Roman Catholic Women Priests, An Oxymoron? 8/16

Carly Yuenger

The Vatican recently released a statement making the ordination of women priests one of the highest crimes against the church. Still, the ordination of Roman Catholic women priests continues.

On today's show we speak with Alice Iaquinta, one of many women who have gone through ordination as a Catholic priest--although some within the church refuse to recognize her ordination--and Father Roy Bourgeois, a priest who has been excommunicated for presiding over the ordination of women.

Do you think the Vatican will ever change its stance on the ordination of women? Do you think it should? Let us know what you think at our ongoing poll.

On today's program we'll also hear from our European Correspondent, Leona Francombe, about the Belgian perspective on secularism and the Catholic Church. For your reading pleasure, here's the transcript of her essay, "God in Translation," along with her other pieces in our ongoing series, European Vignettes.

Jean's Pick of the Week - February 19th

Joe

We've been airing some terrific shows on religion lately and Jean's choice this week reflects that.



Take a journey of faith with our Pick of the Week by downloading the show from our Here on Earth archive. Enjoy!

The Way We See Haiti 1/25

On today's show we fill in the gaps and address the misconceptions we have about vodou and the history of Haiti. We talk to native Hatian anthropolgist, Gina Athena Ulysse and historian Kate Ramsey.

Check it out here or leave your own thoughts and questions below by leaving a comment.

You can also listen to last week's show pertaining to Haiti here, when we talked about witnessing and how hard it is to watch the devastation going on in Haiti. You can also continue that conversation on the post about the show below.

International Day of Peace 9/21

Carly Yuenger

On today's show , in celebration of the International Day of Peace, we speak with Former Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik, and former Wisconsin legislator and U.S. Ambassador to Norway, Tom Loftus. After serving as Prime Minister, Mr. Bondevik founded the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights and today, Mr. Loftus serves as the Chair of its U.S. branch.

The Oslo Center brings a special perspective to the cause of peace: the Center sees religion and inter-faith dialog as a means of attaining peace and resolving conflict.

On this International Day of Peace, what do your visions of world peace look like? What do you promise to do in your own community to resolve conflict, build bridges, and increase understanding? Share your ideas and stories by adding a comment below.

Lasermonks.com

Update - 12/2/08: This show has aired. You can download the MP3 from our archive. Let us know what you think!
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Patrick Peczerski

One of our listeners recently sent us an email about a Cistercian Monastery in central Wisconsin that sells ink toner and cartragdes.  

Why are they involved in business you might wonder?  I was unware of this but Roman Catholic Monasteries in America must be self-sufficent.  I also learned that the business is doing so well (sales in the single digit millions) that they're able to donate the majority of their profits to charity.

Why would I buy from a Monk?  First, I immediatly trust them.  Also, I feel like what they sell will be of good quality.    This brings me to think - what lessons can laic, main-stream businesses learn from this ecclesiastical enterprise?  Can business make big bucks and be good at the same time?  Would you buy from a monk?