Ruben Rosario: Catholic nun pursues social justice with a bold tongue
Posted By richards on March 10, 2013
Sister Diane Donoghue, right, and Sister Simone Campbell, left, lead the way as the the "Nuns on the Bus" arrive on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, July 2, 2012, after a nine-state tour to bring stories of hardship to Congress. (AP Photo: J. Scott Applewhite)
Sister Simone Campbell no tiene pelos en la lengua. Literally translated, the words mean "not having hairs in the tongue." But in Spanish, it actually means not being afraid or hesitant to speak one's mind or conviction, although in her case, the woman behind last summer's "Nuns on the Bus" tour sure does it in a nice Christian way.
So when an audience member at a gathering in St. Paul last week asked her why liberal progressives were, compared with conservatives, so bad at simple, effective messaging, she recounted a conversation between a friend of hers and a member of the conservative Heritage Foundation.
" 'The problem with progressives is that you all never talk about family, God or country,' " the man said, according to Campbell. " 'All you talk about is programs. If you want to move hearts, you have to talk about family, God and country.' "
Campbell, also a lawyer who spent 18 years running a family law clinic for the poor and indigent in Oakland, Calif., absorbed the truth behind the assessment.
"I did not understand why 'Nuns on the Bus' was the electric jolt that it was," Campbell told the audience, "but I realized that's what 'Nuns on the Bus' did -- talk about family, God and country in a way that was compelling."
Campbell is a woman of the cloth relentlessly advocating for the poor and on a tireless mission to raise awareness about a widening income gap in this nation because, the way she sees it, it's unpatriotic, un-American and downright
She's no doubt a polarizing figure in the Catholic community, if not also outside it. Progressive thinkers inside the church praise her as a true follower of the teachings of Jesus and a crusader for economic and social justice. So-called "traditional" conservatives look on her as a heretic, a blasphemer who is pushing a radical feminist agenda that conflicts with Church doctrine.
Geez, the Pharisees pretty much said the same things about Jesus, who in turn pushed back, calling
Pioneer Press columnist Ruben Rosario. (Pioneer Press: Ben Garvin)
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Ruben Rosario: Catholic nun pursues social justice with a bold tongue
