NCR's new blog series "5 minutes with Francis" poses the question: If you managed to meet up with Pope Francis during his U.S. visit -- and you had his full, undivided attention for five minutes -- what would you say to him?
Kathleen Doran-Norton:
On behalf of my neighbor, thank you for your continued call to protect immigrants and refugees. Brought to the U.S. as a child, raising her American children, active in our church and community, she still faces the prospect of being deported from the only home she has ever known but for a presidential action.
On behalf of my granddaughter's life and wellbeing, thank you for your encyclical Laudato Si’, and the plea for us all to act to protect our earth and the poor.
On behalf of my daughter who had to work so hard to have her marriage blessed by the church, ask bishops to work with parishes to be more open to young people who want to be married in the church. My daughter did not live in the diocese where she and her husband were to be married. He grew up Lutheran. The response from a half dozen churches was "neither of you are a member, you can't be married in this church." In this age of job transfers and abrupt moves, where young people need to move to have a livelihood, my hope is that young couples' questions be heard not as "scheduling" problems, but rather as opportunities to welcome the start of a new family into the church.
On behalf of my sister-in-law — a sister of St. Joseph, head of chaplaincy at a large hospital system — acknowledge the work and education of women. My sister attained a doctor of divinity, had four beepers on her belt at one point for different nursing homes and hospitals, and comforted thousands of dying people and their families. She should have been named and acknowledged a deacon, as were women in the early church.
And if it's not too much to ask, maybe with the next English translation of the Creed, could you possibly include my salvation, and not just men's?
This is what one woman asks of her church.
What would you say during five minutes with Pope Francis? Pick one subject, and send us a brief note (300-400 words max) about the subject, and what you would say. Send your answer to francis5minutes@gmail.com.