BC News > Faith & Religion > Jesuit, Catholic > C21 Panel Why I Remain a Catholic

Boston College’s Church in the 21st Century Center will host a major event titled: “Why I Remain a Catholic: Belief in a Time of Turmoil,” on Tuesday, November 27, at 7 p.m. in Robsham Theater to examine a question that many Catholics have asked in recent months following reports from a Pennsylvania grand jury detailing decades of clergy sexual abuse, and the resignation of Theodore McCarrick from the College of Cardinals amid sexual abuse and harassment allegations.

The event will be moderated by R. Nicholas Burns '78, Hon. '02, a professor of the practice at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and Greece, and will feature a panel of professors and students including Professor of Theology Stephen Pope; BC School of Social Work Professor of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing, former president of Catholic Charities, Boston; Sean Barry, a sophomore in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Theology and Ministry student Stephanie Sanchez, who earned a master’s in social work from BC in May.

R. Nicholas Burns '78
Stephen Pope
Tiziana Dearing
Stephanie Sanchez
Sean Barry

Participants (L-R): R. Nicholas Burns '78, Hon. '02, (moderator); Professor of Theology Stephen Pope; BC School of Social Work Professor of Macro Practice Tiziana Dearing, former president of Catholic Charities, Boston; STM student Stephanie Sanchez, M.S.W. '18, and sophomore Sean Barry.

“There is strength in gathering as a Catholic community and sharing our hopes for the Church and our resolve to do what it takes to set things right,” said C21 Director Karen Kiefer. “It's certainly powerful to bear witness to the voices of fellow Catholics and why they choose to remain. Listening to other people's testimonials, ideas, and insights helps in the healing process and also helps us imagine what change in the Church could look like.”

“I am grateful for the chance to be part of the panel,” said Dearing. “I think being Catholic, in part, means being in community. I welcome the chance to reflect with my community on the tension of joy in my faith during a very difficult time in my Church.”

“I think we are often so afraid to question our faith because it would show some kind of weakness, but that's not it at all,” said Sanchez. “Questioning and engaging is our way of diving deeper into what it means to be a part of the church, and so it is my hope that this event can help people feel comfortable to do that.”

“Pope Francis calls us to be a listening Church,” added Kiefer, who noted that with this event the C21 Center is honoring its mission to be a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church. “We need to pray for the victims and our Church, listen, and act. Together we can find a new way forward.”

The Nov. 27 event, which is co-sponsored by the School of Theology and Ministry and the Theology Department, will be followed by a series of lectures and discussions in the spring semester that will examine practical steps the Church needs to take to restore credibility in its organization and leadership.

The event is free and open to the public, but has limited seating. For more information, visit the C21 website at www.bc.edu/C21.

--University Communications | November 2018

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