Australian Catholic college cancels talk by “pre-Christian” scholar

Sydney, Australia, Mar 9, 2005 / 22:00 pm

An Australian Catholic college cancelled a lecture by “pre-Christian” feminist theologian Carol Christ Saturday, reported the Sidney Morning Herald.

The lecturer, who challenges the patriarchal image of God, is associated with the so-called ‘Goddess’ spirituality.

The event organizers, the Australian Feminist Theology Foundation, have accused Sidney’s archbishop, George Cardinal Pell, of blocking the lecture. However, diocesan officials insist the decision to cancel the lecture was made by the Dominican Sisters who run Santa Sabina College in Strathfield.

"Following an inquiry from myself on behalf of the archdiocese, the Dominican Sisters decided it would be inappropriate for a talk promoting goddess worship and pagan spiritualities as an alternative to the basic tenets of the Christian faith to be held in a Catholic venue," said Auxiliary Bishop Julian Porteous in a statement.

Carol Christ has taught at Harvard Divinity School, Columbia University and San Jose State University and directs the Ariadne Institute for the Study of Myth and Ritual in Oregon, which offers pilgrimages to Greece and Crete celebrating goddess worship.