A Feminist Conversation on Catholic Patriarchy: What the Papal Transition Means and What Feminists Can Do About It **MONDAY,** March 4, 2013 1 pm - 2 pm EST **NOTE THIS SPECIAL TIME** RSVP by 10 AM Monday, March 4, 2013 Mary E. Hunt will offer an overview of the papal transition as a classic example of patriarchy unfolding for the world to see live. She will explore the religious significance of elite, exclusionary approaches to governance. Dr. Hunt will look at the social implications of the world’s largest Christian denomination modeling a monarchical way of being in an increasingly democratic world. She will suggest several feminist strategies for countering this approach and creating constructive new ways of being church that focus on participation, safety, and accountability.

Let an Inclusive Church Rise! WATER welcomes the news of the Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and wishes him a peaceful and dignified future. The Pope’s conscience-based decision reflects an honest assessment of his diminished capacity and an enlightened view of the job. We support freedom of conscience in this and in all things, including reproductive and sexual choices. The Pope demonstrated by his abdication that change is afoot in the Catholic community. Rather than business as usual in the election of his successor, we take this as an opportunity to develop new forms of participatory leadership reflecting the diversity and maturity of the Catholic community. Let an inclusive church rise! If substantive structural changes in the church begin to emerge, history will record Pope Benedict XVI with more than an asterisk for having retired. Rather, he will be remembered for ending a period of patriarchal rule and making way for a new era of equality. This is our prayer.