Australia’s Catholic Church rejects a feminist nun

Sister Joan Chittister is a well-known figure in America. She rose to prominence in the 1980s with her opposition to nuclear proliferation, and has since given numerous lectures and written more than 50 books calling for women’s equality and social justice.

She was supposed to speak at a Catholic education conference in Australia next year. But a few weeks ago, she received a letter from the Archdiocese of Melbourne effectively disinviting her without providing a reason.

She said she suspected that it had been because church leaders didn’t like her ideas.

Quotable: “I see it as a lot bigger than one conference,” she said in an interview with The Times. “I see it as an attitude of mind that is dangerous to the church.”

Takeaway: The dispute over her invitation, unreported until now, arrives at a time of tension for the Catholic Church in Australia, writes our bureau chief, Damien Cave.

After Cardinal George Pell — a former archbishop of Melbourne who also served as the Vatican’s treasurer — was convicted for molesting two choir boys and subsequently appealed, the church has been facing a backlash from everyday Catholics over its culture of secrecy and conservative values.