My favourite character...

Dear Friends,

Today's excerpt from Kaiser's novel is my favourite or, more properly, it introduces my favourite character, Sister Phoebe. I don't know if it's because I have a daughter named Phoebe and have a natural attraction to anyone by that name or because the sort of situation Kaiser's character Sister Phoebe is caught in. Kaiser's character, Phoebe, to me is some kind of archetype for religious women who, if anything have been the most courageous in standing up to the battering handed out by the sector in Catholicism who, at every step, have endeavoured to undo the work of the Second Vatican Council. I love this woman.

And speaking of women could I draw to your attention a Petition that a small group of activists who met on Catholica have drawn up seeking an Apology to Women for the way they have been treated by the Church down through the centuries. As I wrote in my own response, I am not optimistic that the men who presently run the show would actually be of the belief that there is anything to be apologetic about. They seem to be of the belief that women have been treated very well by the institution and what we need to do is get more of them back into cloisters or, failing that, barefoot and pregnant and back behind the kitchen sink reciting their rosaries and not holding any opinions outside those told to them by the men they think should be in charge of all opinions and laws. If you are sympathetic to the initiative of the people who have organised this petition a few minutes of your time to sign the petition would be greatly appreciated. You'll find further explanation, and a link to the petition website itself, at:
<Link to the APOLOGY TO WOMEN>
<www.catholica.com.au/forum/index.php?id=36091>

And here is the link to the chapter on Sister Phoebe:
<Link to today's excerpt from Kaiser's novel, "Cardinal Mahony">
<www.catholica.com.au/gc3/rbk/011_rbk_311009.php>

Finally today, the new Spiritual Marketplace is at last beginning to fill up with many goodies. Catholic shops have been around for yonks. Archbishop Barry Hickey offered to fund me into setting up one in Perth when Pellegrini's closed down over there about ten years ago. Little did I imagine I would be endeavouring to do it off my own bat in cyberspace a decade later — and endeavouring to create a very different atmosphere to the sort of piety shop that he perhaps had in mind. (I'm sure Barry breathes a huge sigh of relief these days that our relationship is one that didn't go anywhere in the end!) The Catholica Spiritual Marketplace ain't into piety. It's a place for people genuinely interested in the spiritual journey who are seeking to depth their appreciation of the spiritual. Check it out. The latest products I included last night from Karen Armstrong, Daniel Harrington SJ and Hans Kung won't link through to the checkout interface until Wednesday — long weekend in Melbourne 'til the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday and I need to do some things with the technical people down there — but the marketplace is now really beginning to take on the atmosphere that I hope will characterise it long into the future. It's happening at a good time. Catholica is continuing to boom. In the last week we've had four days in a row with over 2,000 visits each day. That's not happened before. This month of October looks set to see us having attracted very close to 30,000 unique visitors for the first time by the time the finish tape is reached at midnight tonight.
<The Marketplace>
<www.catholica.com.au/marketplace/>

Factionalism in the early Church at Corinth... A short essay from Daniel Gullotta today examining the phenomenon of factionalism in the early Church. Is the problem any different in the 21st Century when we look at the factionalism in most churches today? <more>

Who was Theophilus? Writers and artists use all sorts of tricks to gain the attention of their audiences or to get their message across. In the Puzzling Passage he's selected for us today, Dr Ian Elmer explores the mysterious character Theophilus in the writing of the Evangelist Luke. Who was Theophilus? Was he a real person or an archetype created by Luke, the creative writer, to represent a large group in the early Christian community — the Roman-Gentiles attracted to the Jesus movement? What an excellent series Dr Elmer is bringing us in the lead-up to the e-Conference on St Luke next Wednesday? <more>

The Psychology of Priesthood #17 As Tom McMahon perceptively writes, it is difficult writing about our personal experiences of sexuality especially on the internet. Society perhaps needs more authentic (honest), public discussion of this subject from people who do not carry all the baggage we "Catholics" carry. Vatican Two, Tom argues, was a plea to look at life as a mature adult but the "octagenarian Vatican Cardinals" fear "the camel's nose under the tent"! <more>

What sort of priests can make the Jesus' message "sing" in society's heart again? Priests and Bishops face a great challenge today as more and more people look elsewhere for people to bless their weddings, conduct naming ceremonies for their children and send them on their way into eternity. How do you continue to make the messages of Jesus Christ relevant in a world that is becoming more and more sceptical of the programs offered by the institutional churches? Today on Catholica we bring you a priest's review of a book by a bishop which, when push comes to shove, is examining the foregoing questions from opposite sides of the social river. The Bishop is Julian Porteous, an Auxiliary Bishop in Sydney who has recently published a new book on priesthood. The Priest taking a critical eye at what the Bishop has written is our occasional commentator on Catholica, Daniel Donovan. <more>

23.3: Augustine and Pelagius There's some great lines in the extract from Tom Lee's manuscript today — some by Tom, and some by some of the figures from history he quotes. The central focus is on Augustine and Pelagius. How much of our Christian attitudes to sin, and so many other things, have been borne out of the personal struggles — and failings — of men who were projected into powerful positions? <more>

In search of Self #17… This is another of those gentle reflections from Francis today worth sitting with for a while. It's a reflection on 'self' — his 'self' but it so easily applies to all of us. A couple of weeks ago we included a Sinfonia from Beethoven with one of Tom McMahon's commentaries. That music is included again today as you might like to sit with what Francis writes for a little while. <more>

Best wishes for a great day wherever you happen to be ... in life or in our world.

Brian Coyne
Editor and Publisher