does that mean?
"Essentially, it means moving along together," Zagano writes. "The concept revolves around the way the church has — or seems to have — made decisions over the centuries. So, while no one knows exactly who will be called to Rome, we can be assured it will be bishops. Judging from the experience of the most recent synod —an extraordinary synod that considered the church in the Pan-Amazon Region —women may be called as well. Whether they will have a vote remains to be seen."
You can read more of Zagano's column here.
More background:
More headlines
- NCR political columnist Michael Sean Winters says the problem with policies for college loan forgiveness or free tuition is that they are not universal because millions of Americans do not go to college, either because they do not qualify or because they have no particular interest.
- At EarthBeat, native tribes and faith leaders are calling on President Joe Biden to intervene in the ongoing construction of the long-contested Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota.
Final thoughts
Every Friday, we pull together letters to the editor from readers like yourself. This week, we are publishing responses to a couple of opinion pieces about how the inauguration of President Joe Biden brought with it a conversation about liberal Catholicism by executive editor Heidi Schlumpf and political columnist Michael Sean Winters. You can join in the conversation by following the guidelines here.
P.S. I will be taking a little vacation the beginning of next week. This newsletter will be written by our engagement editor, Brittany Wilmes. I will be back for Wednesday's newsletter.
Until Wednesday,
Stephanie Yeagle
NCR Managing Editor
[email protected]
Twitter: @ncrSLY
