I was pleasantly surprised when the Christian Science Monitor called us recently to ask if they could use our icon of St. Catherine of Siena as an illustration in a special millennial edition dedicated to "A Thousand Years of Religion". But the written portrait of Catherine that accompanied our icon in the Monitor rendered her so inaccurately, I was hard pressed to recognize our patroness. She was described as a "nun" who "lived in a manner controlled and sanctioned by male priests," and whose subordinate status put her light years from "the peer status with men of Madeleine Albright, present United States Secretary of State..." (Christian Science Monitor, "The Ascent of Women", Dec. 16, 1999, p. 15.)
In fact, Catherine was not a nun, but a lay Dominican, a status which gave her the freedom to undertake her astonishing public career. Contrasting her work with that of Madeleine Albright is ironic since Catherine was a papal ambassador making peace between warring city-states. To describe her as "controlled and sanctioned by male priests" makes Catherine sound like a mealy-mouthed church mouse rather than the prophetic figure who convinced a deeply reluctant Pope to return to Rome, or who informed three cardinals that they were "worthy of a thousand deaths" (Catherine of Siena, Alice Curtayne, 1980, p. 147).
The heart of the difficulty lies in a misperception how leadership and authority actually work in the Church. The author seems to accept the common assumption that one must be ordained to exercise real leadership or power in the Church. But real authority and power take many forms. The saints have always exercised a leadership that is apostolically and charismatically based. As saint, Doctor of the Church, and patroness of Europe, the spiritual authority of this lay woman now encompasses the whole Church and has grown through the centuries. I recommend the Scribe article, which can be found in the library section of our website, to all who would like to learn the truth about Catherine’s remarkable life.
Sherry Weddell is Associate Director and co-founder of the Institute, and lives in Seattle.