What "Catholic Women" Think

Thanks to Lisa for her sharing of  Mary Rice Hasson's response to Frank Bruni's recent New York Times piece about Catholicism and women.  As I read Hasson's response, along with that of Helen Alvare (reported here, along with the Bruni piece), it might be worth a reminder that "Catholic Women" is not a monolithic group.  Whether it is Bruni or Hasson or Alvare  or anyone else- each speaks for some Catholic women.  (Helen does acknowledge in her response that "no one woman is sufficient to be the voice for all.")  

There is no question that there are a significant number of Catholic women who (in Hasson's words) "love the Church, embrace her teachings, and know that their gifts are deeply important to the Church."  But there are also a significant number  who do not and who  feel marginalized and disconnected and undervalued by their Church because of their gender.  And so, while I don't disagree with criticism of the Bruni piece, we do need to remember that there is a tremendous range of views of Catholic women about the Church, its teachings and how those teachings play out in their world.