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James Martin, S.J.May 22, 2012

Sister Mary Johnson, SND de Namur, is a professor of sociology at Emmanuel College in Boston and a member of the Center for Applied Research on the Apostolate in Georgetown.  She joined me on "The Brian Lehrer Show," on New York City's public radio station, WNYC, for a wide-ranging discussion on Catholic sisters today.  Our conversation is here.

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Robert Killoren
13 years 1 month ago
I was very disappointed in Mr Lehrer's interview. It was disjointed and he was so intent on creating controversy that he basically ignored what the guests were saying. Thus many of the most important things the guests could have contributed to the public discussion and that would have really benefited listeners were left unsaid. One of the myths that Sister Mary Johnson was able to squeeze in and dispel was that all the young women joining religious orders are going into highly conservative orders that do not belong to LCWR. That simply not true. The ratio is more like 50-50. The religious right who are behind this effort to discredit the organization for its work in social justice are trying to paint a picture that the LCWR is full of ex-hippies and that the young are rejecting them. Mr Lehrer did not grasp the significance of that at all. The political right is behind this like it was in El Savador. Social Justice is greatly feared among the right because it threatens the security of the rich and powerful. It is not an accident that the 1% are pouring millions into Super PACS supporting the right's agenda. Historically the Church has been used by the right to quell the poor and get them to accept their lot in life as sharing in the suffering of Christ. The nuns are upsetting that and they must be stopped. 

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