can find themselves wrestling with
their own sensibilities and sensitivi-ties. Additionally it can even be hard
to unravel anti-Christian prejudice
from the way “hot topics” are presented in secular venues.
Even if you don’t take a stand on
these controversies, they do impact
each discerner. Each person discern-
ing religious life will turn over ques-
tions in his or her heart and strive
to find ways to reconcile their sense
of calling with what may be thorny
realities. Topics that have been under
discussion in the Western church for
the past few decades include:
• Sexual abuse in the church
• Women’s roles in Catholicism
• Catholicism and LGBTQ
members
These three topics bring forth a host
of cultural, theological, and ecclesial
differences among Catholics, and few
scholars and observers of the church
expect them to disappear soon. For
those in discernment, the point is
not necessarily to have everything
sorted out. Rather, it is to acknowl-
Each person
discerning religious
life will turn
over questions in his or
her heart and strive
to find ways to reconcile
their sense of calling
with what may
be thorny realities.
“
edge the challenge of these issues
and prepare to deal with the knotty
questions that public ministers will
inevitably field.
For instance, Sister Susan
Francois, C.S.J.P. is a member of the
Sisters of Joseph of Peace who was
forced to deal with the first wave
of sexual abuse crimes in the early
2000s as she considered becoming a
sister. “Being a returned Catholic in
light of the abuse crisis was tough
enough, but here I was considering
becoming a Catholic sister, a public
figure in the church. I had to seriously consider if I could do this and
still be a person of integrity,” wrote
Francois in the HORIZON journal,
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