Last month, I posted HERE about my friend, Sister Simone Campbell, a Roman Catholic nun who has been fighting behind the scenes for years to get health care coverage for the poorest among us. She has fought the good fight in the best Catholic social justice tradition of Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, and Oscar Romero. In so doing, she incurred the wrath of the Catholic bishops, but she and her sisters forged ahead and they overcame the odds. In the end, health care reform passed Congress and was signed into law by President Obama.
Many -- including the President -- are crediting the nuns with being the tipping point that won passage of the bill. Vice President Joe Biden called Sister Simone "my nun."
I am incredibly proud to call her my friend.
We met Sister Simone for a concert and dinner last Sunday evening in Washington D.C., and heard her story of the last few months. Amazing. Whatever else you think of this issue, please give credit to a talented a courageous nun who fought very hard to win passage of a bill that will bring relief to millions of Americans.
Sister Simone was invited to the bill signing ceremony. The above photo speaks for itself.
I've invited my good friend the sister to Charlottesville to tell her story and tell us what else we can do. I will keep you posted on the date.
1 comment:
She sounds like am amazing person! And a blessing for all of us, of any religion.
FYI, Maureen Dowd has had some terrific NYT columns over the past year on how the Vatican is trying to rein in the powerful, progressive character of today's community of nuns in the U.S. The Church hierarchy is threatened not only by their advocacy of social justice but by their existence as strong, vocal, independent women.
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