Williams College: Pope Francis, gender theory, and being invited

Fr. Michael Sheehan, Williams College graduate and now priest of the Franciscans of the Primitive Order in Boston, is teaching a Winter term class at Williams this month called, "Pope Francis and the Problem of Evil." Papal biographer Austen Ivereigh will teach a class via Skype early in the month, and I will visit the class to discuss the pope's views on "gender theory" (which he has called a "new sin" against the Creator). Here's the course description:

Why does the "Pope of joy" speak so often about the prince of darkness?  This colloquy explores the mind and impact of Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio), who has been called the most astutely political Argentine since Perón. Students will be encouraged to wrestle with the perennial questions of God and human suffering with the aid of Francis' perspective.  Reflecting on the drama of good versus evil will shed light on how and why the Jesuit pontiff weighs in on economics, social justice, and ecology.  This dialogue provides a platform for students to both express themselves and listen empathically to others.  There will be three types of weekly class meetings: plenary meetings, small group discussions, and visits to the Berkshire Food Project. 

 

I have also been invited by the Catholic Center on campus to speak in the evening on the topic: "In Search of a Pro-Woman Response to the Hook-up Culture," a reprise of my presentation at the World Meeting of Families last year. This is (apparently) noteworthy given the brouhaha at Williams last semester when speaker Suzanne Venker was disinvited from speaking on the failures of feminism, sponsored by the group, Uncomfortable Learning. The ironies are, of course, quite ripe. I too am a critic of mainstream feminism but I also find much with which to agree. Still given the climate on college campuses this academic year, I am eager to see how things shape up on January 18th. 

It was a Catholic speaker I heard while I was a student at Middlebury College--a college much like Williams, though that was two decades ago now--that moved me to question my own radical feminist assumptions and open myself to the Catholic worldview. I pray that the Holy Spirit may work a similar grace at Williams this month.