cover image GOOD CATHOLIC GIRLS: How Women Are Leading the Fight to Change the Church

GOOD CATHOLIC GIRLS: How Women Are Leading the Fight to Change the Church

Angela Bonavoglia, . . Regan Books, $25.95 (352pp) ISBN 978-0-06-057061-3

A seasoned journalist who writes on social and religious issues, Bonavoglia interviewed hundreds of Catholic women—some in their 20s, most middle-aged or older, some traditionalist, most progressive—in order to show "how the Church has tried to silence women through time... and how Catholic women, undaunted, have persevered." Some chapters profile individuals such as Joan Chittister, a Benedictine nun from Minnesota who defied a Vatican command, and Elizabeth Johnson, an academic who became Catholic University's first tenured female theologian only after defending herself before a committee of cardinals. Some describe groups in which women play a major role, such as Voice of the Faithful, formed to respond to the recent sexual abuse and cover-up scandals. Much of the book, however, is devoted to the many women who work behind the scenes—often in the face of formidable opposition—on behalf of mostly liberal issues such as gay and lesbian rights, reproductive choice, fair treatment of the divorced and the full inclusion of women in church life. Bonavoglia's accumulation of evidence points to serious structural flaws in the church, many of them caused or exacerbated by its systematic exclusion of women from leadership. Though conservatives will disagree with her suggested reforms, many readers will welcome this compelling account of what dedicated Catholic women are accomplishing for the church they love. (Mar.)