A New Pope

I am not sure why the Sisters of Charity were so named—charity was an oxymoron. These nuns were the hit your hand with the ruler and stand in the corner for hours with gum on your nose types.

My experience with them was not all that positive.

But I cannot say the same when I was in high school at our Lady of Victory Academy. The sisters of Mercy were indeed merciful. Sister Dillane, the principal, taught the girls that there were professions other than secretarial science, teaching or nursing—that marriage was not an aspiration but a relationship. She encouraged the girls to be more.

Sister Dillane was a role model.

And the assistant principal, Sister Margaret wore mini-skirts and occasionally forgot to wear a bra under her t-shirt as was common in 1974—although not for nuns. She was sharply dressed and sharp minded.

She knew all the words to Helen Reddy’s I am Woman.

She was a role model.

And Sister Galliano was the most interesting of all. She was also young, like Sister Margaret. She let it be known that her greatest aspiration was to become a Catholic priest. She saw little reason why her vagina precluded her from standing with a chalice at the altar. She took issue with the church’s anti-woman policies.

Sister Galliano was our Dean of Students—and she was a role model.

And in college I met with liberal minded priests and nuns. They were schooled in Martin Buber and Hans Kung. They did not just question but they mocked the man-made rules of Catholicism. They gave evidence as to why the Vatican was an old boys club and politically corrupt. They nullified the reasons for celibacy, a man-only priesthood, and a closed door confessional. They doubted the pope was infallible. They found a gay zone for birth control and absolution for abortion.

Back then all these spiritual leaders were considered progressive—in this day in age they would be considered heretics. Yet all these forward thinkers served as my role models. They are the reason that I accept the sometimes angry barefoot itinerant preacher in the Gospel and not so much the gold ringed richly robed men in the Vatican.

And so when the non-Catholic receptionist at the dentist’s office said to me You have a new pope—what do you think? I was a little hesitant to answer. I said I am pleased that he is from South America and that he can lend a different cultural perspective. I am also pleased that he is a Jesuit and he appears to be a humble man.  But I would have liked for him to have been younger and I doubt that we will see any real change or modifications in church law.

Because unlike other religions, Catholicism does not trisect itself as orthodox, conservative or reformed. There is not a high Catholic and a low Catholic church. Catholicism is one size fits all—a big round hole which leaves no room for squares or ovals or any other polygram. And I am a square-- like Sister Dillane, Sister Margaret and Sister Galliano. We want more. We want our church to be tolerant and open—something that will not happen in our lifetime even with faith.