Revealer contributor Julia Rabig writes:

The unfolding of abuse scandals that accelerated in the Catholic Church over the past few years has forced Church hierarchy to contend with new demands for accountability on a range of issues. “Being archbishop of Boston,” Archbishop Sean P. O’Malley tells The Boston Globe‘s Michael Paulson, “is like living in a fishbowl made of magnifying glass.”

O’Malley is referring to the controversy that erupted when he lumped feminism in with a litany of other social problems, including divorce, the “drug culture,” and the sexual revolution in a homily delivered earlier this month. O’Malley tries to apologize for upsetting Catholic women, even as he avoids actually retracting his statements.

“Feminism,” O’Malley offers, “is a very elastic term, and I did not try to define it or categorize it.” He goes on to state his admiration for “Christian feminists” such as Dorothy Day andMother Theresa

While both Dorothy Day and Mother Theresa devoted their lives to working with the poor, these two women espoused very different views of the role of social justice and Catholic faith.

What is Christian feminism anyway? Paulson quotes two Catholic women — a scholar and a college president — who commend O’Malley for issuing a statement in response to his critics that “clarified feminism.” Paulson also allows O’Malley to list his feminist credentials, including his work with Gloria Steinem to promote equal wages for women workers. But neither Paulson nor his sources tell us the content of O’Malley’s “clarification,” nor do they call on him to define the contours of the Christian feminism he allegedly celebrates.

Sure, feminism is an elastic term, but isn’t it the reporter’s job to share some if its definitions with his readers?

Discussions of Catholic feminism and of Christian feminism.