In the Name of Catholicism

"Along with my 10 brothers and sisters we woke up, got on our knees and consecrated the day to the glory of God though the immaculate heart of Mary. Before and after breakfast, lunch and dinner we prayed to God, and then after dinner we read the Bible out loud."

Kennedy, however, sees nothing unusual in her family's devotion.

"I think it was quite a typical Catholic family in the sixties from my generation. Then as an adult, I like so many of my peers have asked tough questions about what it means to be Catholic today. Such as what do I want to pass on to my kids, what is and is not sacrosanct."

There's no question that Kennedy keeps her own counsel on that last issue. Over the years she has been, she says, conflicted and dismayed by some of actions of the hierarchy in the U.S. and around the world.

This dismay sometimes finds expression. Earlier this year she was in Rome for a conference on Africa, where it is estimated that a staggering 30 million people are projected to die of AIDS by 2020, a number that would be drastically reduced by strong preventative measures - including condom use. One word from the church could save tens of millions of lives, she realized.

But Pope Benedict XVI, before becoming Pope, was a staunch defender of the magisterium of the church, which holds that the use of birth control is a mortal sin, and that couples who use it might be condemning themselves to eternal damnation.

Kennedy was having none of it. When the Holy Father approached her at the Vatican she asked, "Your Eminence, in view of the tragedy unfolding in Africa, for the sake of the sanctity of life, would you consider changing the church's position on the use of condoms?"

The people around her stepped back as though anticipating an incoming thunderbolt. But the Pope gazed back at her serenely, saying only, "God bless you," as he passed.

Says Kennedy, "The Catholic Church is one of the largest organizations ministering to people with AIDS in Africa, but I just felt it was the right thing to do to speak up. In April the Pope publicly announced that he had asked a group of bishops to review the church's position on the use of condoms by people living with AIDS. I was very happy to see that."

Faith is deeply personal, and its expressions says much about us. One of the conclusions that Kennedy came to after interviewing 37 Catholic Americans is that everyone has an argument with the church.

From the most orthodox to the most progressive, Kennedy realized that part of being Catholic means having an argument with the church.

"As Pope Benedict said when he came to the U.S. a few months ago, one of the pillars of Catholicism is the search for the truth - and if you're searching for the truth you're going to have conflict. You can have conflict with the institution without abandoning it," she says.

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