Female Catholic Theologian to Address Role of Women in the Catholic Church

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Oct. 17, 2003 — Dr. Pia de Solenni, a leading young Catholic moral theologian, will present, “Women in the Catholic Church: Moving Towards a New Feminism.” The lecture will be held at Williams College on Friday, October 24 at 8 p.m. in Goodrich Payne Hall.

In the lecture, Dr. de Solenni, a prominent Catholic laywoman with three degrees in theology, will provide a historical overview of the place and treatment of women in the Catholic Church from its beginning. She will discuss the historical theology of the Church as it relates to women and address the question of whether such a theology was inherently anti-woman and misogynistic. In following, she will discuss contemporary theological and anthropological accounts of women and respond to the question of where the Church is heading in its relation to women and how it addresses the contemporary issues facing women.

Dr. Pia de Solenni is Director of Life and Women’s Issues at Family Research Council. Dr. Solenni’s expertise covers issues relating to women’s health, life issues, single-sex education, the new feminism, and culture. She is an active contributor to publications such as National Catholic Register, Our Sunday Visitor, and National Review Online.

As an ethicist and moral theologian, Dr. de Solenni has participated in many radio talk shows and discussions on various topics and has been quoted in various newspapers nationwide, including The New York Times, The Washington Times, and The Associated Press. She has testified on cloning before the Massachusetts State Legislature and serves on the Advisory Board of the academic journal, Nova et Vetera.

Dr. de Solenni has a doctorate in Sacred Theology summa cum laude from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome. On November 8, 2001, Pope John Paul II presented her with the 2001 Award of the Pontifical Academies for her doctoral work.

In addition to her doctorate, Dr. de Solenni holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts-Great Books from Thomas Aquinas College, California; a Sacred Theology Baccalaureate from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), Rome; and a Sacred Theology Licentiate from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, Rome.

The lecture is sponsored by the Williams Catholic Network (WCN), a group of Catholic Williams alumni, parents and friends, as well as by Williams Catholic and various academic departments of Williams College. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Following the lecture, Dr. Solenni will entertain questions.

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Published October 24, 2003