I Dig the Jesuits

Even a decade ago, the Jesuits I knew were supporting women’s and gay rights in the church.

A top Jesuit official has been contacting leaders of the Roman Catholic Church to protest a soon-to-be-released Vatican document that is expected to reinforce the teaching that gays are not welcome in the priesthood.

The Rev. Gerald Chojnacki, head of the New York Province of the Society of Jesus, said in a letter to his priests that he was asking bishops to tell Vatican officials who are drafting the policy "of the great harm this will cause many good priests and the Catholic faithful."

Good for you, Rev. Chojnacki. Some clergy are discussing a possible strike, too.

Because my only real experience with the Catholicism was with the Jesuits I knew at university, I tend to associate my feelings about the church with them, and so it makes me very happy to see that they are continuing the traditions of thoughtfulness, tolerance, and inclusion that made me fond of them in the first place.