ReligionDispatches - Frances Kissling

A Dominican Nun Keeps Peace in War Against Women

Frances Kissling — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:04:01 PST

Before she felt her presence compromised the peacekeeping Sr Donna Quinn was escorting women past protesters at a women's health clinic.

Catholic Bishops to Use Mass to Lobby Against Health Care?

Frances Kissling — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:43:01 PDT

Both pro-choice and pro-life supporters of health care reform must speak out against this immoral use of religious services.

Vatican Sexual Abuse and the High Priests of Hollywood?

Frances Kissling — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 14:41:01 PDT

As a defensive Vatican attempts to reclassify the pedophiles it has never ceased protecting, the centrist former editor of America magazine makes a flawed Polanski analogy.

President Carter on Religion: Stop Harming Women and Girls

Frances Kissling — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:59:01 PDT

In a recent Op-Ed, Elders member Jimmy Carter noted that religion is used to excuse slavery, forced prostitution, genital mutilation, and more.

Catholic Boy’s Club: Religion and the Supreme Court

Frances Kissling — Sun, 17 May 2009 14:29:01 PDT

Is it time for a non-Catholic on the Supreme Court? Or, put another way, should we not insist that the Court be religiously diverse?

Right Wing Catholics Attack Obama Faith-Based Council Member, Harry Knox

Frances Kissling — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:38:01 PDT

Right wingers call for Knox’s ouster. What’d he do? He took issue with the Pope’s rejection of condom use as a precaution against AIDS.

What Do You Think?: “Padre Oprah” Scandal Has Many Asking Whether Priests Should Be Allowed to Marry

Frances Kissling — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:02:01 PDT

Father Alberto Cutie has admitted to falling in love with a woman and breaking his vow of celibacy. Is it time for the celibacy of the priesthood to end?

Prolife Evangelical, Gushee, Tired of Silence

Frances Kissling — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:00:01 PDT

Only when both sides of the abortion debate express their views will we find common ground. Restrained discourse helps nobody.

Common Ground on “Life”

Frances Kissling — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 10:56:01 PDT

A conservative and a progressive find common ground on organ donation. What do you think?

Vatican Unhappy with Obama’s Ambassador Picks

Frances Kissling — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:30:01 PDT

The Vatican has thus far given the thumbs down on the Obama admin’s first couple of candidates for ambassador. One wonders whether the U.S. routinely allows countries to decide who our ambassador should be?

“Junk Religion”: White House Fills Remaining Faith-Based Slots

Frances Kissling — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:03:01 PDT

The 10 remaining picks did little to rectify the anti-reform, anti-woman, anti-gay tilt of Obama’s Faith-Based Advisory Council. Not to mention the conspicuous absence of a single academic theologian.

White House Conference Call Seeks Common Ground on Abortion

Frances Kissling — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 09:33:01 PDT

On Friday White House officials launched a campaign to appease those on all sides of the abortion issue. Do they realize it's nearly as thorny as Israel/Palestine?

What Liberals Want: A Response to Susan Thistlethwaite

Frances Kissling — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:31:01 PDT

Theologian Susan Thistlethwaite suggested in Newsweek that liberals should respect progressive efforts to connect with evangelicals. Frances Kissling responds that the respect should begin with a sitdown between liberals and progressives.

Bad news on the Faith-Based Council

Frances Kissling — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:05:01 PDT

Not only is the balance on Obama’s Faith-Based Council tipped toward conservatives, it seems that for every gay rights advocate there must be a homophobe.

Archbishop Retracts Videotaped Criticism of Fellow Bishops

Frances Kissling — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:33:01 PDT

In a videotaped interview, Archbishop Raymond Burke calls Obama an “agent of death.” But his big mistake was to criticize his fellow bishops in public.

Faith is Not the Enemy of Feminism

Frances Kissling — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 15:39:01 PDT

A new report identifies three areas where women's empowerment and religion are linked: activism, scholarship, and popular culture.

Vatican Official Challenges Excommunication in Brazil

Frances Kissling — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:01:01 PDT

Archbishop says that in the case of the nine-year-old girl who was excommunicated for her life-saving abortion, the first concern of the Church should have been pastoral, not punitive.

Teen Births Rise; Can Faith-Based Leaders Help?

Frances Kissling — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:52:01 PDT

Only a minority of Obama's faith-based leaders have any expertise on the topic and most are far more philosophically attuned to abstinence-only sexuality education

Abstinence, Not Condoms, Says Pope Upon Leaving for Africa

Frances Kissling — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:33:01 PDT

The Pope sticks to a failing position as he heads to Africa. More then simply correct information we need to change attitudes toward the basic goodness of human sexual relations as part of preventing the spread of AIDS.

Denying Communion to Prochoice Politicians

Frances Kissling — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 15:06:01 PDT

While some Bishops attempt to spread their views on the denial of communion beyond their fiefdoms, there's no theological demand for doing so.

Only Fetuses and Popes are Worthy

Frances Kissling — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:31:01 PDT

The excommunication of those involved in procuring an abortion for a sexually abused 9-year-old in Brazil does not extend to the abuser. What exactly are the Church's priorities?

Obama Reverses Bush Stem Cell Restrictions, Time to Step Up

Frances Kissling — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:51:01 PDT

While this shift represents a major step away from junk science, the refusal of many denominations to take a clear position will work in favor of conservatives as federal funding guidelines are set.

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Chips away at Vatican’s Diplomatic Immunity

Frances Kissling — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:43:01 PST

Can a survivor of sexual abuse by Catholic clergy sue the Vatican for damages? The answer is complicated, but it’s looking better for survivors with every new court decision.

Senator Brownback Says Other Senators Aren't “Real” Catholics

Frances Kissling — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:23:01 PST

How did a US Senator end up signing a letter condemning some of his Senate colleagues as bad Catholics?

Obama Offers Little Hope for Faith Based Change in the White House

Frances Kissling — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 15:51:01 PST

Can Obama's new faith-based initiative do more than just act as a corrective to Bush's religious right-friendly program? What of sex education, reproductive rights and discriminatory hiring practices?